Thoughts of a Common Man

Ollie and I are on a quest to break the long-standing record held by Shadow for catching balls off the garage. We certainly put in some time yesterday and I found myself saying things like: “You need to stay hydrated.” Or “You should be trying to rest in between attempts.” Or my personal favorite: “You aren’t going to break this record unless you want it more than Shadow did.” We made progress. Ollie caught 24 consecutive yesterday in the 4 fifteen minute sessions. It works like this (Shadow had the same rules). You catch 10 straight and you get a drop where it doesn’t reset. The thing about Ollie was that he was at 20 with 2 drops in the bank. He dropped ball #21 Dropped ball #23 And then had his streak end after 24. “You need to give 110%,” I was saying on the way in the house. Kathy laughed. Ollie was panting so loudly that I don’t think he heard me. “If you weren’t fooling around in between tosses you’d have the record by now.” Ollie doesn’t seem all that concerned about erasing th...

The Yankees have a huge lead in their division and have been a fun team to watch all year. You wouldn’t know it if you read the posts on Yankees twitter.  ‘Fans’ of the team have a long list of complaints. They hate IKF, and Gallo and Hicks and Chapman and German. If the Yankees lose…oh God! They want Boone and Cashman fired. They need a new shortstop and two new outfielders and on and on. I finally got sick of the negativity and muted everyone who complains. Enjoy it! It’s no better on the political front. Everyone is so filled with rage! I sent a song I liked to a friend of mine. The photo of the artist showed him standing in front of a number of flags. It was a tiny photo - it looked like one of the flags was upside down. “Not listening to it. He’s disrespecting the flag.” I laughed! The guy was offended. He was not offended by what happened on January 6th. I asked what he thought about the handling of the flags that day. Everything is tinged in hate these days. I’ve had friends...

Not in love with this stage of life. Got a horrible call on the way into work today. Budman! The man, myth, and legend in the construction world in Western New York, passed away suddenly last night. 💔  I’ve known Budman for more than 20 years. I enjoyed every visit to one of his jobs, and we always, always had time for a personal discussion about the Yankees and life in general. Bud man was a regular texter and he often sent me texts during Yankees games because he knew I was watching. He also will stay in my mind for a couple of conversations that were important to me. The last time I spoke to him - just a couple of weeks ago - he was busting his ass in a cramped basement - he wasn’t complaining, and he was more concerned about how I looked! My back was barking that day so I was moving slowly and he wasn’t a fan of the weight I’ve lost “You look sick! Eat a steak!!” Was the last thing I ever heard him say. But, Budman also was important for my career. Back about 15 years ago a yo...

There is Miller, trapped underneath Ollie who jumped up on top during a quiet moment. That’s the thing about this freaking dog… …never a dull moment. If his eyes are open, he wants to play. The thing is, he’s a tad nutty as well. If I buy him a new bone he will look at it, and take two huge steps backwards as if to say: “I can’t freaking believe you bought this for me!” Then he gathers it and runs from the room. Every once in a blue moon, he’ll actually eat it, but much more likely, he will hide it. I’ve found so many bones buried in the cat litter. I’ve found even more set in a corner. Every corner of the house!  He has a favorite green, squeaky ball. He hid it so well that we have no idea where the hell it is! I had to buy him a new one. He did his little dance and then we played with it, non-stop, for a few hours. But his biggest advancement? He can now catch tennis balls off the garage. He’s getting good at it… …had a modest streak of 14 in a row. (I say modest because Shadow h...

I don’t buy lottery tickets very often and truly think it’s dumb to only buy them when the prize gets way up there as if I wouldn’t be happy with a measly ten million or so… …but I bought $6 worth of tickets for the $800 million lottery. And let my mind wander. Thinking of what I could do with that much money with just a few decades left was worth the six bucks. My first move would be to put about ten of my buddies on my payroll. I’d pay them their salaries and their only job would be to make sure that I have a ready 4-some whenever I feel like golfing. They could work out the schedule… …but 3 of them better always be ready. Which led us deeper into the golf dream. A few country club memberships. Maybe re-open South Shore in Hamburg. As for Bruce and the ticket garbage - I’d make contact and see how much it would cost for him to play for about 30 of us in my backyard. And of course, the boring stuff: A home in a warm climate to get the hell out when it dips below 60 degrees. Money for ...

Have to get this story down. On June 1, 1975 I was a mere ten years old. I know right where I was that night. In a hotel in Geneva, New York with my Dad and my brother John. I think about it now and it had to be because my Mom was sick of dealing with all the damn kids! She sent me and John out of town with Dad. It was like an adventure for us. A road trip with Dad! I passed by Geneva on my way to Syracuse and memories of that trip dominated my thoughts. Of course I don’t recall the specifics of the building that Dad was in charge of building, but I do recall wearing a hard hat as we walked along the site. Then John and I spent a lot of time in the job trailer. We had lunch and snacks and we met everyone on the project. That night, we went out to dinner and then back to the hotel. The three of us in one room… …which was a problem for me because I’m a light sleeper and Dad was a heavy snorer. He sounded like a bear. I was sitting inches from the television, watching the California Angel...

I stopped at my usual hotel in Syracuse - I’ve been going there for 30+ years, and am a platinum member, which gets me a 12-ounce bottle of warm water when I check in… …if the clerk remembers to give it to me. Once in a blue moon there will be quarter shaped chocolate chip cookies up there. I usually pay roughly $100 a night. On Friday, I stepped up and the very pleasant young girl behind the counter asked if I wanted a king or queen bed. “Doesn’t matter.” “If you go with the queen it’s $10 less,” she said. “Let’s do that.” “Okay, but I have to tell you that the rate is $179.” “What?” “I know.” “Why?” “We have an algorithm that prices our rooms based on demand,” she said. “There are four cars in the parking lot,” I said. She shrugged. “That’s the rate.” I stood there. Dumbfounded. Now, of course, it was a work-related visit and I would be reimbursed, but that’s not the point. Still, it was also late in the day and I’m not one for change. “I guess there isn’t much choice,” I said. “This...