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Showing posts from 2024

Don’t Want to Discuss It

 Leave me alone! 😂 

I’m A Mess

I knew it was going to be a problem - three games in three nights - the starting time at 08:08 each night. I don’t have much wiggle room on what time I wake up because I’ve been waking up early for decades and I have work and I also have a cat who thinks he’s an alarm clock. So, I knew there was a problem. It’s worse than I thought because I haven’t been able to catch up at all and damn… …I’m tired! Why do they need to do a 10-minute national anthem and then bring a rapper on to yell at me for another 10 minutes? “Start the game!” I yelled each night. And in Game 4 - two Yankees fans grabbed the ball out of Mookie Betts’ glove after he caught a foul ball down the line. I laughed when I first saw it happen - because it was so damn dumb! What were they thinking??? We have had to mute the announcers each night - not so much because I hate the announcers but because they don’t shut up! I watch a lot of Yankees games and am used to their announcers as they let the game breathe. A national a

Island of Garbage

We’ve all heard the joke told by the ‘comedian’ at the MSG rally where he labeled all Puerto Ricans as garbage. The joke wasn’t funny and it was also punching down at an entire race of people at a political rally. That wasn’t all - he also told that hysterical ‘carving watermelon’ joke about blacks. I’d never heard of the guy beforehand, but his act was vetted prior to the rally and deemed acceptable by a party of people who are now openly telling the nation that they only want whites here. I got news for them. It’s not going to happen. Go to a city. Watch a baseball game. Go to a worksite - anywhere in the country. There are way more than white people who make up this land. This country was built on the backs of immigrants. Native Americans made up iron working crews. The masons and painters were Italian men who were vilified when they entered. I was on a site last week and I spoke with the foreman of the framing crew - he’s from Guatemala - speaks perfect English - even bought me a b

Vote Early and Often

Did you notice that we didn’t ever have to worry about rigged elections? That’s only a truly recent phenomenon - all started by the rantings of one crazed man. Usually I don’t have any sort of trouble voting - takes five minutes - the fire hall is less than a mile from here. I sign next to my name from last election and the process of voting doesn’t take long at all. In and out in five minutes. Yet, I know that others don’t have it quite so easy. Blocks of people are in areas where voting is MADE difficult for them. I read today that Puerto Rico citizens aren’t allowed to vote for president even though they’re considered to be American citizens. Calls are made to people in poor neighborhoods to let them know that the voting date has changed or balls are closed down. All sorts of deceit. We should all get a vote, and we should take advantage. I have friends who have never voted. I find that crazy. And yet, much like the World Series, I know who I WANT to win, and this election promises

Where We At?

Game 3 is tonight and Yankees are down two. Could easily be up two, but didn’t finish plays and they’re certainly playing a good team. I’m still confident and me and a buddy of mine have been trying to talk another friend to spring for tickets. Standing room tickets are going for the cheap price of $835 - with fees included, you can stand and watch for just less than $1,000.00 I love the Yankees. Would never consider dropping a grand for a ticket. Kathy and I went to the American League Championship Series in Cleveland in 1998. We paid $100 for our seats. How high can the prices go? See the rally in NYC yesterday? Whole lot of white people making fun of Puerto Ricans, Mexicans and blacks. One comedian told a joke about blacks and watermelon. So funny! (I’m being sarcastic, of course). I certainly can’t wait for the election to be in the rear view and hopefully we don’t ever have to see another orange politician ever again. I’m thinking I put the golf season behind me too… …was a great

Fire Everyone!!!

What a world. I watched one of the greatest baseball games I’ve ever seen last night. A true game of inches - Gleyber’s ball was caught by a fan at the top of the wall - Oswaldo was mere inches away from a double play grounder in the 10th - Nestor tried a ‘get ahead’ fastball and Freddie was ready. Just a tremendous game between two great teams, and it came down to one single out. Now, the anxiety was almost too much. When Ohtani flew out to Verdugo - who made a ridiculous catch - I said to Kathy: “Seriously? Football is better than this? Really?” She laughed. And I was disappointed, of course, but I understood why Nestor was in the game - he owns Ohtani - it’s left on left against Freeman. Perhaps Hill could’ve been the choice - but he wasn’t. Freeman is good. He won the battle. Oh my God! After the game the Yankees ‘fans’ went insane. “Fire Boone! Fire Cashman! Trade Judge!!” One pitch was not executed in one game! Judge will be fine. They played a great game and failed to execute on

World Series Prediction

Game 1 - Friday Night Yankees 6 Dodgers 4 Cole is the staff ace and the best pitcher in this series. He’s also a true competitor and my favorite part of watching him pitch is that he gets really focused when things get tight. Yankees lead 1-0 Game 2 - Saturday Night Dodgers 8 Yankees 7 There are going to be a lot of runs in this series. Ohtani and Judge and Soto and Muncy will all hit homers in this game and by the end of the night I will be absolutely exhausted and looking forward to my early morning round of golf. More than that I will be ready for Sunday night off. Series tied 1-1 On to New York. Game 3 - Monday Night  Yankees 9 Dodgers 5 Clarke Schmidt is a good pitcher. He will give a good start as the Yankees jump out to an early lead on long balls from Torres, Judge and Stanton. The game will get a little hairy in the middle innings but Nestor will strike out Ohtani in a big spot. Yankees lead the series 2 games to 1 (I will pick up the prediction as the series moves on - this w

Make it Stop

The big news was teased all evening yesterday. A journalist supposedly had a video that would end the campaign of one of the presidential candidates. That’s hard to believe as the same candidate: 1). Was found guilty of 34 felonies. 2). His business was deemed as fraudulent. 3). He was found liable for sexual assault. 4). He tried to overthrow the government. 5). He tried to get his vice president hanged. So, what could possibly end it? The report was that there was a video of him groping a child at a dinner thrown by one of his donors. No one is shocked. Those who are voting for him: A). Don’t care. B). Don’t believe it. C). Blame the little girl for dressing provocatively. Please, make it stop. This garbage has been going on since 2015… …all-consuming… …”Did you hear what he did today?” Over and over. Nine years of this garbage. C’mon November 5th… …or the Hand of God. Make it stop.

Yankees-Dodgers

I was an obnoxious Yankees fan at an early age. (Hard to believe). My Dad was the reason why I was so passionate about it - and we were happy that the Yankees made it to the World Series in 1976, but they got run over by the Big Red Machine. They signed Reggie that winter and waiting for the season to start in 1977 was an eternal wait. The ‘77 Yankees were good, and we watched a lot of games. The 1977 season was great and the World Series matchup between the Yankees and Dodgers promised to be epic. By then, my friends were sick of me and they all - to a man - were rooting for the Dodgers. I can name the batting order for the Yankees as well as the Dodgers - there were some really great players: Think Reggie and Munson and Randolph and Catfish on the Yankees. Garvey, Cey, Davey Lopes and Don Sutton on the Dodgers. Billy Martin and Tommy Laaorda were the colorful managers. The Yankees won 4 games to 2 and Reggie hit 5 bombs, including 3 in the last game. I happily accepted the $3.00 I re

Not Surprised

Deshaun Watson is a quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. He was good once, but went through a bit of trouble as massage therapists everywhere had a problem with him. When he returned to the field - he wasn’t great. Cleveland is paying him a lot of money to be lousy. On Sunday he suffered a horrible injury- he tore his Achilles tendon - take it from me - that ain’t fun. Cleveland fans cheered as he laid on the field. At a rally in Pennsylvania one of the candidates talked about Arnold Palmer, and he decided to tell everyone that Palmer - who is dead - was well-endowed. The candidates supporters thought it was hilarious. What the hell happened to America? All decorum is gone. There are daily reminders on social media about bad behavior. That same candidate referred to his opponent as a ‘shit vice President’. The ramblings of it all are nonsensical, but there are people truly enjoying it. I’m just not surprised anymore. There’s so much hate and rage and I wonder why… …is it because peopl

Off to the World Series!

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“I’m just so happy,” Kathy said, as Soto’s homer cleared the centerfield fence. Just prior to that I said: “I don’t know if he’s going to get a hit here, but this is one of the greatest at-bats I’ve ever seen.” The thing is, the games against Cleveland were simply amazing.  Three straight instant classics. Cleveland did the only thing they could do as they didn’t have great starting pitching - they rolled out one big arm after another - but the Yankees have some great hitters and when you see them every night… …Judge and Stanton bother homered off Clause. …Judge and Soto both homered off Gaddis. …Stanton homered off Smith and two more. Cleveland just kept thinking they could get Stanton out, and it didn’t work. So, off to the World Series and for those bitching about payroll? The team was built through trades, dumpster diving for deals and one huge trade for Soto that hurt - they gave up 5 pitchers for him including a front line starter. Cleveland received more money from revenue shari

A Great Day!

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There were a number of great moments in the ‘celebration of mediocrity’ as my buddy, Mike, dubbed my plans for my 60th. It’s funny, but I had a stray thought as I stood at the first tee: “Can I hit a golf ball at 60 years old?” I hit a good tee shot, and we were off. It was a little cold early one, but I was in short-sleeves and shorts by the third hole - wasn’t a cloud in the sky and I mostly stayed in the middle of the course. We made a pact at a par 3 that if we are ever in the presence of any of the others - and made a hole in one - we would forever call that golfer, ‘Ace.’ Love those guys - don’t want to ever call any of them ‘Ace’ forever. At home, we had lobster, steak, scallops and stuffed peppers.  Kathy baked a cake Plates were cleaned! At night, the Yankees came on. “They won’t lose on my birthday,” I announced, as I thought about Reggie hitting 3 bombs when I was 13. Stanton hit a 💣 to put the Yankees up 6-2 and I exhaled, but it’s the playoffs and Cleveland is good. The g

This Is Sixty

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That’s me and my much, much, much older buddy, Bob.  We hit Denny’s for breakfast for lunch. Bob ordered off the senior menu.  I couldn’t do it! Today is my 60th birthday. Weird. When we were kids if you heard someone was sixty you tried your best to be nice because you heard it was right to be respectful of elders.  I asked a buddy if turning 60 bugged him (he hit the round number in August). “A little,” he said. “It seems like a month ago that we were at frat parties at Gannon.” I laughed. It truly does. The mind plays tricks on you, but truthfully, there’s not a whole lot to say.   I have aged since those Gannon days! I’ve spent some time this past month kind of caught up in it a little. At 18 years old, there was very little time spent on worrying about time. Now, it dawns on you a little that even in the best of all circumstances, there are a finite number of days left. What can be done? Nothing! I have enjoyed my work, my friends, my family, my pets and plenty of good food. There

Dancing Queen

Not sure if you’ve seen the clip of the Orange Oompa Loompa dancing for 39 minutes instead of taking questions at a campaign stop. It was weird.. To say the least. Now, I say that I’m not sure if you saw it because there are media conglomerates who completely ignore his shortcomings. I had a conversation one day with a supporter of his and it went like this: “There have been less border crossings in the last four years than in the four years before.” “That’s not true!” He yelled. “They’re pouring across the border.” But the truth is - stats show that the border crossings has slowed! “Crime is out of control.” “Violent crimes have declined,” I said. Yet, the true information isn’t getting out. Yet, how do you deny his standing there, swaying as he played songs off his I-pod, pretending that he composed the songs. “Play YMCA really loud!” He announced. Then he did that two-handed thing that he considers dancing. I’m not doing it justice: It was the weirdest, most bizarre thing I’ve ever

Chill in the Air

The weather report is encouraging for a round of golf on Friday to celebrate my 60th. I’m happy that our usual foursome will be together - more on that later in the week - but for now: “There’s snow in the forecast in the higher elevations,” the way too freaking excited meteorologist said. (They drive me crazy, by the way, when they try and take credit for the shining sun - “See what I dialed up for you?” - hahahahahahahahaha). I was freaking 🥶 on Tuesday morning!!! I have a truck filled with clothes including about 5 jackets to choose from. “I don’t want to wear a jacket!” I yelled to the coal grey sky. But I had to wear it all day long, even though I couldn’t find the exact one I wanted. “It’s going to be a harsh winter,” a guy said at the first site. “Don’t say that.” “I think there’s going to be a lot of snow.” “Shut up.” “You shut up, I have a snowmobile that I haven’t used more than twice a year in five years.” I laughed. “So you don’t know anything about the weather prediction,

Friends

As I approach the round number birthday, I have been a tad reflective. My new book is all about looking back and laughing. Today is a day I think about because it’s my buddy Jeff’s birthday - when we were kids this was like Holy Week - his birthday three days before mine. He’s the guy I was standing next to when I was old enough to drink in a bar. He bought me shots, watched me drink mine while he tossed his over his shoulder, but he’s the guy who carried me out of there too. And 60 is different… …last thing I want these days is a shot! Kathy keeps asking me about Friday… …what do you want to do? “Watch the Yankees and go to bed,” has been my answer all week… …after I golf in the morning with my usual foursome… …I really wanted to do that because we hardly played together this year. Friends. I am blessed to have a bunch… …one guy I’ve  known since I was 5. College buddies I loved being around. All solid guys… ….don’t see them all the time anymore, but they’re with me. Happy Birthday, J

Just A Tree

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I stopped by to visit Mom this weekend, and I was getting some stuff out of the car when I glanced at a tree just feet from the front door. A beautiful, majestic tree, and it dawned on me that it had really grown in the decades after it had been planted. I remember when the tree was planted. Dad had hired a landscaper out of Niagara Falls and those men worked hard for a few days and truly beautified the yard. The tree has truly sprouted up - now stands about 15’ tall. I know some people who can look at a tree and tell you what kind of tree it is at just a glance. I’m not one of those guys. But man, when you look at a large, sturdy tree for more than just a moment, it is pretty impressive. Majestic. Like a living, breathing thing. As if it should have a name. That tree, most likely, will stand there for years and years - way longer than I’ll be here. The glance at that tree made me look to the wooded area just yards from where our baseball diamond stood when we were kids. Hundreds of be

Seriously

There was a report on Saturday that Trump referred to Harris as ‘retarded.’ I commented on Facebook that it was reprehensible. I don’t normally comment on Facebook but - it was reprehensible! I was jumped by a stranger who explained that he isn’t politically correct but that he would: 1). Secure the border. 2). Prevent World War III 3). Stop child trafficking  4). Lower taxes 5). Lower grocery prices. 6). Stop abortion 7). Bring Christ back to our schools. Okay, I’ll play. He ran the first time on securing the border by building a big, beautiful wall that Mexico would fund. Didn’t happen. He lowered taxes all right - on rich people - that crippled the middle class. He stole a truck load of classified documents and hid them. Lord knows who he sold them to. He’s in Putin’s back pocket - he handed over Covid tests to Russia while Americans were searching for them. Speaking of which - he bungled covid - lied about it, recommended that people drink bleach, and then fought with the vaccine r

Getting Close Now

We are getting there.  The Dodgers beat the Padres last night so there are only two teams left in the National League: Dodgers and Mets The American League has a game this afternoon - Cleveland against Detroit. Yankees already moved on. So, the final four will be 4 big teams and the Yankees-Mets and Yankees-Dodgers matchups are still on the table. It’ll all be settled by November 5th… …which has a matchup between America and Russia on the ballot. One of the candidates sent Russia extensive Covid tests during the height of the pandemic. What the hell happened to Woodward? He held onto that information for his new book? He’s the guy who broke Watergate….now he holds out until his book is ready? Anywhoha… They’re saying the election is close so the speeches on the campaign are important, right? Listen to the nonsensical rantings of the one candidate. Mind-nunmbing. But make sure you get out and vote. Little info for you: - the hurricanes weren’t created by any political party. - another r

Bob Costas & Al Michaels

Bob Costas and Al Michaels are absolute legends in the broadcasting industry. When we were kids they called all the big games, and did a great job. Michaels: “Do you believe in miracles?” Call might be the greatest sports call ever when the USA hockey team beat Russia. Costas is a sport intellectual and most of the time I can listen to him tell stories for hours. I have been muting Costas during this Yankees-Royals series because I don’t want to hear stories about the 1960’s when there’s a game being played. Bob won’t even take a break in his story when something happens. Stanton hit one off the wall to score a runner from first - an exciting play - and Costas called it as if he were reading entries in a phone book. My boys have made fun of Michaels for complaining about the quality of the game he’s calling and both Costas and Michaels suffer from ‘old guy’ syndrome. They seem to wax poetic about how the game used to be played, and imply that the sport has gone soft. There was a clip o

Big G!

The Yankees game was tense last night as they battled the Royals, who are supposed to be an inferior opponent. Yet, this is playoff baseball and anything can happen. The Phillies lost their series to the Mets. The Dodgers and Guardians both fell 2-1 in their series’ against ‘lesser’ opponents. I was anxious! “Yankees in a tight one,” a buddy texted. “I need this like a head in my hole,” I responded. Anxious. 2-2 game. Had to shut off Costas - who I love doing anything but play-by-play in a Yankees game. With the sound off, I watched intently as Giancarlo Stanton (a guy I might be able to beat in a foot race) took two balls to start his AB. “Don’t throw him a fastball,” I cautioned the pitcher. He threw him a fastball. Big G hammered it. Kathy was in the room but she wasn’t looking. I said two words: “F***ing Stanton!” She looked up as I turned the volume up and Stanton trotted around the bases. A 3-2 win. More anxiety tonight! Close it out.

Riding it Out

We’re in a stupid place in time. News wise, no one knows what to believe anymore and there’s an industry built on lying about crazy stuff for political points. Yet, when it comes to being evacuated in anticipation of a storm that is promising absolute devastation…. …I’d be getting the hell out of Dodge. Yet, it’s not all that simple for some of the people in the path of the coming storm. Maybe they don’t have the financial means to up and leave. I texted a friend who lives in Florida and the problem they were having was trying to figure out the best time to leave because they didn’t want to spend a dozen hours in traffic… …which certainly would be aggravating. Later in the day, I saw the highway jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive. But you gotta’ go, right???? We’ve lived in this house for about 30 years. I imagine that I would be more than a little upset if I could only take what we needed for the trip and there might be a chance that the home would be gone when we

A Storm is Brewing

How horrible must it be to live in the path of a coming hurricane. I feel so badly for the people who have lost their homes in the North Carolina storm and the people of Florida are bracing for another once in a century storm that we seem to hear about every couple of years now. To make matters worse there are horror stories about people in Florida who are discovering that their flood or storm insurance doesn’t cover hurricanes or some such crap. And to top it off, one large, orange moron is spreading misinformation about the government response in an effort to score political points. An all-out nightmare and one that makes someone who faces 75-Inches of snow once a year, think: “Our weather isn’t so bad.” This year there were like 15 tornadoes in western New York - that never happens. Unbelievable heat has gripped a large part of the country for a good part of the year. Yet, these hurricanes are heartbreaking in the devastation that they bring. I hope that people are listening and eva

Unconscious

If Josh Allen were to run for mayor of Buffalo he’d probably get 95% of the vote. Make no mistake, it’s only because he’s a great football player. People don’t really give two shits about him as a human. Allen, who is as talented a professional athlete as you’ll ever see has arguably been knocked unconscious two weeks in a row. I know this - not because I’m watching that barbaric game anymore but because I live in Buffalo and you can’t go more than three blocks without seeing Allen’s face or a sign proclaiming his greatness. Two weeks ago, Brett Favre - who could have once been the mayor of Green Bay announced that he has Parkinson’s disease - traceable to the hits he took as a ‘tough’ guy. A gamer. Last Sunday, Allen fumbled a ball after having his head smashed off the turf. This week, he played as though he’d never thrown a ball in his life, and late in the game, he took another hit. His head bounced off the turf no less than three times and a few doctors (real M.D.s) noted that his

I Have Enough Stress

The baseball playoffs have been insane. I was watching Mets-Brewers the other night and when it was 2-0 going to the 9th I went to bed. “The Brewers closer is good,” I said, as I went up. Of course, Alonso hit a 3-run homer. But I had a quiet week, anxiety-wise because the Yankees were off. That all changed on Saturday evening. My anxiety level spiked when Cole gave up a homer and they fell behind 3-2. “I can’t control any of it,” I lectured myself. “Why feel anxious?” That didn’t work. The Yankees took the lead back. Then gave it back. Then took the lead again. “I can’t take this for a month,” I said. But I will, of course, because it’s sports and it’s how we amuse ourselves. Kathy asked me about my Yankees love before the game started. “You can only have one more championship in your life. Yankees or Bills or Sabres.” I just frowned. “It’s not even close? Buffalo would go crazy with a title.” “I’m not even answering,” I said.  It’s all about baseball.

HE TRIED TO OVERTHROW THE DEMOCRACY!

The details of the Jack Smith criminal case against the former president were made public just a few days ago. It’s hard to believe that it’s only Saturday morning and the media has moved on. I’m begging you to read the transcript of what happened on January 6th. As the Capitol was under attack, he sat in the dining room in the White House and watched it all unfold on television. When they reported that Pence was under threat he remarked: “So what?” He’d planned on that happening. When told that a civilian had been shot… …he didn’t respond. Didn’t make a move to stop it. “Let them riot.” And to what end? He wanted the government to be overthrown!!!! He knew he lost, and simply would not accept the results of the election. And he’s running for the job again?????? What is going on? Watergate wasn’t anything compared to this! It certainly seems to me, almost 60 years in, that we are upside down here. The assassination attempt? What do you know about that???? Nothing! It made zero sense as

Baseball ⚾️ Playoffs ⚾️

Man, the playoffs are off to a booming start. Find me one football game - in the last 20 years - that was as good as the Monday afternoon game between the Braves and the Mets… …and that was just to get into the tournament. Since that game we watched the Astros and Orioles get bounced. They were two heavily favored teams in matchups with teams with much lower payrolls. The Tigers entire team is making less money than the guy they got the 3-run double off of. What I’ve always enjoyed about baseball is that you can see something different every night. A low-scoring affair. A slugfest. No running out the clock. The pitch has to be thrown and the ball has to be hit. Also, they’ve sped up the game without any of us really noticing. I loved the Yankees-Red Sox battles 20 years ago, but those game would go 4 and a half hours! The Braves-Padres game 1 was over in 129 minutes. The shift is gone. 12 slow tosses to first base when a runner gets on - gone! It’s the greatest sport. Hardly ever a con

Lost My Cap

When I was about 15 years old, I caught a hockey stick in the mouth. John Armbruster was the guy who didn’t have control of his stick. Later that night, my tooth fell out! I kind of forgot about it because I went in and got a cap put on. Couple of days ago, a guy poured a few milk duds into my hand. I walked around the site chewing on them. They aren’t crunchy! My first thought was: “Armbruster!” I was able to fish the cap out of the caramel mess… …headed to a store and was amazed to see they had a cap repair kit. Went home and performed surgery. All good… …with one exception. I had chewed a little of the enamel off the cap. Have a little black showing. Freaking… …Armbruster!

Jimmy Carter - 💯

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  In a world of poor behavior, Jimmy Carter has lived an absolutely tremendous life. He turned 100 years old yesterday and despite the fact that he’s been in hospice for months… …he’s hanging in there. I’ve told the story before, but my first foray into politics was watching the presidential election between Carter and Ford with my Mom & Dad. I got to stay up late because I had read a biography of Carter and was impressed by his life. This is an accomplished man. Served the country.  Nuclear engineering is on his resume and while the uninitiated refer to him as a peanut farmer… …he’s done it all! Including building housing for the poor well into his late 90’s. His presidency is wildly panned because of the gas lines and the Iran hostage situation, but many insiders have said that he was too intelligent to be a president and that he didn’t play the games that are normally played in D.C. Regardless, in a world dominated by men of questionable moral standing, Jimmy Carter stands out a

The Box of Books

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For the 17th time I have received my box of books. It’s still a pretty cool feeling, but my emotional state of it has certainly changed. When I broke the seal yesterday, I thought: “Don’t take it for granted.” I’ve written a LOT in the last five or so years. Most of the books are sitting on my computer. I went with this particular title because I wanted to bring some laughter to my readers lives and I also wanted to inspire them to enjoy their lives. It’s funny, but I actually got the idea for the lite story when we were watching the mini-series, ‘The Maid’. It was a well-done show about a young woman who was battling to just keep her head above water. She would tabulate how much money she had before she bought a candy bar. She was off to work every day and despite the fact that she hustled, struggled, cried and battled… …it was sad. “There are so many people living that way,” I said. I learned a long, long time ago that I can’t do a whole hell of a lot to change the world… …it’s funny

Tarnished Legacy

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I grew up in the 70’s. Pete Rose was everywhere as an example of how to play baseball. ‘Charlie Hustle’ is one of the game’s great nicknames and Rose was on those great Reds teams in the mid-70’s. Me and a couple of buddies can still recite the lineup for those teams. He was also on the Phillies team that won in 1980. The all-time hit leader, and I must admit that when he had the 44 game hit streak, I was rooting for him to get even closer. And then he became a manager and the Reds brought him back, but things went south. His gambling was a problem. He bet games that the team he was managing was involved in. He got kicked out, and here’s the thing - he AGREED to the lifetime ban because he didn’t want his sins to come to light. There were more disturbing stories about Pete. He showed up at Cooperstown on hall of fame weekend each year and set up a table next to the museum where he sold his autograph. When I heard the news, I thought of Rose as he’s pictured above. Kind of felt bummed a

Racing To Sixty

Golfed on Sunday with a couple of gentlemen who were well into their 7th decade. We just met the guys and so we told a few stories in an effort to get to know one another. The one guy told us about playing all the famous courses in Scotland - he received the gift from his wife so he could celebrate his 60th birthday. Reminded me that I have just three weeks left in my 50’s. Now, all of my classmates have reached the nice, round number but I was one of the late born kids. Sixty!!! Seems insane to me. When we golf I always head into the woods and search for golf balls. I don’t need golf balls, and the ones I find I either give away or save for Sam in a huge box in our storage room… …he needs golf balls. But I search for them, through the woods, up and down little embankments, and under tree because when I’m looking for them I still feel like a kid. I usually go home with dirt all over me and cuts in my arms and legs. I don’t take for granted that I move pretty well across job sites and u

Just One Lie After Another

I certainly can’t listen to the Republican candidate for president speak, but I can read the recap of his rallies. 1). Migrants are stealing the black jobs. What does that mean? What’s a black job? It’s so disgraceful.  2). Immigrants are running rampant with AK-47’s. First, how is this Kamala Harris’ fault?  She has been the vice-president.  Secondly, wasn’t there supposed to be a big, beautiful wall? You know who failed as far as fixing the immigration problem? Yeah - the guy who promised to fix it and have Mexico pay for it. 3). Kamala is stupid. This has been said at nearly every rally for a month now.  That sounds like something running for 4th grade president might say about his opponent, and it’s certainly not even remotely true. Harris was a prosecutor in California, not a game show host. Stupid is bankrupting a casino. 4). Windmills cause cancer. I don’t even know where someone might come up with that. 5). Hannibal Lector is not a friend of his. He brings this one up from time

What Can Be Said?

Years ago, I was asked to speak in Vegas by a work colleague, Jon, who was convinced that I would entertain a crowd of safety professionals. We were two different kinds of safety professionals - he taught classes at a major university, and I did a bit of standup as I taught the classes. When we met, my boss called me into his office and said, “Don’t bust this guy’s balls. He’s an intellectual. You have to pull it back a little.” I never did and it didn’t take long to bring, Jon, stuffy intellectual to the dark side. We became fast friends and I definitely busted his balls. Jon retired a few years back, but every few months, we texted just to catch up a little bit. This week, he texted me. “Hey buddy, I don’t even know how to tell you this. My wife had a fatal heart attack. 42 years. I’m adrift.” What does one say - in a text - to such a message? “Oh Good Lord,” was my immediate response. “I’m so sorry.” There wasn’t much more to add to that additional text. I needed to give him the spa

American League East Champs

I don’t watch every Yankees game anymore, but I certainly know the score of the game as they’re playing.  I watched last night as Stanton homered and cleared the bases with a double as they blasted the hapless Orioles and won the division. For good measure, Judge hit his 58th homer. In the top of the 8th the Orioles had two on with two out. Down 9-0. Kathy made a move to change the channel. “I think they’re going to be all right,” she said. I made her keep it there until Holmes got the 3rd out. It’s been 11 years since Mariano retired. Ten years since Jeter left. These aren’t my Dad’s Yankees anymore… .:.but he would’ve been happy this morning. They belong at the top of the sport. Now let’s go get #28.

Compassion

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I had a training session that took me through the center of Wales. It’s a tiny little village but as like every other place in America there is a Dollar General. I swung in for a few things for Ollie and the Camp Clifford campers - I had a solid half hour before my meeting, which was just five minutes away. I was in and out of the store quickly, but unbeknownst to me an elderly woman had a medical emergency on the sidewalk leading to the store. I spotted her, being loaded onto a stretcher. She was alert, which seemed like good news. She also had about 4 paramedics around her - they arrived in two vans that were strategically pulled close to the door… …blocking 5 cars - including mine. I got out of the way, tossed my bag into the car and watched the paramedics go to work. A few minutes later, a man about my age, stepped out the door. “Oh what the f*ck?” The man yelled. He pointed at his blocked in vehicle, and then looked in my direction. “Why did they block us all in?” He screamed. I w

What the Hell is This?

As I rapidly approach 60 years here, I have figured out my aches and pains. The left hip will always hurt. My back needs ice after a work week or a round of golf. My feet are so nervy that sometimes it feels I’m wearing electric socks. Used to it. You can get used to anything and sooner or later it’s just your life. It’s the days when you go to bed intact and wake up in the morning thinking: “What the hell is this?” Pain in the bicep 💪 - right arm - this morning. I tried to think about where I might have hurt it the day before. Nothing! Climbing a ladder? Throwing for the Big O? No idea… …I worked it a little bit as the day went along. It’ll probably go away… …replaced by something else. Ain’t gonna’ get any better!

Impossible to Escape

Monday was an odd day because for the first time in a couple of weeks there wasn’t bright sunshine. And it was Monday. And the Bills had a night home game… …which meant that people would be heading for the gate early. Messes up my routine because no one is truly thinking about work. I battled through. Then did my level best to avoid the NFL even though their circus was a mile and a half from my house. I was watching Rizzoli & Isles when the Bills went up by two touchdowns. I heard the fireworks from the game and my neighbor praying to Josh Allen. Now, I’m the old dude shouting at the clouds, but listen to Jeff Perlman talk about the end of Walter Payton’s life. The NFL has a Walter Payton Man of the Year award for him because he died early. Of cancer. Yet, when Payton got the cancer, as a young man, he was HAPPY he had a death sentence because he hated living in the pain. I can’t watch it. But Go Bills! I can’t escape it either, I guess.

Merry Brucemas!

Springsteen is celebrating his 75th birthday today and that makes me a little sad. Even though I’m approaching 60… …75 seems old! And since I became aware of Bruce’s work when I was just 10 years old… …well, it’s been a hell of a ride! Everyone knows the Boss’s story by now. He was born into a less-than-working class family. His mother was of Italian descent and brought sunshine and his Dad was a big Irish guy who was prone to bouts of severe depression. Bruce got a lot from each of his parents, and it worked because he had something to say, and he knew how to entertain. Guy worked his ass off, and studied his craft and made a lot of money and built a global following. I argue, with anyone who’ll listen that he’s one of the greatest American writer of this century, and that was what initially inspired me. Then I saw them perform and I still recall the morning after that first show back in 1984. My life had changed. Every year, Apple Music does a tally of the music that I’ve listened to

Keep it in Your Pants

All kinds of stories breaking about foolish behavior. There’s the Olivia Nuzzi story - she’s a journalist who allegedly sent nudes and had an affair with RFK Jr. There’s Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs who is in a world of hurt and on suicide watch for his alleged lifetime of debauchery.  There’s Matt Gaetz - a true creepy looking dude - who is also a senator from the state of Florida (that’s a story starter there) who was said to have had sex with a 17-year-old. Finally, there’s Mark Robinson a Lieutenant Governor from North Carolina who called himself a Nazi, and waxed poetically about how cool it might be to own a few slaves. He is accused of an extra-marital affair and all kinds of depraved behavior, including perhaps, a dalliance with a sister-in-law. Nuts! Here’s what I’ve learned as an adult male in a long marriage with kids watching me. Behave! Your secrets are going to be found out. Your perverse behavior will be unearthed. And, while we’re at it - I might be an old man here - but sending

Ohtani

When Ohtani came over from Japan it became clear that he didn’t want anything to do with New York. He signed with the Angels and played with Trout for five years. We didn’t see either of them in the playoffs, and he hit free agency. Again, the Yankees didn’t get a sniff, and damn did he get a big contract. $700 million for 10 years, and since he was recovering from a shoulder injury - that was a whole lot of money for season 1 for just a DH. He did all right. More than 50 homers and more than 50 stolen bases. They’ve been playing baseball a long time… …no one has ever done that. His game on Thursday night was beyond ridiculous. He went 6 for 6 with 3 homers, 2 stolen bases and 10 RBI… …that was the sort of game that would get my buddy, Jeff Renaldo the Polly-O string cheese player of the game in our slow-pitch softball game. Ridiculous. The last homer came off a middle-infielder who was doing mop-up duty in a game that ended 20-4. He’s going to be a problem when the Yankees sweep the D

Just A Fantasy

I don’t participate in any football fantasy leagues. That right there seems to be enough to set me firmly in the minority. I simply don’t know enough about the players anymore. If someone held a gun to my head I’d have a hard time giving you three wide receivers on the Bills. Which is kind of odd to me because I could probably give you the starters on the 70’s and 80’s and 90’s teams. Now, my boys are all over it! Sam has at least four teams and I believe Jake has two. They mentioned the Thursday game to me and I had to ask who was playing. They then went into long dissertations about who they had on their teams. What I do find interesting is the punishments that are handed out for the person who finishes last in their league. “There was a league where the last place finisher had to get a tattoo of Justin Bieber,” Sam mentioned. “Good Lord,” I said. “There are eating ones too,” Jake mentioned. “I knew a guy who had to eat fifty pancakes. He stayed in the diner until he got it done. Too

The Oakland A’s

The Oakland A’s are playing their final games in Oakland next week. Fittingly, they close out their team history by playing the Yankees, and I’m sure that was by design so that the place would be packed on the final weekend. I went to at least a dozen games at the Oakland Stadium back in the 1980’s, and the only baseball cap I ever wore that didn’t have an NY on it was an A’s cap. They were an easy team to like when I was living out there, and even before that - in the 70’s - they were the best team in the sport. The fans were always passionate, but man, things went wrong there. The city and the team could not get it together. The owner, despite getting plenty of cash from revenue sharing just kept dealing his best players. I listened to the A’s current manager speak about the move - the team will play in Sacramento next year and Vegas when a new stadium is built - leaving Oakland behind. The A’s manager was choked up… …and then I started thinking about my old trips to the place. I saw

Springfield, Ohio

I have to chime in, I guess. Reluctantly. The caravans and the big, bad immigrants are coming for your jobs, your pets, and your way of life. And only he can stop it! So, let’s check out the facts: 1). Which President deported the least amount of illegal immigrants? Biden? Obama? 👎  The correct answer is the one in the middle of those two. Still don’t know the answer? He’s orange. 2). Back in 2016 we heard that Mexico was sending their rapists so he was going to build a huge wall that would keep them out and Mexico was going to pay for it. Here’s what didn’t happen: 1). There’s no big wall. 2). Mexico didn’t pay. 3). It’s still an issue. 3). The Springfield, Ohio pet story was fabricated. What has happened since: Bomb threats. Legal Haiti immigrants having to keep their children home from school. The media has descended on the town looking for stories of brown people chasing geese. Violence is just around the corner. And the big, bad truth of it all: A bi-partisan bill was killed by t

Still Under the Weather 🤧

I tried to take the ‘I’m not sick approach’ to being sick. Golfed on Friday afternoon and felt all right while I played and horrible afterwords. Knew I had Saturday to rest, but I didn’t rest all that much - still believing that moving around and denying it was the best move. I cleaned up around here. Grabbed some supplies for the Camp and played with O. Woke Sunday believing that I’d turned the corner and I played another round on Sunday morning and played good. “I’m done being sick,” I announced. “No you aren’t,” Kathy said. “I see it in your face.” “All done!” Mind over matter is horseshit. I was up and out early yesterday but by noon I knew it was a losing battle. Pushed through and made it all the way to Angie Harmon on Rizzoli at the five o’clock showing. “I can order you something for dinner,” Kathy said. “Nah. I’m good.” “Still not sick, huh?” “Nope!” “Idiot.”

Every Damn Day

Mid-way through the day there was a post: “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!!!” That was not a post from a teenage girl, rather it was from the pig running for president. It’s not funny. In fact, it’s dangerous because there’s a bushel of deplorables out there willing to take his violence to the streets. An hour later we hear that there was another attempt on his life. Add that to the last one and there seems to have been zero credible attempts on his life. It’s hard to believe anything that comes out of that campaign following the pet-eating story of last week. “If we have to make up stories than that’s what we’ll do,” his turd of a running partner said. He said THAT yesterday! But here we are… …and here I am… …talking about the turd in the punch bowl again. The guy who says that this country is a shit hole every time he gets a microphone in front of him and claims that he’s the only one who can save us. Every. Damn. Day. He was golfing at the time. Told that dope Hannity that he was even par and

The Beatles

I have some Beatles music on my devices and they pop up routinely as songs do. I might have to start skipping them. I’ve been singing “Bang, bang Maxwell Silver Hammer” for the last three days. A few years back there was a movie about a world without The Beatles - with the exception of one guy who had all the songs in his head. As he began releasing them, one after another, in the modern world, he became a huge star. Was a pretty good movie that reminded us that, damn - they were prolific writers! They weren’t together all that long. Broke up when I was five years old.. …but man, their songs stick in one’s head. Of course, in these modern times we can’t have nice things - there are people who claim that they were lousy musicians or that their simple lyrics would be passed off as garbage, but when something strikes that largely… …there is some talent there. Look at Taylor Swift - she just got a half a million people signed up to vote with a single statement. She can’t stop selling ticke

The Campers Have Colds!

This warm stretch of weather and the kickoff of the Bills season has led to a raucous revival here at Camp Clifford. Sam and Jake attended the Bills opener and have been pleased with the results of the first two games (even though everyone is SO CONCERNED about Tua and his concussions - that’s another story). But I have also taken advantage with a number of rounds of golf. After the back-to-back rounds I was struggling to get up the ladders… …but it’s good to be tired from moving. My beautiful wife, you ask? She caught a cold from Sam… …and she really ran with it! She was down and out for a full week. At one point she asked me: “How does Sam get sick, hand it to me, and you walk around perfectly healthy?” “I’m a medical marvel,” I said…. …and then I woke up on Thursday. “Uh-oh,” I told Miller the cat. As head camp counselor, I can’t be down and out. Too many people depending on me to do too many things. I sloughed through the day and made it to Thursday evening. The football game start

Hide the Pets!

The nation is up in arms over the story about immigrants from Haiti invading an Ohio city and plunking geese and dogs and cats from the streets and eating them. It’s a story that’s being spread by the same party that brought you: 1). Kids are identifying as cats so they put litter boxes in classrooms. 2). Hilary Clinton is running a sex pedophile ring out of the basement of a New York pizza parlor. 3). Windmills cause cancer. 4). They’re performing sex change operations on kids who head off to school - your son is getting on the bus - 3 days later, your daughter is returning home. 5). Doctors and mothers are deciding - after a baby is born - if they are going to let the kid live. Now, all the above stories have been debunked, but that simply hasn’t mattered to a pretty healthy chunk of the population. When the old, orange dude screamed: “They’re eating your dogs, they’re eating your cats, they’re eating your pets,” it gave credence to a truly insane meme. Think of that… …running for th

That Should Do It

My boys don’t pay a whole lot of attention to politics, but more than a couple of times they’ve mentioned: “What’s wrong with your generation? How does anyone take that dope seriously?” So I wasn’t totally surprised when Jake texted me on Wednesday morning: “She mopped the floor with that moron. That should do it, right?” “You’d think so,” I answered, “but he still has a following.” Jake had a one-word response: “How?” Of course, I didn’t have an answer to that question, and I listened to the clips. He did seem insane. He couldn’t formulate a response that wasn’t just a whining monologue about how unfair everyone is to him. The fact that he brought up the issue of immigrants stealing and eating cats and dogs was embarrassing. Harris knew exactly how to bait him. She hit him about his crowd size. She chided him about his bankruptcies, and demolished him by telling him that he had been fired by 81 million people. There are two months left… …if he keeps getting his ass handed to him… …his

The Big Debate

I can’t watch it. I know that as a concerned citizen I’m supposed to pretend that I am going to listen to the answers of the two candidates and decide who should lead our country for the next 4 years. I can’t do it. There’s no reason to anyway… …because listening to someone answer questions with blatant lies and disdain for portions of the country who are different is not a productive use of my time. This shouldn’t be billed as an election between two viable candidates, and although the news media is selling it like a prize fight… …one of the participants has been convicted of 34 felonies and he tried to overthrow the government, and was close to getting his vice-president strung up. So, debate or don’t debate… …I don’t care because I won’t buy into any of it. The man should not be allowed to run. Period. And the news continues to grow more dire. Millions of millions of dollars were paid directly to him, from foreign nations, as he sat in the chair the last time. And the story just fad

This Is the Time

Billy Joel wrote a great verse in one of his songs: “This is the time to remember but it will not last forever. These are the days we’ll hold onto because we won’t although we’ll want to. This is the time, but times are going to change.” That song popped into my head as I drove past Darien Lakes 6 Flags Theme Park. I recall times in high school when my buddy Jeff and I took our dates up there. We spent a fortune all for a cuddle and a peck on the cheek. Great times! But the true Darien Lake days was when the kids were young. A whole bunch of us headed up to the park - camping in their trailers. The men volunteered to hang back at the campsite and cook while the women hustled the kids up to the park. Sounds like we got the short end of the stick, but hell no! We drank a lot of beer as we prepared the chicken or ribs. Then we would all venture up to the park to take the kids on the big rides… …sling shot… …Superman roller coaster. It was a blast. And as I thought of Billy’s lyrics my hea

Come On

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  That’s the ear of the man that was supposedly blown off by an AR-15 just three weeks ago. Let’s review what we know about the so-called shooting at the political rally. An interview with the family of the man who died? A breakdown of the suspect…who was shot?  His family? Where did he get the gun? Why did he attempt to take the life of the leader of the party that he supposedly supported? Are there records of the visit to the hospital to bandage that fully healed ear? Come on, now… …there is nothing! A non-story. My number one question was about why the secret service allowed their mark to stand up, position himself in front of the flag, pick his head up and pump his fist yelling, “fight, fight, fight!”… …all before anyone knew if the threat was over. Now, I sound like a crackpot conspiracy theorist, right? Yet, he’s a quick healer? His ear was supposedly hit by a bullet from a powerful weapon. “There was a lot of blood!” I’m thinking that we will learn the truth of the matter about

Isn’t It Ironic?

Back to back rounds of golf. Friday was at a tough links course - which meant narrow fairways and thick grass that is impossible to hit out of because whoever designed the course was a real dink. Hitting straight is my usual super power but man, I was fired up to play with my buddies and I began it all by yanking the ball left - tried to slow down - ended up completely missing the ball off the tee, or topping it, or ugh!!! Golf! The weather and the company was mostly outstanding - my cart partner doesn’t play much and spent a lot of the first 13 holes drinking beer, talking in the backswing, and complaining that “Golf sucks.” I was so disappointed in the round. Played poorly. Golf is a game that is reliant on being mentally strong.  I was a mental midget for all four hours! But I kept looking around at the beauty that surrounded me. Trees, huge hills, blue skies, and so much bright sun shine. We headed out to an Italian restaurant for dinner. We sat down at 7:45 and didn’t leave the pl

Book Launch 🚀 September 23rd

“Are You An Idiot?” is a book about me.  I realize that it is a bit of a vanity project and displays a bit of narcissism, but let me explain: 1). I enjoy writing in the fashion of some of the others that I’ve enjoyed through the years. I mentioned a couple of weeks back that my buddy Al and I enjoyed the humor books written by Atlanta sportswriter Lewis Grizzard. Those books always took aim at one person - Lewis Grizzard - and they were quick, funny stories. “Are You An Idiot?” was written in that style. 2). My son Sam once mentioned to me that:  “We aren’t ever going to have to wonder what you were thinking because you wrote everything down.” These are some of the stories that I’ve been telling for years…just humorous anecdotes about my days. In the back of my mind, I’m thinking of my legacy. It’s strange how one thinks when there’s less days in front of the horse compared to what is in back of the cart. It’s for my boys and their kids. 3). I have a bunch of books in the can. 3 that a

The Militi Open

Heading off to two days of golf with my Syracuse buddies, and I had to make an adjustment to the room arrangements. It’s been said that I snore. Normally we go two to a room - based on how the event started about 30 years ago. One year I was woken by my buddy, Rob, who was throwing wet wash rags at me. “You’re snoring!” The next year, my buddy, Tony, woke me at 4 in the morning as he was showering. “What the hell are you doing?” I asked. “I’m going to sleep in the lobby,” he said. “It’s like sleeping with a bear.” So, my buddy Tom called: “I lost,” he said. “You’re my roommate.” “That’s not happening,” I said. “I’m getting my own room.” “But we’re supposed to split the cost,” he said. “Good Lord,” I said. “You have more money than God. You can take the hit.” After I booked the room, I mentioned to Kathy that I wasn’t sharing a room. “You don’t even want to share a room with me,” she said. “I can’t believe the rest of them are sharing rooms.” And it is a little odd, I guess, but that’s

Hoodie & Shorts

Currently wearing the Yankees windbreaker (they better get their shit together) because I’m hesitant to break out the hoodie that I’ll be wearing from when I put it on until freaking May! That hoodie starts out as my primary over the shirt garment in September and then I wear it underneath my winter coat. Then after months the winter coat comes off and I wear the hoodie the rest of the way. Sucks. “I think we’re gonna’ have an old-fashioned winter this year,” one guy said. “Snow on the ground from November thru March.” I wanted to slap him. We haven’t had many of those in recent years. We usually have wild temperature swings with one or two major snow events now. Really major. Like 75 inches in 48 hours. I kind of prefer those types of winters. But either way… …I’m looking for where I put that hoodie. Reluctantly!

Cashman

For years, my brother Jeff ran a fantasy baseball team that he named ‘Cashman’. My sons, Matt and Sam took over as managers and soon had the team in last place. I recruited help, getting Jeff’s son, Johnny, in the mix, but it didn’t help.  They finished last again. This year before the year started, I sent them the team photo - which is Jeff - and said: “It costs me $150 a year to keep this team on the field. Are you going to finish last again?” Of course, Johnny can trash talk with the same enthusiasm that Jeff had. “We’re coming home with the chip!” I laughed. Well, I checked the standings this morning…. …they’re a half a week away from battling for the ‘chip’. They drafted a minor leaguer - Paul Skenes - with the last pick in the draft - and he just might win it for them. My season ended when the playoffs began as I finished just short. So. How much crap do you think they’re talking??? And of course, there is a hefty prize for winning it all. “You know the league fee comes out of yo