Thoughts of a Common Man

We started a show on Netflix. Something about high school football. We didn’t make it through the first episode but they mentioned the ‘pep rally’. It brought back a memory. I played one year of ⚽️ soccer.  Hated every minute of it.  (Even scored an own goal). We had a pep rally. I recall the pep rally in full color memory because that year (I was a freshman) I had a brand new, huge crush on a girl. She was going to be there, along with the entire school, and I was going to be in full uniform as a member of the team that everyone came to cheer. Sure I was seldom-used, but it was the first game of the year. No one knew that. There was a huge bonfire. 🔥  A loudspeaker 📢 and the entire school body 🏫 was there. Including my crush 😻 who was front and center as they began to announce the players. We were lined up in alphabetical order so I didn’t have to wait too long to catch the soccer ball on my right foot and make a quick circle ⭕️ trip around the bonfire 🔥. “AT FORWARD, CLIFF….” I

Ed Anser died at the age of 91. That’s a great run, but it’s weird when a celebrity dies, everyone remembers all the great moments and sings the praises. Anyone my age and older recalls Asner as Lou Grant from the Mary Tyler Moore Show. That was a long time ago! And he seemed like he was the old guy back then! When he had to deal with Ted Baxter… …hilarity followed… …great characters! Yet, Ed Asner did a whole lot more after being Lou Grant. Late in his life he was an activist for pets, and people and he was never once worried about saying whatever he wanted to say. I enjoyed his social media presence and listened to all of his interviews because he was well thought out, and pretty brilliant. This past year I watched him act in a movie or two and in and an old episode of Blue Bloods. He always had a presence. Reminded me of my Grandpa. That’s a pretty nice life. 91 and his career spanned generations and when he had a chance he tried to help other people and pets. Oh Mr. Grant.

Pretty damn tired today after playing golf on back-to-back days with my long-time central New York buddies. We head out for two great courses in Binghamton and while it’s a long drive, it’s well worth it. I got out of the car pretty stiff and my spikes were back home. It was also incredibly warm, and I was sweating profusely. Hit some bad shots on the front 9, but my tee shot on 10 was great, and the day got interesting.  I suddenly felt good, and that feeling lasted through a couple of post-round drinks, a whole lot of laughs, and a big bowl of pasta. The 8 a.m. shotgun start came early, and I kept hitting the ball straight but I didn’t have a truly great moment until I was off the green about 25 yards, and needing a miracle to par it. Thing is, last week, I golfed with a real golfer and he gave me a hint on how to chip. I whispered what he told me, and then I actually did it. I saw the ball drop, and I cheered loudly. The guys in my foursome were happy for me, but Paul said it first:

Here we go: The Bills need a new stadium.  $1.5 billion worth. For a dozen events a year. “Raise Our Taxes! Raise Our Taxes!!” Anyway. The NFL needs money. Empty your wallet! I have the division winners in the NFC as this: Dallas  Packers 49ers Bucs The AFC Division winners: Buffalo Baltimore Tennessee  Chiefs And man, they are breaking down on the taunting.  Who doesn’t want the refs more involved!! Covid will play a part in determining who is left standing, but of all the sports, the NFL is the easiest to predict. Quarterback play is the key. Usually the teams with the best coaches and best quarterbacks win. AFC Title Game? Same as last year: Buffalo against Kansas City (Yeah. I picked the Bills) NFC Title Game? Same as last year: Packers against Bucs Super Bowl?? Same as last year: Kansas City versus Tommy & the Bucs Super Bowl Winner? Same as last year: Tommy dances in the confetti. (Good news? How much longer can he possibly play?) (Bad news? His son is almost ready).

What a freaking week this turned out to be! This is my 3rd obit of the week!! First Bob, then Charlie Watts, and then on Wednesday morning I was choosing between going north or south. If I went south I could stop by and see Mom for a minute… …I chose south. I was almost to Fredonia at 8 a.m., thinking I could hit a couple of jobs and have coffee with Mom on the way back. My brother Jim was on the line. “Where are you?” “Fredonia.” “Good, go visit Mom and bury Chico for her.” Poor Chico. Poor Mom! Chico was at least 15 years old. He went to bed and didn’t wake up. He absolutely loved me! He was a beautiful companion for Mom. I’m not big on saying goodbye forever. I don’t know anyone who is, but as I noted earlier in the week… …saying goodbye to dogs is extremely bothersome. That’s enough!!! I mentioned all the loss to Miller the cat. He seemed unaffected. He’s only 2. A cat can hang around for 20 years. He’ll be kicking around here until at least 2035? I’ll take it. RIP to Chico. He was

My love of The Rolling Stones began when I was just 8 or 9 years old. I think part of it was because my brother John was constantly telling me that The Beatles were the greatest band of all-time. The Stones were the bad boys. I defended them fiercely. (I still do). By the time Some Girls came out I was a full-fledged believer that they were the greatest rock and roll band of all time. In 1981, I attended the Stones show in Buffalo. When ‘Under My Thumb’ hit my ears, man, I was in full glory. Of course, Mick and Keith and Ronny were right up front, but a little ways into the show, I caught a glimpse of Charlie Watts. Much like Bill Wyman, Charlie wasn’t acting much like a rock and roll star. He was drumming and smiling and was impossible not to watch. In his own way, his playing was infectious. Years and years later I read Keith Richards autobiography and was kind of surprised when he admitted that there would’ve been no Stones without Watts being the heartbeat. Charlie didn’t say much.

I went down a rabbit hole as I got caught up in a anti-vaccine thread that really set my head a spinning. There are people out there taking deworm medicine meant for cattle or horses as a cure for Covid. Many more people are saying that being vaccinated is part of a government tracking device plan or that it will make people infertile or that the recent FDA approval was rushed because the demons are trying to turn people into zombies. “This is the end of mankind as we know it because people are afraid of this man-made pandemic that is nothing more than a glorified flu.” I say that I went down into a rabbit hole because before too long I was trapped in the simple stupidity of it all. Grammar is one thing but spelling errors, My God! The Mayor of Ozark wrote a tweet about delivering the deworming medicine to a lifelong friend who is dying of Covid. “This is a heil merry pass” he wrote. “I hope the hospital will allow me to deliver this life-saving medicine.” So, his friend is dying of a

Certainly some sad news yesterday as Bob left his loving owners yearning for more time with him. The price we pay for love! Now, this certainly isn’t a sad blog because Bob entertained a whole bunch of us for years as Kim posted photos of his wonderful smile. Look at the photo, for crying out loud, he made a heart shape with his paws when he laid there. And he always looked as if he is smiling! Now, I know a little bit about the pain that every single dog owner has felt when God’s greatest of all creations has departed. I think of my Mom who can get teary-eyed recalling a dog who passed away in 1975! Melky passed away in November and I still sing songs to her! I wait until I’m alone, but I sing along as though Melky is in her seat beside me. Dogs and Moms should never leave! We should get to keep them forever… …and that’s the rub… …we do! Bob isn’t gone! He leaves when all of us who knew him do. RIP to Bob! Legendary!

Friday wasn’t a great day for my legs. Just heavy and tired and while I pushed through and visited sites and walked a lot and climbed ladders to get the blood moving. I was still sluggish. Played golf on Saturday with long-time friends who like to bet on every shot, and one of the four of us is a really good player. I was feeling good about my pitch on to bogie the first hole when I saw him chip on from 80 yards out and back spin it to an inch from the hole. That’s why I enjoy golf - it’s hard - plenty of room to improve. My legs felt better after we played. Then, new puppy, Mexican food, made the sauce for Sunday and hung out with Kathy and the boys. Then I played again on Sunday morning! Ate a pound of ravioli and a couple of meatballs, touched in with Mom, and plotted the week. A whole lot of living life. Took stock on Sunday night. Puppy is showing signs of being easy to house break. Good and tired. Legs? Feel about like they did on Friday. That’s okay! I used them all weekend to g

  There’s another official Camp Clifford member. The tiny, cute as hell chocolate lab is named Oliver but I think he’s more suited to be called Charlie. He’s Jake’s dog… …as of now. Every pet that enters the home is supposed to be someone else’s problem but sooner or later, they all follow me from room-to-room. Oliver was with Jake & Maggie through the night and all morning, but come Saturday night, he was beside me on the couch and it didn’t play well with Miller the cat who gave him the evil eye. The funny thing is that Jake is a lot like a nervous Dad. Jake is a kid who likes to sleep late, but he was up and outside early on Saturday morning. “You can’t come in until you poop,” he was whispering. And he was nervous. “I just want to make sure he doesn’t get hurt.” He knows a tiny bit how it feels to be a parent, I guess. Soon enough, Oliver (who is named after a Bills player named Ed Oliver) found the toy box. Miller looked at me. Seemed to ask if I was going to put a stop to it.

The first World Series I remember watching was Baltimore against Pittsburgh in 1970. Dad gathered us all round the screen and we rooted hard for the Orioles and especially Frank Robinson. Now, full disclosure, my Dad was always a Yankees fan as was my Grandpa.  All of us boys were also Yankees fans, even that early in  life, but Dad always rooted for the American League team in the series.  (Unless St.Louis was in it, for some reason - he liked the Cardinals). The only other time he rooted for off teams were if his favorite managers were involved:  Martin, Berra or Pinella. My Dad’s sister moved to the Baltimore area and suddenly the Yankees-Orioles banter went into overdrive. I distinctly recall Dad saying: “The Orioles are losing. It’s time to call Leonard.” Then I lived in Baltimore for a year. I went to at least 50 games there through the years. I love Camden Yards. Which brings me to my point. They’re 38-82 at present. They’ve lost 100 games two years in a row. Unless they somehow

Thanks to a Howard Stern interview of Sally Field we found the movie, “Hello, My Name is Doris” and I was so glad we did. First off, Sally Field should win her 3rd Oscar. She was simply awesome. And I thought about “Cannonball Run” and how as a teenage boy I had a crush on Sally Field. She was great with Burt Reynolds way back then. The movie was well-written and the characters were well-developed, but it was all about how great Sally Field is as an actress. Seems like every ten years or so we get reminded of it. She was the Flying Nun for crying out loud. And the Stern interview made it even more fun because she offered a glimpse into her life as a famous actress. She made a comment that she would’ve been an actress for free. In fact, she mentioned that she took a job as a favor to a friend of hers who was a director. She does her own grocery shopping. Could you imagine running into Sally Field in the produce section? And that’s the funny thing about art. I truly love watching talente

For the second time in 3 months I sat through the online presentation of the New York State, and the company sexual harassment training. Back in May or June I took the training because I hadn’t done it in awhile. I took the same exact training yesterday. 54 minutes of misery, but I got a 100 on the quiz. They try and make it interesting with actors playing out scenarios where a few nasty men act out some epically stupid harassment scenarios. One guy blatantly picks on a man’s sexuality. Another makes fun of a turban a man is wearing, and then a couple of guys make unwanted sexual advances on helpless women. I’m not alone in thinking: “What in the hell happened?” I’ve never intentionally harassed someone for any sort of life they intend to live. As a younger man, I listened to and told a whole bunch of slightly off-color jokes. Jokes that are no longer told and never were funny. The woman in the video was scolding me to behave like a human, and to understand it was about not offending a

The alarm sounded at 5:00 on Monday morning and while I normally don’t have to set an alarm, I was surprised when it went off. Cause I was still tired. And I have a creeping thought: “I’m too old for this crap.” I normally spend a little time in the morning trying to get my bearings before I get up and I checked Twitter, the Yankees and emails. Yawned. Thought about the grind. The summer is construction season and I’ve made peace with that, of course. I know that I have to be on my toes in the summer when the sun is shining. To look for days off during construction season would be a little like an accountant taking days off when taxes are due. I headed to the meeting in the Falls, arriving a few minutes before the 6:30 start. The 20 guys in attendance all looked like I felt on Monday morning. There weren’t many smiles. And of course, it’s warm and there’s a lot of sweating going on. Some climbing, a lot of walking.  “How’s it going?” I asked a familiar face. “Living the dream,” he said

20-years of war. Trillions of dollars. Lives of American soldiers. When the former guy decided that enough was enough and troops were withdrawn, I think that most of America said, “It’s time.” Evidently the plan to withdraw troops isn’t what was expected and the troops that were trained weren’t all that excited about fighting off the Taliban. The unrest in other parts of the world makes me think about a Rob Lowe line in ‘About Last Night.’ The woman actor asks if he’s distressed about the war in the Middle East. “I live in a pretty good neighborhood,” he says. I feel for the Afghan people. I don’t want people to suffer. The Taliban is a terrorist organization that never deserved to be legitimized. A generation of refugees will be born based on their ‘leadership’. So, a sad story, but what is to be done? The outcome would most likely be the same had we stayed another 10, 20 or 30 years and I’ve always believed that we don’t need to protect the entire world with so much misery happening

I’ve read a lot about improving the golf game. Many articles talk about mental toughness being a factor. There are others that reference visualizing the shot before it happens. Then, for the first time ever, we decided to flip a coin to choose up teams and play for lunch. So, with all that going on, I drove to the course and visualized my drive - “center cut - nice and easy swing - stay relaxed”. Mentally set, deep breath, slow and easy, visualize where it will end up. I swung the club and heard the “Whack”. Immediately yelled: “F***k.” What we call a ‘Whack-F**k!” Was that kind of day. Saying that you’re going to be mentally tough and actually doing it are two different things. Didn’t execute shots.  An easy chip on 2 turned into a mess. A wide open green yawning at me from 125’ on 6 - I hit that one about 30 yards. And in the worst of all possible outcomes we lost to two dopey bastards.  What’s disappointing about it is that we don’t get right back out there.   Now there’s 164 hours

We are in the process of updating and painting a few rooms. I’m out of the painting business - spoke with a younger man from one of the job sites. A real painter.  He’s also a young Dad and perhaps can use a little cash. So, we swung a deal and he’ll be by soon enough. I have to get the crap cleaned out of the rooms! Which isn’t easy because I live with a few people who are quite a bit less concerned about amassing a mess. Mom did a hell of a number on all of us! People think Dad was the reason that we are all a little off, but the intensity and the OCD stuff came directly via my Dear Mother and I wouldn’t change it at all. “I love cleaning out rooms,” I said to Kathy. She looked at me as if I had a huge forehead (I do). “Why?” “One, it’s getting cleaned up! And two, you find things!” I found photos of my kids when they were young. There was the time we went to the wrestling matches.  I also found a few photos where I was young as I was keeping an eye on them as they played. I always l

How does one become so cynical about everything? I watched a woman speak at one of those town board type meetings and the first words out of her mouth were that there is ‘no such thing as Covid’ and that it is simply a wide-ranging plan that includes ‘all of Washington and all of Hollywood’ to gain control of the children. What? The woman, who looked like a perfectly normal human being, implored all of us to ‘open your minds to the possibility that the vaccine is the final nail in the coffin for all of civilization’. How does one get to that point? She did offer a solution in a video clip that went absolutely viral. Her faith is in God! There are a whole bunch of unvaccinated people who are sick and dying. It’s not that God is letting them down… …it’s more like their warped vision of God is failing them. Doesn’t it stand to reason that an all-knowing, all-loving God would have more of a hand in the solution rather than the problem? It’s odd to me. There are tremendous conflicts in the

We switched over to Fox just before the Field of Dreams game started and we watched Kevin Costner kind of wander around the field looking lost, and he did a great job of selling the turn to see the Yankees and White Sox coming out of the corn. 🌽  “That gave me chills,” Kathy said. And the stadium and the old uniforms looked great. I especially liked the old-time scoreboard. And I thought of how much I have truly loved baseball all my life. It’s one of the great loves of my life along with family, reading, writing, Springsteen and pasta. A lot of it has to do with my Dad too. I remember the Mets-A’s in ‘73 World Series. Dad always rooted for the American League but Yogi was managing the Mets so we rooted for the Mets. And then the ‘77 and ‘78 Yankees. We talked baseball every day. Vivid memories. Sitting in the car and listening on the radio as Guidry struck out 18 Angels. The game wasn’t on and we could only get radio reception out of NYC if we sat in the car. It was a great night. As

The Yankees and White Sox are playing tonight in Iowa just miles away from the ‘Field of Dreams’ set where the ‘Build it and they will come’ line came from. Should be pretty cool. The players will walk out of the cornfield out onto the temporary stadium grass, and I’m sure Fox will totally destroy the feel of the game with their coverage, but who didn’t love that movie? First off, I always think of my buddy, Jeff who built the best field in North Collins back in our softball days. It was a perfect place for us to play and once he built it we came to play. There wasn’t a stone on the infield and the sight lines were great. I was truly elite on that field, but it is also where I tore my Achilles’ tendon and was the only field I was thrown out of.  (Want to know read The Barking Lions!) Great field! And I also have always loved Kevin Costner flicks - he did baseball roles really well with Bull Durham and Eigbt Men Out. (Was also exceptional in Tin Cup - my favorite golf movie). The game w

 So, Cuomo resigned. I got so many messages and beeps when it happened I thought it was an Amber Alert. Thing is: I don’t care. Maybe I should, but I spent so much time and energy on the political games of a corrupt mess over the last four years that I got truly bored of it. Crimes being committed all around and hopes being raised that someone might be held accountable… …and not much happening to punish the slobs who were pretending to govern. But Cuomo couldn’t withstand it all. Okay, he got what he probably should have got. I was creeped out when he did his press conference saying that he grabbed and kissed people because that’s what he does. He probably shouldn’t. Imagine someone just grabbing your face and kissing your lips. Ugh. But it does amaze me that some people have strutted through that storm with zero accountability. I know some politicians who have 25 or 30 or 50 women stacked against them… …while admitting it on a bus… …and zip. Some women wore shirts that said “He can gr

The heat beat the hell out of me yesterday. I climbed a half dozen ladders at three of the sites and I was a tad slow because the golf also slowed me down too. By the time I walked in the house in the late afternoon I was whipped… …and if you’ll all remember, our air conditioning is busted. Kathy made a bold decision.  “I’m getting a hotel room.” “Nice.” I thought about going, of course, but the pets would be lost and we do have one portable air conditioner that goes in my room… …and I would be up and out by 6:00… …so she went alone. Sat in the air conditioned room, went to the pool, and moved around a little. (She’s been through hell). “So, when you go to the sites would you rather it be this hot, or snowing?” “Hot,” I said. “No contest.” I like the sun. Snowy days are dark and grey. I can dump water over my head to cool off. Nothing I do during the winter helps much. But…. …I’ll be much happier tomorrow when our air conditioner is fixed. It’s a tad too much!

- Played a bunch of golf over the last few days. Chipping and putting is turning into a bit of a problem.  And that game. Mental focus is the key once you’re able to execute shots and some days your mind wanders a little. I was stuck in that little whirlwind during the first 9 holes yesterday.  Just a tad off and that’s enough to ruin you. - So Josh Allen got paid an ungodly sum to throw a ball around a field. Good for him, I guess, but I would enjoy sports more if their salaries weren’t publicized. I just know that the big move when someone gets that much money there will be a search for tax shelters and loopholes so they can pay as little in taxes as possible. Tax the rich. - Our faucet was busted and our air conditioner is still on the fritz. It’s amazing but when we got the water back in the kitchen sink I was ecstatic. I’ll be even happier when the air conditioner is working again. So totally thrilled with things I was taking for granted up until last week. - Masks will be back in

My first thought was to stuff my hot peppers with breaded pork chops. As I thought about it, though, I figured that I needed to make it a true stuffing. So, I seasoned the pork, marinated it overnight and added cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic, onion, oil, basil, and a garlic spread. Mixed it well and stuffed about 20 peppers with it. Of course, Kathy and I tasted the mix on crackers. “It’s good,” Kathy said. “Good? It needs to be great.” “Pork isn’t my favorite,” she said. “If you love pork it might be great.” I got an inkling that I was in the running after trying one of mine on a salami and provolone sandwich just after they came out of the oven. “I got a chance.” My buddy Scott was at the table next to me as we tried all the entries. “This yours?” “Yeah.” “This is the best one.” Huh? Could I win? 👎 NOPE! I was announced as the 2nd place winner and since Pops was 3rd (I thoroughly believed he would win after trying all of them). JOHN! AGAIN!! He went with a clams casino stuffi

There have been a bunch of stories about people getting really stupid on airplanes. Flight attendants are getting slapped around, people are being downright nasty, and the assholery is at all-time high levels. On a recent flight an unruly passenger who appeared to be three sheets to the wind was duct taped to his seat. He kept yelling. And a couple of flight attendants came by and duct taped his mouth shut. The other passengers cheered as if they were at a sporting event. It was uncomfortable for me to watch. The guy may have deserved it, but man, you can’t tape a man’s mouth shut when he’s been drinking. What if he started to throw up? And having someone tape your mouth? There certainly has to be a better way. I’ve flown quite a bit… …I’ve never seen much in the way of rage. I can see why it might happen though. The airlines don’t care much if they inconvenience a whole plane filled with people and sometimes when you voice your displeasure… …they get even more impatient and miserable.

It always seems as if things break down all at once. I’m not talking about just me here. “Is the air on?” I asked early this week. I headed to the thermostat - 80! Then I headed out, forgetting about it. Got the dreaded text: “The air conditioner is broken. You know a guy?” I thought of the mechanical contractors I know. Decided to stay out of it. I passed the number to Kathy. The fix wouldn’t be cheap or easy. “You should get a new one,” he said. “That ain’t all,” Kathy texted. “The kitchen faucet is broke and there’s a stream of water. It’s dripping into the basement.” Bah! We purchased the new faucet. Who’s installing it? Not me! So, the guy who needs things to be in order… …has busted things all around. Ah well. It’s Friday. Let us all rejoice.

They’re talking about a bill that would cut the work week to four days. Friday’s off! Sounds good, right? The Monday through Friday is certainly a grind and I usually feel like absolute garbage by Thursday because I usually work too many hours. I would say that most of my days are of the 7 to 5 variety with a couple of hours on the weekend. Too Much. But whatever, it’s mostly my fault. Thing is, I’ve worked some weird shifts in my day. I once had a job that went from 1 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. We had a pod half-hour lunch that we usually took around 5 a.m. Never got used to that shift. I had an hour ride in so I was getting up for work at 11 at night. And what the hell do you do when you get home at 10 a.m.? I would sleep a few hours and then get up. I’d try to sleep again around 7:00 but man… …that’s just a lousy day. When the weekends hit I didn’t even know where the hell I was. I talked to a couple of guys who are correctional officers. They were talking about mandatory overtime and guys b

It’s time to change out the Governor here in New York. When Covid began, the Governor took center stage, and did a daily press conference where he was the star of his own show. “That’s gonna’ bite his ass,” I said at the time. Then he wrote a book and patted himself on the back… …way too many people died to make the claim that you did a tremendous job. It was a bad look, and when you rise high, people are lining up to slap you down. The Governor was also roundly hated for his stance on guns. Shots would be coming from all angles. I think that it’s always prudent to wait and gather the information. That’s been done. It’s not good. Some real creepy crap. He’s gotta’ go. Bail out… …find something else to do. It’ll be best for everyone.

He sat front row at all the Yankees games. Had $230,000 a month in expenses as declared at his divorce hearing (not sure if that was his cousin, or not). Now he’s broke! Big-time lawyers fees and huge criminal allegations. He had a huge client just last year, but evidently he got stiffed. Truth be told, I never cared for Rudy… …even when he got all the accolades for being the Mayor on 9/11. I never got what was so heroic about him showing up at the baseball game and tipping his NYPD/NYFD hat. But man, his life has been a downward spiral in the last few months. He stood up in January and told the people who attacked the Capitol that they should be ready for combat. Before that he booked a Four Seasons Landscaping business to protest the ‘election fraud’. He testified in a court proceeding where he may have tooted on camera. He had mascara rolling down his face, and was sweating so profusely that some thought he was having health issues. But Rudy isn’t scared. He said that he’s ready to

The big story on Sunday morning was that the Bills ownership wants a new stadium. $1.5 billion worth. Some of that is also to redo the Sabres arena. The owners don’t even have to kick in even a nickel! They want the taxpayers to foot the entire bill!- All that money for 9 Bills games where ticket prices (which are crazy) and concession prices (which are criminal) and parking rates (that are outrageous) bring them millions upon millions. They don’t share that! We also get 50 hockey games featuring a team that finishes last every year. (Bills are in a good cycle right now, but may soon return to 2-15) All of it is so ridiculous. Elon Musk got almost a billion to build a plant in Buffalo that has done little in the way of wonderful jobs. Pegula grabbed about $100 million when they were building hockey heaven.  He was treated like a hero. Allegedly he spent less than he took in. Good work if you can get it. Give me $100 million.  I’ll spend $80 or $90 of it! This is straight-up welfare for

Man! It was nuts. Everyone they thought might get traded got traded with just a couple of exceptions. The Yankees made two great moves getting a couple of Italian-Americans who would’ve been my Dad’s two favorite players immediately. (Dad rooted for all the Italians). Social media was all over it, saying that the Yankees were trying to buy their way in. Little secret: The Cubs & Rangers picked up all the money! Then the real money hogs of the sport, the Dodgers, with their nearly $300 million payroll bought two guys from the Nationals. (Dodgers paying all the money). What does it mean? Not sure, but when teams make that many deals to try and make the playoffs the interest rate goes way up. I tuned in for a Rizzo AB and he promptly hit a 450’ homer. I started texting Cubs fans… …was threatened that I would be blocked. He homered again last night. Baseball is back, baby!