Thoughts of a Common Man

There have been so many times when I’ve been infuriated listening to Mitch McConnell. The biggest aggravation was when he refused to allow President Obama seat a Supreme Court Justice in an election year… …and then he allowed the Orangetan to appoint one a month before the election. I screamed ‘hypocrisy!’ And didn’t have much nice to say about Mitch. He also had some horrific policies for working men and women… …so, I was surprised yesterday when I felt a huge twinge of sadness as Mitch was asked about running for re-election in 2026. He froze. Just stood there. No idea what planet he was on. And I felt sad. Does he not have any loved ones? He should be home, watching ‘Law & Order’ and catching a nap after lunch. He didn’t look nasty and mean. Instead, he looked scared. And that is sad to me. Why put him up in front of a room or a camera? How can he even sit for a vote? Why doesn’t someone help him?

The first three stories I hit on were about the Florida hurricane, the typhoon forming in the Asian Pacific and a meteor storm In Colorado. Fun. Of course, the storms and wild fires appear to be more out of control and the destruction will be widespread. Half the people will talk about climate change. The other half will ignore all evidence. Science is whack! Regardless, it’s not much fun reading the stories. As for the meteorites… …that the stuff of movies. Did Rock Johnson have to go smash one? I know Superman punched a few. That will probably be what ends it all in one fell swoop. Just a 💥  Lights out! Stay safe out there.

On the road and headed to a small diner for dinner. I held the door for a family, including a teenage boy who was disabled. The Dad, who was working the wheelchair, was grateful, and the Mom - a big woman - also said thanks. Not a big deal and not the point of the story that I held the door. Rather, a man came up behind me and said, “very loudly,  “Holy hell, that’s a fat woman.” The Mom turned and looked at me and the guy who was a foot behind me and was evidently speaking to me about the woman. “I don’t know this guy,” I said. The damage was done. She walked away. I turned to the guy. “What’s wrong with you?” I asked. “Her thighs!” He said. “They were like sides of beef.” I walked away too. As luck might have it, I was seated at a booth and next to me was this guy - and his wife - who he was waiting for him. I didn’t look at him, for obvious reasons, but partway through my meal, he called across to me. “Where you from?” He asked. “Buffalo,” I said, reluctantly. He looked confused. “I

Through the years I’ve heard people say: “The universe will balance things out.” It’s a comforting thought, and one that allows oneself to think: “Clean living will allow me to bounce back here.” It’s horseshit. People don’t get what they deserve. Instant Karma doesn’t come to get you. If that were true there’d be a jail cell with a huge orange occupant. All the people on death row would have a debilitating disease that involves suffering. For example! I did the right thing and turned down all invites for golf this weekend because Kathy has Covid and couldn’t deal with the pets, eating, etc….and would’ve sat alone as she battled it. Universe owes me, right? Spent some time outside - push mowed the lawn - I’ve always kind of liked mowing. I finished up and my left leg hurt. A weird hurt. It was burning, and was swelling up. I figured I just planted wrong and I’d rest it and that would be that. Woke up at 3:13 a.m., and scratched my leg until about 3:25. It dawned on me. “I got stung or

Shohei Ohtani has had an absolutely amazing season for the Angels. I’m not sure when the MVP in a league was decided so early - he had it wrapped up in May. The thing is, Ohtani’s contract is up this season and he most likely will move on from the Angels because in six years, he hasn’t played a playoff game. Ohtani is probably the second best power hitter in the league (after Judge). He is also a very good pitcher and is in the top ten of the best in the game. Think Babe Ruth.  That’s how legendary a career Ohtani has put together. His contract was set to head in the direction of a billion dollars. Until earlier this week. Ohtani has a tear in his UCL and won’t be able to pitch… …for at least the next 18 months. It is his second UCL tear. It puts his status as a two-way player in serious doubt and what looked like a sure $500 million deal in peril. How much will he get as a designated hitter? Still plenty! I want the Yankees to be in on the bidding. Ohtani might hit 70 homers in New Yo

We avoided Covid - as far as we knew - for 3.5 years. Jake - who has his own place - tested positive a couple of weeks ago. Kathy took him to the doctors and brought him some food. Then last Saturday, I was suddenly sick - I slept for a while during the day on Saturday and announced that I was done being sick. I didn’t bother with a test. (I wasn’t completely done with symptoms, but I battled through a round of golf and a couple of busy work days). And then Kathy got sick. Tested positive. This is where my plans for the day went out the window. I was set to take a day and play golf with a couple of buddies near Syracuse. Yesterday morning I loaded the clubs into my car and headed back into the house to grab my coffee. Kathy was up and hacking. “How you feeling?” I asked. “Horrendous.” The boys aren’t here. Ollie and Miller are. “Should I stay home?” I asked. “I can call 9-1-1 if I have to,” she said. Yeah. I unloaded the clubs. Took Ollie into the backyard and we played catch in the ra

The motorcade to indictment number four was preposterous. The media then went into full white Ford Bronco mode while waiting for the giant orange man to be booked. Las Vegas was taking bets on his official weight, setting the over/under at 275 pounds. Once they noted that it was a self-reporting deal everyone should’ve taken the under. Just another fabrication as the first booking note stated that he was:  (are you ready?) 6’3” and 215 pounds. 😂  And for a little while, I waited to see the mug shot. The Twitter world was breathless with anticipation. I bailed. I didn’t want to see the mug shot. I don’t want it here on this blog. In fact, Chris Christie had an interesting comment when he mentioned that someone has to condemn the behavior. All the other candidates on that debate stage stated that they would still vote for a candidate who was convicted of felony charges. That’s why I didn’t look for the mug shot. Sad, sad, sad day for America. And yes, I agree with Chris Christie. Someon

I miss Paul Harvey. Remember his radio program? It was well-written news content that touched on the major news stories, but he also did lighthearted pieces and his delivery was perfect. Even Larry King and Andy Rooney did shows that spoke of human interests and weren’t dependent on constant rage and hatred of fellow Americans. Then there were the newspaper columnists! I never missed a Rick Reilly column - was usually in Sports Illustrated. The Buffalo papers had Larry Felser, and a guy named Bob Curran. He’d end his column with two words: “Hang tough.” I’d read the paper from cover to cover. Every day. I’d finish it and return it to the spot where Dad was looking for it. I really miss newspapers. But mostly, I miss the writers who were at least pretending to see both sides of the story. Tucker Carlson was interviewing the 4-time indicted, 90-felony charges dude. That isn’t a freaking interview that’s worth a damn thing. Rush Limbaugh died and since he’s been gone we haven’t heard a wo

We are used to one and one equaling two. When it equals something else it’s either a magical situation like love or music or writing something wonderful… …or… …something so tragic that we can’t wrap our minds around it. “It doesn’t make sense,” I thought, at least 700 times yesterday. I have some people who know me pretty well and understand that: 1). I like controlling life (which isn’t possible) 2). I have obsessive thoughts (which swirl). My wife knows it. My kids know it. A few childhood buddies know it, and the best boss - I ever had knows it - he’s also a good friend. I heard from all those people yesterday as my thoughts swirled. My boss buddy called early - was the 2nd day in a row - which was a little unusual. “I know you,” he said. “You’re thinking too much.” I laughed. “Take Friday off - come golf. You’re swirling.” Thing is, I was swirling too much to answer him! One plus one shouldn’t equal seventeen! I battled with a loss of a friend with reasoning that was reserved by al

“There are things that can knock you down that you don’t even see coming.” That’s a Springsteen lyric and I think of it almost instantly when I’m surprised by life and the tragedies it brings. “Are you sitting down?” A friend asked at 6:30 on Monday morning. And you told me some horrible news - a loss of a mutual friend - that made me think of the Bruce line. And then I thought about my cat and our morning ritual. Miller waits for me to sit on the edge of my bed to pull on my socks and he cuddles up next to me. I let him know he’s a good boy and pet his ears and I think about the simple couple of minutes of connection and how that I bring him joy because he loves me. It’s a routine deal and something I look forward to each morning, and while it sounds silly, those are the moments that happen that fuel our days. On a larger scale, I drag myself up ladders and across roof decks because there are people depending on me, and while it isn’t always lovely… …there are moments in each day that

The Yankees lost their 8th straight game today. They’re under .500 and in last place and they have about a 1% chance of participating in the playoffs. It’s downright weird. Because I’ve been spoiled as a fan! In the last 30 years I saw: 5 World Championships 7 World Series appearances. About 25 playoff appearances. Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, Andy Pettite, Aaron Judge, Paul O’Neill, Jorge Posada, Hidecki Matsui, C.C. Sabathia and a whole bunch of other stars. I can talk about the Sabres and Bills and all those teams and how they brought heartbreak all these years. Maybe someday they will win one. But this year has been expected. Maybe they will rally and still have a winning season. If they do it’ll be 31 straight winning seasons. And before anyone thinks it’s because of the money they spent - other teams have outspent them in the last 30 years. They all had losing seasons. Yankees fans have been spoiled. The team hasn’t picked in the top ten since 1993 when they grab

Felt a little weird on Friday.  I played it off as just being over-tired, but when I woke up in the middle of the night… …drenched in sweat and with a pounding headache… …SICK! I first thought of Covid. I’ve never officially had it. Could it be? Then I thought of Sunday morning golf. “I have 27 hours to feel better.” My third thought was about my duties around the house. I’m the one person who needs to keep going around here. Before I could sit up and evaluate how lousy I felt Ollie was there with a ball. It was four in the morning! “Might be a quiet day, buddy,” I told him. I live by a single creed. “Suck it up and tough it out and do the best you can.” By 7:30, Ollie was catching passes off the garage. The headache was gone but I was battling to make the throws. I stayed awake until 10:00 and then took a long nap. “You aren’t going to be able to play tomorrow,” Kathy said. “You don’t know me very well,” I said. “Just take it easy today, would you?” Kathy asked. And so, I tried. Laid

The whole damn city was crying on Friday morning when news that beloved Sabres announcer Rick Jeanneret passed away at the age of 81. RJ was a legend around these parts and we all have our favorite calls. Personally, I recall the May Day goal when Brian May scored in overtime to beat Boston. I was living alone in an apartment building and RJ’s voice was played over and over all night long as everyone living in the city celebrated. His knowledge of the sport and his ability to call a game was second to none and he loved Buffalo and the Sabres. “And NO PENALTY CALLED!” Was what he’d scream if a Sabre was checked hard or tripped. You could hear his hate for the ref coming through the microphone. I ran into RJ a couple of times - one was in a hallway at a Sabres game in between periods. His tie was loose, his face was beat red, and he looked exhausted, but the Sabres were winning so he was in a great mood. I offered to buy him a beer and he thanked me but refused. “They give me all the bee

Wander Franco is a very good baseball player. Up until Tuesday night he was the starting shortstop on the Tampa Rays. I don’t like the Tampa Rays because they’re in the Yankees division, but I had a whole lot of chances to watch Wander Franco play baseball. A very good player. If the allegations are true in that he had a relationship with a 14-year old girl… …he’s done playing baseball. Because, a relationship isn’t possible. As a 22-year old man… …he was raping her. She’s a child. The Rays immediately sent him away from the team. MLB hasn’t said anything yet, but more information has been found. Allegedly there was another young victim. We’ve seen this before. O.J. Aaron Hernandez. Oscar Pistorius. Trevor Bauer. All the steroid cheats. We see the athletes on the field and we like to think: “He’s a good guy.” Turns out - some of them aren’t good guys - allegedly. They do stupid, selfish, criminal things. Despicable things. My son first sent me the text about Franco, and I felt a pang o

Back in 2001, Rudy Gulliani was on top of the world. As mayor of New York City he stood strong (so they say) and helped the people of New York get through the 9/11 tragedy. I wasn’t a fan. It wasn’t anything other than a feeling. He was at the Yankees games - like every single game - in the front row. I simply thought he was taking advantage of a tragedy to enrich himself. I could’ve been wrong. Was just a feeling. As it turns out, he has seriously embarrassed himself in the years since. He told reprehensible lies about the election and more. He aligned himself with some truly loathsome characters and became a laughingstock when his hair dye ran down his face, when he farted on camera, when Borat got him to take his pants down on a stunt, and when he booked a landscaping business thinking he was going to the Four Seasons. He married and divorced a cousin. And yesterday’s news cycle fed us stories about his money troubles. He can’t pay his legal fees. He’s lost his license to practice l

 Insane. That’s what we have to look forward to come Monday morning. And you know, for the last year or so I’ve done nothing other than listen to music during the course of my work day, but for the last few days, I’ve tuned into the news. One thing is certain: The chaos draws a crowd. There are now 4 indictments against the former president. One charge after another. More than 790 years in prison if convicted on all charges. Hope that’s enough to get him clear of ever sitting in the big chair again. The worst part of all of this is that it will drag on and on. Okay, that’s not the worst part. The worst part is that people are still lining up to defend him. They’re talking about televising the trials. Those of us old enough to recall the televised O.J. Trial know that just because it is televised doesn’t mean there will be a consensus about innocence or guilt and that’s because: “People believe what they want to believe when it makes no sense at all.” The call to Georgia wasn’t perfect.

I saw an interesting quote by John Mellencamp that made me think. “Happiness is a fleeting moment in a day. It’s not a state of being. If you’re happy all the time there’s something wrong with you. We were put on this Earth to toil and to make things. Making the world a better place is not a happy job.” Everyone who has followed Mellencamp knows that he is a surly guy. He sometimes goes by the moniker, “Lil’ Bastard.’ He writes songs that are downright depressing, but he’s a brilliant songwriter. And I get that quote. I know people who act like they’re happy all the time. They do seem a little off. They drive me crazy too when they act all bubbly all the time. And it seems that we are conditioned to work and to suffer to get through our days. Coincidentally, I saw a Twitter post from a guy who said that he tried to go an entire day without complaining about anything. He claimed that day one was hard, but that a few weeks in he was much happier (there’s that word again) because life wit

What a glorious day for an outing with old friends. There’s a lot of years of friendship in that photo, and we had a lot of fun just hanging out for the afternoon. I rode with my old golf partner, Jeff, and two holes in I mentioned that it was like putting on an old pair of comfortable shoes. We busted chops a little. I hit the first ball down the middle and then announced that they could save a lot of time by not asking me where my tee shot went. “They go straight and far down the middle,” I said. And when one does that, one has to hit them straight and down the middle, and thankfully I did it a lot. But the amazing hole was when we got to a short par 4 that was just 280.  I wanted to drive that green, but I started my drive left and unfortunately there was a tree there. I had to hit my second shot from 180 yards away and I landed it on the green - even with the hole. “You see where that landed?” I asked Jeff. He answered with a question of his own. “You see where my drive is?” He was

Johnny has been in town for a visit for the last ten days or so.  I had to yell at the two knuckleheads shown in the above photo - about halfway through the visit - and so they decided to make it up to me by treating me to a ringside seat for their golf talents. We decided it would be Friday afternoon after a day of work - and it was a rough go for me because I woke up feeling lousy. But it’s golf. I would give it a go. Thankfully, Scott was able to play 9 so there was some semblance to a real round for a little while… …but the boys were swinging wildly and often. “I’m gonna’ rip this one,” Johnny said, as he lined up his tee shot on 5. He took a practice swing and yelled, “That’s good.”  Took another practice swing and yelled, “That’s perfect.” Then he swung. The ball went about 14 feet. We all laughed - including two guys who were driving by. On the 8th hole it takes a tee shot of at least 150 yards to get through the wooded area in front of the fairway. I wasn’t hopeful that either

I may have never heard a Taylor Swift song. Perhaps I’ve heard one, by accident, somewhere along the way, but I certainly couldn’t name one. (They don’t play her on E-Street radio and most of the songs I listen to were written prior to 1980). People seem to like her though, huh? I read a recap of the last concert at the huge stadium in Los Angeles. Evidently she played to a packed house - 70,000 people - 6 nights in a row. It appears that she played something like 45 songs! The crowd was in a frenzy for the entire show and there was a standing ovation that went on for like ten minutes. The fans of her are called Swiftie’s. There are millions upon millions of them and it’s perfectly clear that the demand to see her live show is insane. I recall trying to get Springsteen seats back in the 80’s. The phone system in the Northeast went haywire. Tickets were gone instantly. Same thing has happened to Taylor Swift fans. There are kids on social media - weeping - because they got shut out. Tic

A lot of the guys on the construction sites are well aware that I’m a Yankees fan. Not sure how they figured it out! And there’s a lot of back and forth that goes on. The Yankees have struggled this year but will more likely than not have a winning record for the 31st straight year. I ran into a young Yankees fan today and he reminded me that: “They’ve been good every year that I’ve been alive!” So, while I’m disappointed in how they’ve played this year, there’s not a whole lot of sadness. I went to a site that has a Red Sux fan as the superintendent. “Hey, last place,” I said, when I saw him. “The Yankees are a half game ahead,” he said, laughing. “Right now, you’re a fan of a last place team. That’s embarrassing!” And the problem isn’t so much in the players on the team. It’s on the training staff! Nestor missed two months. He claimed to have not felt pain any day during those two months. Rodon grimaced the other day. After the game he said: “I’m fine.” The next day he was placed on

There’s a good little sandwich shop in downtown Buffalo. You slip them the order and they’ll make you a fresh sandwich in five minutes. Always perfectly made. They also have a sandwich card program - you get your 11th sandwich free. Through the years I’ve probably had about twenty completed cards. I swung by there the other day and filled out my slip and stepped off to the side to wait. The sandwich maker was busy, and barely acknowledged me. Three minutes later he yelled out: “Order is ready for Cliff.” I stepped up, but an elderly black man brushed by me, and collected three full subs. Then the sandwich maker picked up my slip and looked at the name. “What are the chances that I serve back-to-back Cliff’s?” I laughed and so did the older black man, and of course, he came over. “Hi, Cliff. I’m Cliff,” he said. We shook hands and he asked me how I got my name. “My grandpa Clifford,” I said. “He was a good man.” I told the man a Cliff’s notes version of my Grandpa’s life and he whistled

So, the crazy patriotic crowd was rooting for Sweden in the Women’s soccer game against the USA. After the USA lost, a whole bunch of crazy remarks hit social media. I saw a post by Jerry Falwell who blamed the loss on players on the team being ‘Woke’. You know who chimed in saying that being woke is for losers. It’s a soccer game! They lost to Sweden! The most ‘woke’ country in the freaking world. And of course, it’s all so ridiculous. The team was a disappointment because they freaking lost! So, why are they hated? Because some members of the team knelt during the national anthem. Others were vocal in support of the gay community. And for that support, and because of their protests, they have been vilified. Americans were openly rooting against the American team. It shouldn’t surprise me. I’ve seen people wearing shirts in support of Putin over Democrats. There was a response to Falwell’s post that made me laugh out loud because Falwell cited ‘Christian’ principles to send out his ha

It seems that if aliens arrived here and attempted to take hostages that it would only be a story for a couple of days, and then we’d move on. Aliens arriving would be about tenth on the list of weird things that have happened lately. The weekend was filled with little quips from the indicted orange dude as he attacked the prosecutor, his former vice-president and the judge. I’ve never seen anything like it. The nicknames are back: “Deranged Jack Smith.” “Crooked Joe Biden.” “Liddle Mike Pence.” He’s having trouble in the nickname game. “Crooked” Joe Biden was Hilary’s moniker. “Liddle” Mike Pence is also recycled from “Liddle” Marco Rubio. That one is truly strange - Pence could certainly be nicknamed.for a lot of his weird traits - I don’t know what makes him “Liddle” and come to think of it - I don’t know what the hell “Liddle” means. And then… …the one that really got me was courtesy of John Eastman - one of the dudes who may be part of the indictment. “Damn right we were trying to

The original idea was my brother Jeff’s. I didn’t want to go. I certainly didn’t want to try and stuff a hot pepper. “Come on! It’ll be awesome,” Jeff said. “Worse comes to worse, you’ll eat a dozen stuffed peppers.” I was still hesitant. “Okay, I’ll bring you the stuffing. All you have to do is put it in the pepper and put the peppers in the oven. I guarantee you’ll win.” Technically, I garnered second place. Jeff obviously won. I’m not quite sure of it, but I’d be willing to bet that he’d be on a 20-year first place streak if he would’ve been at the party this year. Almost a full year after that first party I was trying recipes on my own. I called Jeff. “I think mine are as good as yours,” I said. An hour later, Jeff handed me one that he had made. “Yours are that good?” I wasn’t in the same stratosphere. This year, Jeff’s son Johnny was with me as I worked to make my peppers. I seasoned two pork loins for two days. Baked them and then cut the meat into small pieces. I added garlic,

I read a Twitter feed from a black man who was waxing poetically about January 6th. He asked a simple question: “What if the insurrectionists had been black?” Now, in the days leading up to the 6th (and you can check the past blogs) I noted that one man in particular was trying to incite a riot and that the ‘protest’ was going to turn violent. I never dreamed that they would get as far as they did, however, because I believed that law enforcement would be up to stopping them. They weren’t stopped. Even though there were brave men who took an awful beating to hold the fort. They weren’t shot or tear-gassed. They are now spending time in jail and they richly deserve it, but there’s an entertainment news channel out there who still calls them ‘brave patriots’. I wonder why. My Twitter friend spelled it out. “Had the insurrectionists been black we would’ve been beaten back with a drone strike. They would be forever referring to us as criminal thugs.” That’s absolutely correct. In some circ

It doesn’t seem that I can ever satisfy the bastard in my phone who sends me a message at 9:30 at night that says: “A brisk 3-minute walk will close your move ring for the day.” But…I’ve been going way too hard for the last 6 months. Up and out by 6:30 and hundreds of job sites and ladders. When I’ve been off for a day, I’ve been playing golf… …so, I got a bit of a message on Monday morning. From my body! My left shoulder was aching, and my back felt like a piece of plywood that pulsates. “Uh-oh.” On Monday I reasoned that moving would loosen me up and that I’d be for as a fiddle on Tuesday morning. On Tuesday, whilst climbing a 40-footer to a roof deck, I wondered, for the first time ever about the day when I can’t do it anymore. Tuesday evening didn’t bring any relief. On Wednesday, I gave in and scheduled a therapeutic massage, and while I instantly felt some relief… …I was still feeling some discomfort. I spoke to a higher up in the company and he said: “You gotta’ listen to the al

The indictments came down yesterday afternoon, and although the charges are richly deserved they’re still sad for our nation. The felony count is now 78. It’s going to go higher. And the defense appears to be: “Yeah, I lied. My lies are protected by first amendment rights.” The Feds thought of that defense, and addressed it in the indictment.but of course, Hannity and the talking heads are misrepresenting what the charges are all about. (How some of those people go on television and lie their asses off in defense of that dude will always be insane to me). They’re claiming that it’s all a political football to try and win the 2024 election. The truth? Trump MUST be held to account or the Democracy is over.  There can’t be another attempt to circumvent an election.  Every single American deserves to have their vote counted.  And if you’re reading this and still thinking about supporting the dude, consider: 1). He was found guilty of fraud for his university. 2). He was found guilty of se

The actor who played Pee-Wee Herman, Paul Reubens, passed away on Monday. For those of us who came of age in the 1980’s, Reubens was the icon known as Pee-Wee. “I know you are but what am I?” I’ve said that a lot of times through the years. Then there was the Pee-Wee dance, the secret word of the day, and of course, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure - which I watched a few times. He was funny! And then there was the unfortunate movie theater incident where Reubens was busted for entertaining himself during an adult movie. Back then, such an arrest was frowned upon. Reubens was pretty much out of the spotlight for the past couple of decades, but clips of his old show, and the movie were being played on Twitter yesterday (I ain’t ever calling it ‘X’ - that’s dopey). I watched some of the clips. Pee-Wee was a great comedian - his show was loved by kids and I can certainly testify that drunk college students watched it too. Another childhood icon… …passes on. Rest in Peace, Pee-Wee. Now you really m