The Hold Steady Cover "The Power of Love"

Before we proceed, it appears our friends at Blogger have updated the posting setup. As usual, I tread lightly. Just as I do with any changes to Facebook. Still, I'm more hopeful for Blogger. OK, back on course. I stumbled on this yesterday - a deal in which modern bands are faced with choosing a song from a pre-determined list. The Hold Steady grabbed a little ditty called "The Power of Love." You'll see in the video below that they're, ahem, not exactly fans of the original song, but think Huey Lewis and the News are good guys that can jump on stage and have a good ol' time. Indeed, anyone who has seen Huey with Umphrey's McGee (which they're now occasionally performing together as "Huey Lewis and the rUMors") knows what I'm talking about. Anywho, back to The Hold Steady. Here they are with their cover of HLN's classic tune.
The Hold Steady covers Huey Lewis & The News As one commenter wrote, "Meh." Agreed. I'll stick to the original, and here it is in it's complete six minute, seventeen second glory, though the quality is kind of sketchy. Regardless, watch, listen, and be taken back in time...

If You Haven't Heard...

There's a hurricane coming.

It's a little nere-wracking, to be honest, but all we can do is hope for the best.

From North Carolina to New England. Some 50 million people will be impacted. I wish you all the luck for safety and good health.

I leave you with a non-weather-related Hurricane. Let Uncle Bob Dylan tell the story...

So What Do You Think of This Scully Guy?

The Dodgers used to be looked at as a model organization. Even from their latter days in Brooklyn, the Bums were considered to be first-rate. Then they moved to La-La land and became the image of cool.

Now? What a mess.

TJ Simers, whom we last visited in March, wrote in the LA Times that season-ticket holders at Chavez Ravine are being asked to rate the performance of one of the employees.

One Vincent Edward Scully.

No, seriously.

And believe it or not, there are those who do have another opinion on the Great Scully. Those people should be considered unfriendly, or Communist, and shipped to a detention camp. Stat.

Awful Announcing is where I picked up on this story. They have an email from a dissenter.

I will stop there. I have a hurricane to prepare for.

Time to hear from the man himself. This is a nice interview from 2010:


And a Scully call, as Vin welcomes Brooklyn's own Joe Pignatano to the Major Leagues:

Perspective, Chapter 273,466

Mike Flanagan, Cy Young Award-winning pitcher for the Orioles in 1979, was found dead yesterday in his Maryland home. He was 59.

You know there's more to the story, of course. Flanagan became a top executive in the Orioles' organization, at a time when the O's continue to play less-than inspiring baseball.

Indeed, the Orioles, a once top-rate franchise, haven't sniffed the postseason since 1997, and haven't been in the World Series since winning it all in 1983 (with Flanagan as part of their pitching staff).

So word is beginning to break that Mike Flanagan, a well-liked pitcher and person, one with a quick wit, killed himself because the Orioles were bad during his time as an O's executive.

WBALTV.com has more.

Ugh. Terrible, sad news. Awful.

Don't blame Flanagan for it. Or anyone else. I've long said the Orioles have been a disaster due to their ownership, though today isn't the day for that.

Flanagan had a wife. Three daughters. People who loved him.

Wow. I'm still having trouble wrapping my noggin around this one.

Hug someone. Fast.

Pat Summitt

I once watched a biography of Pat Summitt, the longtime and, yes, legendary women's basketball head coach at Tennessee. Had to be 15 years ago.

I immediately liked her. Her fire, her compassion, her will, all the usual reasons that you've heard.

It's probably easy to dislike Summitt if you're a rival of the Vols. Or if you're from Connecticut.

I'm not.

So it was that yesterday, I sadly read of Summitt's announcement that she has early stages of dementia. Summitt is 59, and without sounding trite of trivial, I hope she can deal with this as best as she can.

Obviously, it's the beginning of an unpleasant fade.

Her friend Sally Jenkins, she of the Washington Post, wrote a terrific article that ran yesterday. It does everything more justice than I can do.

Sh-sh-sh-sh-shaking

The floor shook.

I was eating lunch with my sister, her kids Katie and Conor, my mother, and the legendary Sean Adams. I thought little of it when I felt a vibration - a tremor - under my feet.

I looked at Sean to see if he was being a jumpy nine-year-old. No.

I looked at my sister's feet to see if they were tapping the floor. Nope.

The rest of the family? Expressionless, just eating their lunch.

What the deuce? I put away in my mind.

Of course, the TV was on, but it was the sounds of some dreadful Nickelodeon show coming out of it.

Then about an hour later, I was chatting with Carrie via instant messenger when she said to me, "There was an earthquake in Virginia. We felt an aftershock here!"

I read it out loud...when it hit me.

"I FELT IT!"

My sister's reaction was the same. We both thought the other had been tapping our feet on the floor.

My reporter's brain turned to thinking about Virginia, especially given the epicenter was quite close to Richmond. I checked in my two close friends there: one was at work and said she turned as white as a ghost as the building, only about 20 miles from the epicenter, swayed. The other, our dear friend Jon, was sunning himself with his beautiful family, in North Carolina. I have myriad other friends and acquaintances all throughout the Washington to North Carolina corridor, and they all checked in via Facebook and/or Twitter. Everyone is fine.

The damage seems to be minimal. No lives were lost.

A few grey hairs? Maybe.

All in all, I guess we can simply chalk it up to being a heck of an experience.

OK, More Links (That Means Linky Dinks Returns!)

Our January trip to San Diego was one of best travel experiences of my life. So when I saw this picture on Shorpy of the Whales...oops, it really doesn't mean that (nor was it discovered by the Germans in 1904). Oh, so where was I? Right! This stunning picture of San Diego, taken in 1913 from the US Grant Hotel which, coincidentally, is where Carrie and I stayed.

Besides, nobody really knows what "San Diego" really means, right? Scholars maintain that the translation was was lost hundreds of years ago.

10 Great love songs from 80's movies (Stuck in the 80's)? I don't know, honeslty, but I can tell you that I'm a huge fan of number five!

I also saw this on Stuck in the 80's. Awesome.


This child's life is off to a solid start.


From Vintage Richmond comes...wait for it...BRUUUUUUUUUCE. Mr. Springsteen and his then-band played Richmond a lot, including this show from 1970 with Steel Mill.

Just saw this from Paul Silverfarb at the Greenwich Post. Nice for Ken Kolb - umpiring at some ballpark in The Bronx!

Lastly, from Greenwich comes word that football practice is open at Cardinal Stadium, but that doesn't mean that games will definitely by played there. Stay tuned...

Flashback: Chuck Wagon

I was watching Family Guy tonight, when I saw a reference to the old Chuck Wagon commercials. YouTube helped me find some classic goodness.

George Harrison Documentary Trailer

I hope to have HBO in October to see this. It looks great (directed by some guy named Scorsese).

A Quick Link From Charles Costello

I'll have more links at another time, but I saw this from my friend Chuck Costello and had to post it. I think he does a nice job of summing up the behavior of a lot of folks who think that they're privileged, entitled, or something.

There's a baseball game going on and you just walk through? Really?

Chuck adds more "hit and run" notes in the post, including a mention of Don Imus mourning the passing of his brother, Fred. Chuck isn't afraid to mince words.

Well done.

The First ESPN New York Hall of Fame Class

The voters have spoken, and well, they're not entirely wrong. The first class for ESPN New York's Hall of Fame is:

Babe Ruth
Lou Gehrig
Joe DiMaggio
Mickey Mantle
Jackie Robinson

I got four of the five right when I made my vote. I've spoken about Robinson - wonderful person, social significance, etc. I still would have taken Taylor first, but the voters like political correctness. I like athletics.

It is what it is.

And do we need any further proof that New York is A) a baseball town and B)a Yankees town? Nope.

By the way, in case you're wondering, here are the other first classes from the ESPN cities:

Boston: Larry Bird, Ted Williams, Bill Russell, Bobby Orr, Red Auerbach (I had 4 of 5 and thought Ray Borque was a better choice than Auerbach).

Chicago: Michael Jordan, Walter Payton, Ernie Banks, Dick Butkus, Mike Ditka (I had 4, but Ditka over Hull is OK I guess - shows they don't have as much interest in hockey).

Dallas: Nolan Ryan, Emmitt Smith, Tom Landry, Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach (I voted outside of the box here, and had only 2 right here. I mean...Ryan, Aikman, and Staubach? Really?)

Los Angeles: Magic Johnson, John Wooden, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wayne Gretzky, Sandy Koufax (five for five). They still should have had Scully on the ballot, and he should have gone in.

Number Five is Alive

It was five years ago yesterday that I finally stepped forward with the idea to do a blog. Spurred on by friends like Sean Kilkelly and Matt Hamilton, both of whom had started blogging, I sat down and wrote the first post as I watched the Yankees break ground on the House that Greed Built. I probably thought about it and waited to hit "publish" on that first post, because it didn't hit until the next morning - at 7:00 on August 17, 2006.

Five years ago today.

Here's that first post, if you've never read it. I hadn't learned how to post pictures, so it's just words and thoughts. Three days later, I explained why I call the blog "Exit 55."

Five years later, much has changed. Yet some things still remain the same.

I'm different than I was in 2006. My life is certainly different (for the better). Sean was four at the time. He's nine now. I have a special person in my life whom I absolutely adore. One who I dropped off at JFK this morning as she set off for LA* to begin pursuing her doctorate. I'm ridiculously proud and excited for her.

*Using an Interstate 5 shield seems appropriate, given her trip to LA, and our likely trip back there in October for a wedding.

I'm still calling Greenwich football (year number 12 begins next month!). A lot can change in five years. And yet...not so much!

I still enjoy doing this. I deal with the struggle of being my own editor, and trying to make the right decisions on what to write. I offer too much yet I don't offer as much as you might think. Just as I am in person, I'm an open book with no poker face.

And yet...not entirely.

I still do this for fun. It's helped make me friends, and occasionally angered or hurt people - never my intention, though I enjoy spirited banter. It's also opened up doors, such as the other blogs that I have written for (and will be writing for ). I'd like to believe that this has been a fun forum. That's the general idea.

People still "yell" at me when I don't post enough. I like that - it's a touch of validation that I've done something right. Something that you seem to enjoy.

As dumb luck would have it, this is post number 1600. It's hard to believe that, based on the statistics that I see, a post about a little place called Oniontown, NY continues to be the most-read piece on this site. Indeed, when one types it in on Google, that post is the fifth site to come up.

So thanks for reading. Stick around. There's still more to be said.

Of course, in five years, music has been a very large part of the blog. The Beatles have probably played the biggest role, from the Paul McCartney concert of 2009 (and arguably the deepest post in the blog's history) to the many Beatles references and videos that I've posted. Today is the blog's birthday.

The blog's Birthday.

Birthday.

That reminds me of a song...

Harry Nilsson Movie (Free to View Online for Limited Time!)

Harry Nilsson is one of those names that, chances are, you might not know. Chances are, then again, that you know his music...


The brilliant "Everybody's Talkin" (used in Midnight Cowboy, of course)



The surreal "Coconut"


The heartbreaking "Without You" (never play this when suffering from romantic heartbreak)


These are merely his most famous songs. Beyond that, he did songs that were used on movie soundtracks, such as the bombastic "Jump into the Fire", which can be found in Goodfellas. The Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan movie You've Got Mail features four songs performed by Nilsson: "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City", "The Puppy Song", "Over the Rainbow", and "Remember." Three Dog Nights' famous "One" was written by Harry.

He was friendly was all four Beatles, having Ringo Starr as his best man for his second wedding, and sharing John Lennon's famous "Lost Weekend" with him.

He was also terribly destructive, living a high partying life that ultimately killed him in 1994, at the age of 52.

In short, he had a profound impact on music.

A documentary was recently done on Nilsson's life, called Who is Harry Nilsson (and Why is Everybody Talkin' About Him)? I read this piece by Michael Verity at the WNEW Blog and have watched the film. It's a must-see, if you have any interest in music, rock and roll, history, The Beatles or any of the above.

Dedicate two hours and go here to see it(and quickly, because it's only free for a limited time). They allow you to stop it, and remember where you left off (that's how I watched it).

Let me know if you watched it and if you liked it.

PS, I laughed out loud towards the end, when it was revealed that George Harrison convinced people surrounding Nilsson's grave on the day of his funeral to sing this in tribute.

Who's In Your New York Hall of Fame?

The obvious choice.

ESPN New York, perhaps if only to raise my blood pressure, has decided to put together a New York Hall of Fame.  Theoretically I'm completely into this idea.  All good, no doubt.  It's fun to debate such things.

Andrew Marchand is on the panel of "experts" and says what we all know (or should):  Babe Ruth is the king.  Anyone leaving him off their ballot shouldn't have a ballot.

The 20 nominees are certainly good, but they seem to also leave some players out.  For instance, the only Rangers nominee is Mark Messier, and as I just discussed with good friend Harold, Mess isn't even the greatest Ranger (that would be Brian Leetch).  Messier, as much as I revere him, was at his best in Edmonton.  Mike Bossy is the lone Islander (OK with that).  But it appears that teams with "New Jersey" in their name aren't eligible.  How else can it be explained that Martin Brodeur isn't there?  Yet both the Jets and Giants are represented, albeit lightly, with only Joe Namath and Lawrence Taylor getting a nod.  They play in New Jersey, right?

The Knicks are light as well, with Clyde Frazier and Willis Reed the picks (no Patrick Ewing?).  Nobody from the Nets (who once played on Long Island with a guy nicknamed Dr. J - just saying) was selected.

Boxing got one nominee with Mike Tyson.  No love for Pele, who briefly wowed with the Cosmos.  What about horse racing?  Did Secretariat amaze us at Belmont or was that a dream?

Yes, I see problems here.

Tennis (Arthur Ashe, Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, etc) and other sports are ignored completely as well (how about the brilliance of then-Lew Alcindor, playing high school ball, or Chris Mullin at St. John's?).

The list is very baseball-heavy and I get that, as there is no doubt in my mind that New York is a baseball town, and it always has been.  The Mets get Tom Seaver (duh), the Giants bring Willie Mays, Mel Ott, and Christy Mathewson (perhaps the most inspired name on the list - different, for sure).  The Dodgers...Jackie Robinson.  Funny, the song was called "Willie, Mickey and the Duke", yet Mr. Snider is nowhere to be found.

The rest are Yankees: Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Casey Stengel (who also played for the Giants, and managed the Dodgers), George Steinbrenner, Joe McCarthy, and Yogi Berra represent the team that has won 27 championships.

No active players can be included, so Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, etc must wait.

I'm still amazed Ewing isn't in the top 20.  I would have taken him over either Casey Stengel or Joe McCarthy (and no disrespect to both of them, plus Tyson made it over Whitey Ford).

The "experts" by the way, are the aforementioned Andrew Marchand, Rob Parker, Johnette Howard, Wallace Matthews, and Ian O'Connor.  With all due respect, I'm not impressed.  To that end, perhaps the Worldwide Leader could explain their criteria for this, because as I see it, this panel is utterly gutless as they are afraid to be anything other than PC.  Four of the five picked Jackie Robinson for their "Hall of Fame", with only Marchand going against the grain.  In fact, Marchand picked the same five as me:

- Ruth
- Gehrig
- DiMaggio
- Mantle
- Taylor

Look, I get the social significance of Robinson, but that's not what we're talking about here.  I'm talking about greatness - athletic greatness.  To insist on picking Jackie Robinson is to say that you're afraid - period.  I'm not.  I recognize that he is one of the most important FIGURES of the 20th Century, but he is not one of the greatest ATHLETES in New York history.  That's what I thought I was voting for here.

In fact, TWO of these "experts" (Parker and Matthews) picked Robinson and Joe-freaking-Namath!  Again, I get the impact ol' Joe Willie had on professional football, but I also get he wanted to kiss Suzy Kolber.  Are the two intertwined?  Not really, but it says that Namath's impact is more about one game (Super Bowl III) than his career (which, while terrific, often gets overblown).

I tried watching the "experts" videos and they made my hair hurt.  O'Connor simply makes me want to scream, and I'm so freaking sick of him knocking Ruth because he didn't play against African Americans.  HOW is that Ruth's fault?  Besides, there's long been some thinking that Ruth was actually black!  So your mileage may vary.

And Matthews calling LT "a system player?"  Beyond crazy!

Mays was an amazing player.  Robinson was a specimen and a graceful man.  Mantle, is his prime, with better health, was as good if not better than Mays (Mays was a better fielder).  DiMaggio, if not for health issues and the war, was just as good.  Gehrig was a monster.  So was LT (albeit in football).

None of them was Ruth.

This is one of those "I miss 'The Press Box'" moments.

ESPN is doing it for other cities as well (Boston, Chicago, Dallas, LA).  For giggles, I voted on the other cities:

Boston: Ted Williams, Bill Russell, Bobby Orr, Ray Borque, Larry Bird.

Dallas: Ben Hogan, Tom Landry, Byron Nelson, Emmitt Smith, Doak Walker

Chicago: Ernie Banks, Dick Butkus, Michael Jordan, Walter Payton, Bobby Hull (and the fact that they included Harry Caray on their ballot doesn't speak well).

Los Angeles: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Sandy Koufax, John Wooden, Wayne Gretzky (by the way, Chick Hearn is on their ballot but VIN SCULLY ISN'T?  Scully would have gotten my vote over Gretzky.)

My Latest "All Things Next" Post

I've fired off my latest missive to the blog at All Things Next.  It's a quickie, as I try to keep my fellow Yankees fans calm, and remind them to glance at the calendar. 

A Little Hockey on a Summer Day

I saw this on YouTube.  Top 10 playoff soundbites.  Plenty of John Tortorella, of course.  Some others that aren't surprising.  All good for a laugh.


I also got to pondering the question of the greatest goaltender in the history of the Boston Bruins, given their recent Cup (in case you forgot).  See, in New York, that question is not debatable (at least not to me).  Richter, Mike.  Have a nice day.

Just in case a reminder is needed.


In Boston, they can consider Gerry Cheevers, Frank Brimsek, Andy Moog, and so on (and Tuuka Rask!).  But after watching his career, and seeing the clinic he put on this past year, it's hard to argue against Tim Thomas, isn't it? (We need to hear from Doc Emrick)


That's just not fair.

Iconic Album Cover: With the Beatles

The Beatles obviously created many iconic images, including their album covers. Trying to pick a favorite isn't that easy, even considering the greatness that is the cover of Sgt. Pepper. Heck, even "The White Album" is somewhat-iconic.

But really, think about it. Rubber Soul. Abbey Road. Revolver. Those are the most obvious ones.

And, of course, With the Beatles. The WNEW Blog discusses the creation of an awesome picture that has been recreated countless times.

Not bad, Kid

Courtesy of Deadspin, check out this 11-year-old kid calling a Jose Reyes home run.

He's better than a lot of the other dreck out there now!

I can assure you, some team is considering hiring him right now, since he's cheap labor!

I'm kidding, but it wouldn't surprise me!

Crazy Intersections!

Have a look at this article, via Inautonews.com It shows the 10 busiest junctions in the world.

Thanks to Jim K Georges for posting it on Facebook.

Continuing to Move Forward

Stephanie Abrams from The Weather Channel (and NBC) posted a pretty good quote on her Facebook page this morning. I hope she doesn't mind me sharing it here:

“Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So, love people who treat you right, forgive the ones who don’t, and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said it’d be easy, they just promised it’d be worth it.”~Unknown

Holy cow but that quote is so dead on.

There really is no time to wallow in the mire.

The picture above is the result of a fender bender in The Bronx on the Major Deegan Expressway (I-87). I was passing in the left lane, and a young man pulled out of the center and hit me. I wasn't hurt, the people in the other car weren't hurt, we drove our cars away from the scene after settling up, and we really didn't even impact traffic that much. That last note is the reason the accident happened - because there's always a backup at the Cross Bronx Expwy/GW Bridge ramps and people don't know how to merge.

Different rant for another time.

The point is: stuff happens. Life goes on.

We keep moving forward.

Thurman Munson - 32 Years Later

August 2. I think of it every year. I remember it so well.

We lost Thurman Munson 32 years ago today. He was 32 when he died in the plane crash in his beloved Canton, OH (he was born in Akron - next door, and he stayed loyal).

Let's send a little karma to the Cleveland Indians tonight. There's a chance Thurman would have played for them in 1980 (though I still question that). More importantly, a really good friend of mine is a fan of Chief Wahoo and the gang. He could probably use a smile tonight.

Plus they're playing the Red Sox. Thurman would be happy to see them lose.

So would I.

Here's Thurman and his buddy, Mr. Murcer. I've never seen this picture before. I like it.

What's Wrong With Broadcasting (Edition # 1,795,833)

I love the broadcasting biz.  Love, love, love it.

I haven't been on the air (other than my weekly Friday chats with Tony Savino) in months.

I haven't called a Renegades game (my schedule among other things).  No high school action.  No news reporting.  Nothing.  I do the Friday interviews to keep my voice on the air - slightly.

And I continue to be confounded by those who make decisions.  This is not a reflection on my bosses at WGCH (they know I want to be on the air - we're long-overdue to have a sports talk show on).  But it is what it is and, Marconi-willing, the team will be back in a few weeks for Greenwich Cardinals' football.

Over at The Peak (part of the Pamal family of stations, which I've been on via Hudson Valley Talk Radio), those in charge have decided to give the ol' heave-ho to Chris Bro and his "Next" show, which highlighted new music.  In an era in which quality music appears limited (I'm still not sold on Madonna: the Next Generation), "Next" gave listeners a chance to find something new.  I was a fan long before Chris allowed me to write for the Next Blog, which he says will continue.  He also says "Next" will find a new home.  As Chris writes, it could be time to rethink the "Next" format anyway, so he's overall taking the positive, high road approach.

Still, why drop the show?  The Peak has been a solid station for several years now.  They don't do a lot of shtick.  Their morning show is low-key.  That show is shifting from Rob Arrow to Caroline Corley (who still insists on calling the Rolling Stones "the world's greatest rock and roll band").  Caroline - I get it.  It's their nickname.  They're not the Beatles, and they never will be.  So do we need to promo every...freaking...playing of "You Can't Always Get What You Want" or whatever the same way?

I'm teasing, somewhat, if only to bring my blood pressure back down.  I'm told I need to switch to decaf (I'm laughing as I type this).

The Peak hasn't often failed.  They did here.

Staying on my broadcasting rant, I read an interview with Curt Smith, the author who once appeared on "The Press Box" (hey - remember that?) with me to discuss his Vin Scully bio.  Smith, who was very generous with his time that day, has a new book out, called A Talk in the Park.  This book tells anecdotes from the world of baseball broadcasting.

In that interview with Michael Hiestand in USA Today, Smith hits the nail (and the very bane of my existence) on the head:

The problem, Smith says, starts with "obscene fixation with statistics" by the powers-that-be.

In short? BINGO!

In the Gades booth during the Sean Ford years, he and I would hang up some stat sheets - just for the intros of the players. I'd carry a media guides and a few notes. But overall, Sean and I wouldn't dazzle the listener with numbers. Sure it might be fun to reach for an occasional stat of player versus pitcher or something like that, but our bottom line was to report...and keep people listening.

We entertained. We informed. We invited you into the booth.

Once again, allow me to impart the wisdom of the Great Scully:

"Statistics are used much like a drunk uses a lamp post: for support, not illumination."

That might be (no, it is) my biggest beef with the youngins' who have jumped into the various radio booths (and of course TV as well).

And once again, we see where quality flies out the window.

Linky Dinks

I've got a few things for you tonight...and long overdue, if I do say so myself.

Top-notch, world-class friend Jason Intrieri texted me with the news that his friend Charlie Bentley has retired from coaching hoops at Harding High in Bridgeport, CT.  I covered Coach Bentley as a broadcaster against Greenwich.  He was always nice to me.  I wish him well.  Michael Fornabaio takes us from here via the Greenwich Time.

Much fuss over the 30th anniversary of the debut of MTV.  For me, I had to go my friends houses to see it at all.  We didn't get a VCR until 1983, and cable didn't hit the Adams house until spring, 1985.  But I did see my fair share of MTV.

Ken Fang at Fang's Bites has the timeline of the first hour.

The Stuck in the 80's Blog presents the first 10 videos.  Yikes.

Steve Spears via the St. Petersburg Times laments how we want our old MTV.  In an "I told you so" moment, I knew it was over with the debut of "Remote Control."  There were also "Monkees" reruns, and other things that took the channel away from the music.  I liked the music, and the VJ's.  That should have been enough.

Good friend Charles Costello highlights "helicopter parents."  You see them at all levels - even college.  It's scary.

Tom Hoffarth talks about the change from "Versus" to "NBC Sports Network."  And even though we thought the peacock was going away, that doesn't appear to be the case.  Well at least they didn't screw that up.

The very good WFMU blog posted a portion of a book (if it ever gets published) called the Oral History of Hockey Night in Canada.  As they write in a footnote:

This excerpt comes from an enormous undertaking, the Oral History of Hockey Night in Canada, which is currently stalled due to legalities. The content within was culled from interviews conducted for the project in book form for Harper Collins. The subjects were not interviewed for WFMU.

The topic of the post is Bill Hewitt, son of the legendary Foster Hewitt, who never quite seemed cut out for broadcasting, yet carried the family tradition. It is a very interesting read.

One of the things that I enjoy about Jeff Pearlman's work is his many mentions of Mahopac and the local 'hood.  He writes about King Kone, over on route 100 in Somers, NY.  It's been there forever.

Jeff frequently writes about politics.  I absolutely love this post about Barack Obama.  Most people bought into the hype of "change" in 2008.  I called BS then - as I do now..  I felt people were in love with the idea of being "forward thinking", electing an African American to the highest seat in the world.  We were so desperate for anything after the Bush 43 years.  People cried the night he was elected.  Those tears ring hollow now.

Greenwich Fields Have Some Problems

There's a messy issue heating up over at Greenwich High School, as the athletic fields are contaminated!

Maggie Caldwell writes about it at the Greenwich Post.  Apparently Paul Silverfarb was too busy.

(I kid, Paul)

It will be very interesting to see what impact this has on fall sports, which begin, shockingly, very soon!  Football practice is only a few weeks away.  Cardinal Stadium isn't impacted, but other sports will be.

The Concert For Bangladesh

George Harrison helped organize Live Aid before Live Aid.  That is, before the mega concert of 1985, The Concert for Bangladesh was the first example of a rock concert doing good for charity.

It all took place at Madison Square Garden 40 years ago this week - August 1, 1971.

The talent appearing was quite good.  Not only was George Harrison there (and pretty rare to get George to play in concert), but so was Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton (strung out on heroin), Billy Preston and others.  Ringo Starr played in the backing band, but both John Lennon and Paul McCartney declined.

That, dear friends, is a huge pity.  Macca didn't join because he stubbornly didn't want a Beatles reunion, given that they had just parted a year earlier.  Lennon originally said he would play, even though George asked that the shrieking Yoko Ono NOT appear.  John and Yoko apparently fought over this, and ultimately, John passed on the event.

Again, a pity.

Music, please!  Here's the first live performance of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."