More From Spygate and Other Off the Bench Items

A tip of the old chapeau to the Naples News, for catching everyone up to date on the shenanigans in the filming fiasco between Greenwich and Naples. Dana Oppedisano has the story here.

The whole thing seems rather shady, but I'm just a broadcaster.

We're two weeks away from the big trip! Now if I only knew where I was staying...

Did I mention that WGCH is broadcasting the Greenwich-Naples game? Game time is 7:30? Have I mentioned that? What about Nick Angotto and Jason Intrieri - have I mentioned them?

Sean Kilkelly is not one for lists, so he nearly made my head explode with his list of the top 25 rock acts. He also lists his favorites, and what songs by each band are to his liking. Great stuff by The Killer (no, not Jerry Lee Lewis). Lots of stuff to agree with, and a few things to debate - like taking Elvis at number one over The Beatles. I especially give him mad props for recognizing the greatness of Queen - which not many do.

As for me, I know I'd put The Beatles at number one. From there, I could go with Elvis, the Stones, Bruce, Led Zep, Clapton, U2, Dylan and so on. As we all know, it's way subjective.

Add that to the list of many things that I've wanted to write about but have been either too tired, too uninspired, or too forgetful to do.

Sean's still waiting for me to name my top three favorite movies, and I guess with a gun to my head, they would be "Vertigo", "Bull Durham", and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", from three to one. At least for now - but don't forget about "Apollo 13", "The Godfather", "Anchorman", "Office Space", and "Napoleon Dynamite." Hell, I'm just warming up.

OK, so let's see if I've got this straight. I drive from Carmel, NY to Stamford, CT every weekday. It takes me sometimes an hour and a half to do so. The "hot spots" during this trip are such pressure points like Croton Falls and Bedford, NY.

I understand if one struggles with traffic in downtown Stamford, but Croton Falls? Have most of you ever heard of Croton Falls? Oooh...that real nerve center at the corners of Stoneleigh Ave, Croton Falls Rd, US route 202, and NY state route 22.

It's great to have a full-time job again and all, but getting from Putnam and northern Westchester Counties to Stamford is a full-on joke. For the high speed route, one has to go all the way to Interstate 684, then to 287, then to 95 (and good luck there!). Otherwise it's all back roads, baby!

To be a capital of industry, one needs an infrastructure. Stamford is woeful in that department. Interstate 95 on a Friday night (and most every other night) is a freakin' joke.

I've long said that the New York metro commute is not as bad as it is in, say, Washington, DC or Los Angeles or Chicago. Yet the reality is that it's getting bad, and why? Because we all have to travel too far to get from home to work. My commute - 47 miles via the interstates, 34 via the back roads, isn't bad by comparison. I know people who drive from Dutchess County, NY to Stamford, or from the Poconos in Pennsylvania to Elmsford, NY, and other crazy trips. All this because we're trying to afford the American dream. At the same time, we're all trying to get to the T-ball game, PTA meeting, and dinner date, so if we're not stuck in traffic, we're all doing 85 miles per hour because we're overworked and over-committed.

Yet all we read and hear about is the whining because people drive too fast, from the people who have either no commute, or a five-minute drive. Come to Yorktown Heights, for instance! The home of the speed bump and the four-way stop. On the main roads.

At this point, I could use a hug.

Reality check #1 - My thoughts are with the people in southern California. Those fires are scary, to say the least.

Reality check #2 - Speaking of thoughts and condolences, I sadly announce the passing of two people. One was the father of one of my oldest and closest friends; somebody who gave me a verbal undressing last month (and I appreciated every word of it). Now I will be with him tonight to support him following the death of his father. His dad was a funny, decent man.

My extended family also suffered a loss with the passing of The Wife's grandmother. She lived a long, full life and raised a remarkable family. My wife's Uncle Al (my main man, I might add) wouldn't have such a rich life without Grandma (and the rest of the family).

Well as it seems Joe Torre isn't going to miraculously reemerge as Yankees manager, I think it's probably time to stop the madness and just hand the job to Don Mattingly. Of course Donnie Baseball will sadly be a puppet to Hank and Hal Steinbrenner, and lead ass clown Randy Levine.

This stooge Levine has never met a microphone that he doesn't like, but whines when the critics start to attack him. Well I'm attacking you, Randy, so get over it. You want to screw up the franchise that I've given so much passion and energy (and money) to, then you have to hear it from me. You kicked Joe Torre out to the curb like he's Bill Virdon or Stump Merrill, and now I'm going to get a little pissy.

I'm only a ticket holder, Randy. I'm sure you don't care a whole lot what a guy like me has to say.

Red Sox in five.

For the love of Papi, puh-leeze give us some compelling baseball.

I will add, though, that if you don't at least have a soft spot for Clint Hurdle, then you know very little about him, and baseball, for that matter.

For Yankees fans, who can't stand the thought of watching the Sox celebrate, think of it this way: a Sox win will make the Yankees brass very angry. Angry Yankees means open checkbook. Open checkbook means A-Rod, Posada, and Mo will all be back.

It's reverse psychology, which I'm all about.

I'm a Rudy guy. I don't know if I will ever vote for him, but I like him. He's a bully, he's this, he's that, but I always thought of him as a smart politician. But when...as a lifelong Yankees fan...he says that he's rooting for the Red Sox, I couldn't help but think that this could have been one of those moments when he should have said, "may the best team win."

I don't care if he's rooting for the Sox, but he's got to be smarter than that.

I'm not a big fan of the fuss over the Giants and Dolphins playing in London. Generally I get grumpy when the marketing twits begin to mess with sports. But I know one thing for sure - I would have gone to the game in a heartbeat.

I'm worried. I'm a pathetic, still slightly overweight, 39 year-old father with a MySpace site. Now everone is telling me that Facebook is "the shite." Jeez, am I that out of touch?

How is somebody who's trying to hold on to being young supposed to pull it off?

There is a punch line here, but I know better.

Yes, I've actually gotten smart. Feels good, too.