Back to the Fun

 

Notepads, binders, a computer, and pretzels.
That's my Tuesday game prep

There are 13 precious games remaining over 12 nights.

That's it. After that, in all likelihood, I will have a lot less to say about the Renegades.

The Gades do have a shot at the playoffs but last week certainly dimmed the chances.

So, this morning into the afternoon, I cranked out stat packs and lineups (three versions!) and nudged for rosters and pitching rotations.

I also stuck my toe into high school sports where I began mapping out everything for Brunswick and Greenwich (and who knows what else?).

There are nights where I also have The Clubhouse and days where I have Hunt Scanlon conferences to attend and moderate.

It's a juggling act and I'll have to decline some and race between gigs.

We haven't finalized the Greenwich Football arrangement but, as of now, I plan to be at Westhill in Stamford for half of Saturday's game before turning the play-by-play over to Chris Erway (and hopefully someone else on color).

Next week, I might be able to pull it off but I'd still like an analyst/backup play-by-play in case I have to leave.

The following week could be the Gades' playoff series.

Then I get peace for a moment. Then comes back-to-back weddings over two weekends where I'll call Brunswick on one Saturday and race to Boston.

I know, I'm repeating myself but I'm also trying to dot "I's" and cross "T's".

But I'm ready to get back to Dutchess Stadium. Check that, I've been ready.

There are still tickets available for the final dates and I'm bummed that many of you haven't come up. There's still time. It's fun and affordable. Make it so.

Game one is tonight against the Brooklyn Cyclones (hi Mets fans!) at 7:05. 

Lineups are all set. 

No sleep till (we got home from) Brooklyn

 

Rob and Spencer Pierce, Maimonides Park, Brooklyn, USA (Zach Neubauer photo)

Why did I allow this to happen?

There was so much buildup.

I was nervous.

I wanted to bail.

No, really. I wanted out.

I had driven all the way to Brooklyn and I wanted to leave.

And yet?

I stayed on the Cyclone and had a pretty good time.

*****

I'm a constant worrier. Sadly, I think I've handed that same thing to my son. I worried that I put people out by dragging them all the way to Brooklyn for the Gades/Cyclones game in honor of the 100th anniversary of the first baseball broadcast.

I couldn't help but think that others considered it silly. Who cares about some Westinghouse engineer and his "one-off" broadcast in 1921 that would never amount to much?

To be sure, a few broadcasters found out that I was doing this and copied it from me. It's cool. No worries.

But, why would Zach Neubauer go? Why would Spencer Pierce drag his father to Brooklyn -- on his dad's birthday?

Why would Sean go? I mean, come on.

I worried we were driving the Brooklyn Cyclones crazy by being at Maimonides Park some six hours before first pitch. I'm still not sure we didn't, but we just tried to stay out of everyone's hair.

We did a Facebook live that was then converted into a podcast.

We walked the boardwalk, had Nathan's, spilled cheese dogs, and, yes, rode the Cyclone.

We also did the carousel beyond right-center field, where those working seemed less than enthusiastic to see one older guy and three younger men (one of them a teenager) strolling in for a ride. They were even less thrilled when we took out our phones with the hope of filming some content.

So that didn't happen.

The game was the game but the pregame was different. As the visiting team, the responsibilities were different. I just had to set up (and boy my setup is small with the trusty Zoom PodTrak P4), write out lineups and defensive charts, and start talking.

Oh, and we were able to go to the field where Kyle MacDonald came over and thanked us for coming out. That was above and beyond.

Then we did the game. I called all of the action. Spencer did most of the color with Zach chiming in a lot and an occasional thought from Sean.

But the huge surprise was not only that Zach and Spencer were going to run in the Nathan's Hot Dog Race (dressed in costumes as ketchup and relish dogs) but that Sean -- my son -- was going to do the play-by-play online*.

We had, essentially, three broadcasts running: the terrestrial broadcast on Z93 (and, again, huge thanks to everyone at iHeart for allowing that), our online stream on hvrenegades.com (those listeners heard Sean), and a private feed that I run in the background in case something goes wrong. It also gives me a recording of the broadcast.

Sean, for the record, was great. He stayed within himself. He described what he saw. If he never does it again, he'll always have this. Most of all, he did it with me sitting there, serving as his analyst. That took guts.

When it was over, Zach and Spencer both expressed concern that they had perhaps overrun the day with silliness. I can say with a full heart and complete honesty that I had no grand expectations and I felt that their commentary helped balance things out. I knew this broadcast would be different. My initial grandiose idea of having static and a historic broadcast that would evolve (a la something FOX did years ago) was a bit much. 

This was more real. This was more 2021. This was more in line with a lot of what I believe in. I was still able to weave a lot of the history of the business while still calling the game and having fun with the guys. My only mistake -- if that's the right word -- was not telling Zach that I was loaded with old play-by-play calls. Somehow I thought playing those might be overdoing it.

It ultimately seemed that he was completely in favor of that and I should have trusted my instinct. Trust me, that's more about me than anyone else. Call it PTSD.

Instead, we threw a few calls in before the end of the night, capped off by a roughly 10-minute postgame show that was online only. But it also occurred to me that Maimonides Park -- who had not seen a visiting broadcaster in almost two years -- was ready for us to go home, so I said goodnight.

You can hear highlights from the broadcast here. As I don't know what the archive policy is, I haven't posted much of the audio from any of the broadcasts.

It was a special day and what I realized was that it was special to everyone -- Zach, Sean, Spencer, and me. Maybe even to Spencer's father, who spent his birthday watching his son run a race dressed as a hot dog with relish.

I held my emotions together, which has become something I've been good at for about a year now, but I can assure you yesterday meant a lot to me. 

And to call this game from Brooklyn -- where Vin Scully's career started? Where Red Barber was "The Ol' Redhead?" Come on, man.

Zach kept calling the day "Rob's holiday." I get that but it wasn't about me. I'm not that narcissistic (though he didn't mean it that way). I assure you that yesterday doesn't happen without Zach and Steve Gliner and Joe Ausanio and Spencer and Sean and Chuck Benfer and Chris Marino and Jeff Semancik. Also assisting yesterday were Tyson Jeffers and Susan and Shawn Sailer -- each of whom was listening at one point or another and sending words of encouragement.

And thanks to you -- the readers and listeners -- who came along somehow.

We're into year number 101 of this business. Radio, of course, is "dying," remember? Except, it's not. Nor is baseball.

May the "voices" who have gone before us be proud of what we've done and may Mom and Dad have had a prime spot near a heavenly old Crosley Radio.

One with wifi.

100 years of baseball on the radio on Thursday

 

The first: Harold Arlin on KDKA 

I had given up on it.

I don't like to be a pest so, eventually, I just stop trying. Just how I am. In this case, the writing felt like it was on the wall, no matter how much I wanted it.

Yet, I'll celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first baseball radio broadcast on the air Thursday night in Brooklyn, NY USA.

The Renegades will be on the road that night and we'll be there with them.

Oh, did I say, "We?"

Zach Neubauer -- he's the one who made this happen -- will be along for the ride. So will Sean (Adams, of course). And it looks like Spencer Pierce will join us also.

The game will be heard on Z93 (with thanks to Chris Marino, Chuck Benfer, and Jeff Semancik) as well as hvrenegades.com. Thanks to Steve Gliner and Joe Ausanio on the Renegades' end for allowing this to happen.

It will be the first Renegades' road broadcast since the 2019 NY-Penn League semifinals, also in Brooklyn. It will be my first road Renegades call since 2010...also in Brooklyn. I called the day before at Staten Island.

We're planning a day of content creation to go along with the game broadcast. Zach and Sean are planning on filming some fun stuff, so keep your eyes open for that. I'll have headsets ready for Zach and Spencer, while Sean will likely pass on joining us on the air.

Of course, I'll focus on the game but I'm planning to talk up a lot of the history of baseball broadcasting -- especially on the radio. It will be 100 years to the days since Harold Arlin first stepped into Forbes Field to call the Phillies and Pirates on KDKA in Pittsburgh (or East Pittsburgh at the time).

Red Barber in the "Catbird Seat" in Brooklyn, USA (ignore the TV cameras)

It's also cool to be calling the game from the "Catbird Seat" in Brooklyn, so named in honor of Red Barber's perch at Ebbets Field. There was another redhead who worked in Brooklyn. I wonder what happened to him?

I'm hoping you'll all tune in and that everyone loves the broadcast.

Sports on the air -- baseball on the radio -- means so much to me (obviously). It's been the soundtrack to a lot of things in my life. It's also been something I've studied extensively.

So I knew I needed to be on the air on Aug 5. I had resigned myself -- mostly due to COVID -- to doing "Doubleheader" and going heavy on the history of the business.

I won't quite get to live out my big idea, which was to treat each inning of the broadcast as a decade of baseball on the radio, but I'll compromise on it. My idea was too grandiose, admittedly, where I wanted to make the earlier innings sound a little rawer, with thoughts from a "color commentator" being reserved until the middle of the inning (like it was in the very early days) with no commercials or just commercial reads and lots of static.

Instead, I'll thread in goodies and even some audio if I can.

To that end, I have a question: What is (in your opinion) the best baseball radio call? I realize sometimes it's not easy to tell if it was on the radio or on TV so I'll leave it open and whittle down where necessary.

So, again, I ask: What's the best baseball call (hopefully on the radio)?

It could be Vin's call of the Koufax perfect game? Red Barber calling one of the great moments in the '47 World Series. It could be Roger Maris and his 61st home run (HOLY COW!). It could be anything. Maybe it's something that grabbed you from the minors or high school or college baseball or Little League.

What is it? I'd love to compile a list to talk about on Thursday's broadcast.

Let me know as we plan for the broadcast!

We Don't Really Have It So Tough

My booth in right field at Brunswick. It's the best scenario and I'm content.

I belong to a play-by-play group on Facebook. Mike Hirn, Don Wadewitz, Phil Giubileo, and a few other friends belong to it as well.

I don't contribute a lot, to be honest. I mostly read things.

Which is probably for the best.

There are truly some very well-meaning people in there who want to help their fellow broadcasters and broadcasting enthusiasts.

There are also some great stories that get exchanged.

Then there are others.

Without sharing the whole post, a member wrote yesterday about what he saw as the fundamental differences between high school sports, college sports, and minor league baseball. His rant was pretty basic: stats/lineups readily available in minor leagues, mostly the same at the college level, and high school sports is cluster****.

And there are schools that charge to broadcast.

In theory, it's not wrong (though I've never encountered a school that charges us to broadcast and I wouldn't tolerate it).

Now to the nuts and bolts of this.

I've worked in all three levels. I've done minor league hockey and minor league baseball. I've done D-I, D-II, and D-III sports in college. I've called youth sports and high school sports. I've called corporate league softball games.

I've also been in professional press boxes as well.

I've literally seen it all, and yet I haven't.

I've called games in stands and on flatbed trucks.

In rickety press boxes with flies and yellow jackets.

In an auditorium where I took one window, Sean Kilkelly took another window 100 feet away, and Chris Erway was on the field with a wireless microphone for him to take the call when the action got out of our view.

I've worked hockey and basketball with the view from top to bottom and nearly got into a fight over it.

I've worked in science classrooms and foreign language classrooms.

This is how I called the Babe Ruth tourney last summer. Seriously.

Look at that picture. I looked through chain link fencing, walked as necessary, and coaches would work to keep players away from my line of sight. The listener barely knew, unless I needed to explain why I couldn't see something. As always, I made it work.

While calling a college game, I had to hold a push-button phone to my ear for the entire broadcast because there was no other way. Their phone line couldn't handle the technology I brought with me.

In minor league baseball, I had to hold a cellphone to my ear -- twice (once in Brooklyn, once in Aberdeen). In Hudson Valley, they didn't have enough booths at one time, so Sean Ford and I would stand in a breezeway at the top of the stairs on third base line in the stands.

I've had days where stat packs -- yes, the beloved stat pack -- either didn't show up at all or showed up just before first pitch.

As for lineups, the same has happened. They show up with last names, wrong numbers, and are often right before first pitch.

I've had phone lines taken away as I was on the air.

I've been told to move within minutes of air time.

This has gone on at every level. In every place.

The thing I quickly learned was that there is no nirvana. Each place has its peculiarities.

Tech issues in Bridgeport. A makeshift press box made up of arena seats in Albany. Sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with my analyst and graphics guy at Yale.

I told the story of my most recent Brunswick broadcast here.

And guess what? You learn to suck it up.

Because here's the thing. At the end of the day, the media is near the bottom of the priority list, and to be honest, we should be.

I show up and preach largely staying out of the way. But I also preach common kindness like cleaning up our messes and getting our equipment out of the way. Those small things go a long way.

Athletic directors, coaches, and players, as well as site directors, have literally 100 other things to do.

I adjust and, most of all, have learned to not panic.

Ask Shawn Sailer or AJ Szymanowski or Chris Erway or countless other people who have worked with me. We've seen so much and we adjust. Those who don't are doomed.

If -- for some reason -- I don't have a roster before a game (which is hit or miss in my coverage area), I either get in touch with the coach or an athletic secretary (or the AD) or I get to the game and nose around, depending on the sport.

For baseball, you get a lineup (again, it might be late, but you still get it). For basketball, there's a scorebook. Take a picture of it. For hockey, there's also a scorecard. For football, you make sure you have one before the game unless you want to risk getting a program.

For stats, guess what? They're not the end of the world.

Statistics are lovely. Really, they're great. Greenwich High football has done a remarkable job with live game stats. New Canaan also does that. A few others also. At higher levels, there are real-time stats.

Once again, allow me to let The Master speak:

And for the love of Red Barber, please stop with the "I prep for 10 hours" stuff. First, unless you've built a relationship, coaches aren't going to give you much. I worked with coaches for years and most of them knew they could trust me.

Root around for stories. Stand on the field or court and listen. Go to a tailgate. I get a lot of info there. Parents love to talk.

The biggest problem with broadcasters is that they don't know how to tell stories. They're so hung up on the unnecessary statistic that they don't know how to keep listeners informed and entertained.

So that's my rant. I'm so grateful to do the games that I get to do, and I'm glad I have the experiences to tell the stories that I can tell.

We learn from those stories. With them comes wisdom.

Lists - We Love Them

It's fairly well-known around Exit 55burgh* that I'm a fan of lists. They, as always, make for good discussion and blood-pressure raising. So it was that Carrie passed along a list of lists that were in email she received.

* Which is an exit past that city where James Harrison did something so bad in last night's win over the Browns that even I can't defend. I mean, come on man! This leading with your helmet thing is just bad!

GQ presents the 25 LEAST Influential People Alive! Heck even Bono made this list. Personally I think Chuck Schumer should be on here...oh wait, he inspires me to have near-heart attacks every time I hear him on the radio because some poor reporter needs a friggin sound byte.

Here's The Worst Sentence of 2011, courtesy of The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. You mean it didn't involve the Kardahsian's?

My son would probably enjoy seeing the Ten Weirdest Life-forms of 2011 from National Geographic. Apparently Tim Tebow is not one of them. Oooohhh...bad?

US News and World Reports presents America's Meanest Airlines! No. Shock. Here. Alec Baldwin certainly won't be surprised.

For you book lovers, we have the Best Science Books (Confessions of a Science Librarian), Top Five Book Club Picks (NPR), and the Ten Best Books of 2011 (New York Times).

I've heard The Art of Fielding is fantastic, by the way. Just in case you don't know, I'm sort of, you know, a baseball fan. Even if this isn't really a baseball book - and yet, it is. Just sayin'.

For some reason, Forbes gives us Thailand's 40 Richest. Since I doubt you'll ever see that sentence again here, I had to write it. It's just too funny.

Travel+Leisure presents the World's Best Hotels for 2011. I'm going to be realistic here with y'all. I stayed in the US Grant Hotel in San Diego back in January. I'm fairly certain it was in my top-10, if not top-5 of my lifetime. If things break correctly, I'm going to Charleston in January, and I suspect that hotel may also be in that group. In short, I don't normally stay in the top places. I like nice hotels - but within reason. The Hyatt Place that Carrie and I recently stayed at in Bethlehem, PA was quite cool. Yes...Bethlehem, PA. Via Priceline. Sweet.

So this list - of hotels in Tanzania, South Africa, and other places that aren't exactly on the ol' radar - didn't quite hold it for me. That said, the places are quite interesting.

The 45 Most Powerful Images of 2011 from BuzzFeed. Simply awesome.

I'm just giving you a small sample of the many lists out there. Here are a few more:

Auto Correct is often my biggest enemy. Damn You Auto Correct presents the 25 funniest.

From Pitchfork comes the 25 Worst Album Covers (NSFW). Yep.

Busted Coverage selected the 70 Most Memorable Sports Moments (in photo form).

Courtesy of Draft Magazine comes America's 100 Best Beer Bars. Drink up!

List and Grades gives us the Ten Worst TV Shows.

Well I think we've got the idea here. There's a list for everyone.

And when all else fails, we need more COWBELL! The 12 Most Toptastic Cowbell Rock n' Roll Songs! Even The Beatles made this list, so it's ALL GOOD.

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.)

Atlantic Yards - the "Battle for Brooklyn"

One of these people is the Mayor of New York City.  The other one is Michael Bloomberg, politician.

A new arena is going up in "the BK."  The Atlantic Yards project will become the Barclays Center, and will be the home of the New York whatevers (or the Brooklyn whatevers...the former New Jersey Nets).  Arena Digest has some of the details on the new digs.

They compare and contrast just a touch to how the Nets will handle things, as opposed to the Knicks.  Don't.  Get.  Me.  Started.  On. Them.

(Be positive, Rob...that's what everyone seems to be telling you...be positive...Kumbya, my Lord...)

Anyway, of course building anything in an urban setting means the potential for eminent domain, and this project is no different.  Michael O'Keefe, writing in the New York Daily News, highlights a new documentary that profiles the whole mess.

Queensboro...err...59th Street...um...Ed Koch...um...Bridge

The New York City Council voted 38-12 to rename the Queensboro Bridge in honor of Ed Koch (New York Post).  Moving forward, the structure will be known as the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge.  Of course, there are some who still call it the 59th Street Bridge. 

A complete history of the bridge is available from Steve Anderson's NYC Roads. 
Longtime Channel 4 newsman Gabe Pressman penned an open letter to the former mayor.

It does beg the question: doesn't City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Mayor Michael Bloomberg have ANYTHING better to do?  The answer: of course not!  Why would they?

Of course, the people of Queens asked - correctly - if anyone would co-name the Brooklyn Bridge?  Um...no, of course not (well maybe for that mouthpiece Judge Judy Sheindlin...or maybe not).  But then again, the Queensboro has always had a bit of an identity problem, and really, does it matter if Queens is being dissed?  There's no Bronx Bridge is there?  None of the bridges to and from Staten Island are named for that boro, and who has a worse identity crisis than them?

At least it will be a co-named thing, and most of us will continue to call it the Queensboro Bridge anyway.  As it is, most of us don't refer to the Triborough Bridge by it's new name - the RFK Bridge (another farce).

By the way, I like Ed Koch, one of the most colorful leaders in the history of New York.  I'd just rather see him honored with something else.

In the end, it's all much ado about nothing (and takes the news away from fawning over the death of Elizabeth Taylor - never a favorite of mine).

September 11 Police Footage

It's haunting. No question about it. Nearly 10 years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, a video has come to YouTube that was taken on a New York City Police Helicopter.

The Daily News, and others, have more on why this video has come out now.

I've always been of the belief that I want to see it all.  That's just me.  Jeff Pearlman kind of sums up my feelings.  Like him, I'm riveted.  Unlike him, Sean and I have already discussed September 11th.  He has a vague idea what happened.  He watched a documentary with me.  He seems largely unfazed by it, with no lingering fears.  At the same time, he gets how sad it was, obviously.

I think I said this just recently...ten years.  Wow.  Ten...long...years.  For the most part, New York seems immune.  Life goes on.  Yet on occasion, I find myself walking around Union Square - where so many loved ones came to hang pictures, pray, cry, and hope - and I think about it.  I often glance to lower Manhattan while crossing the Brooklyn Bridge (or on the subway while crossing the Manhattan Bridge) and think about it.  One can't drive the West Side Highway without thinking of it in some way.  So in short, life goes on, but it's always there.

The sounds.  The sirens.  The screams.  The fear.  The images.  The echoes.  They shouldn't be forgotten.

Wednesday's Linky Dinks

Photo - Me, 8/23/2009

I'm quite the Linky Dinks guy lately, aren't I?

I am not a Pitt football "fan" (because a fanatic knows his stuff and I honestly don't right now) but I still like them.  I might rethink that after reading this from Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian via Sports Illustrated.  I would still probably choose college hoops over the NBA but let's not fool ourselves - the players are hardly Boy Scouts.

An interesting new exhibit is ready to roll in April at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  Given my love of history, I'd like to see it.  Boy, am I overdue for a visit.  I haven't been to the Hall since 2004.

Two items from Adam Prince's "Sure, Why Not" blog.  Adam would like to know what we "roadies" think is the "Route 66" of the East.  He offers several suggestions - US 1, US 301, US 29, Dixie Highway and Ocean Highway.  For me (and yes, my comment is registered), I would choose US 301.  While US 1 might seem like the obvious choice, US 301 roars approximately 1100 miles (it should be noted, less than half of US 66) and really doesn't hit the metro areas that US 1 does.  I think there's probably more charm to US 301 than US 1.

In reality, US 301 played a big role on our annual trips to Florida.  In our era as the total family unit (five of us stuffed into a Chevy Impala), 301 was the best way to get from Santee, South Carolina to Ocala, Florida on our way to Tarpon Springs.  Interstate 95 wasn't done yet, so it was 301 for us.  In the later years, (minus my brother and occasionally without my sister), we still needed 301 in Florida - from Baldwin to Ocala (which could be 88 miles of pure torture).

So yes, it's US 301 for me.

Otto Yamamoto (he of the East Coast Hive Mind - not sure I can explain) also contributed to "Sure, Why Not" with his thoughts on some recent trips into New York City.  The good Comrade (again, don't ask) walked around, viewing some of NYC's bridges and more.

I'm continuing to leave the Mets on the "toxic topic" list as I try to figure out how to handle writing about them.  Honestly, I don't pity them (or their fans) but I can't just dump on them...yet.  It's just too easy.  Here's something from Deadspin that isn't all that happy.  So instead I'll give you something better - Jeff Pearlman's article in the Wall Street Journal about their media relations maven Jay Horwitz.

I recently posted WNEW's choices of Fusion 45's top three Rolling Stones songs.  Today, they've gone to a guilty pleasure - Foreigner.  I don't quarrel with their choice of "Feels Like The First Time", which recently exploded into my head for its lyrics.  "Hot Blooded?"  OK, I can see that.  But "I Want to Know What Love Is?"  Are...you...NUTS?  Take that over "Cold as Ice" or "Juke Box Hero" or "Urgent" or, hell, ANYTHING ELSE?  Wow.  Simply put.  Wow.

Oh, and Mark Teixeira split from Scott Boras (Peter Botte - Blogging the Bombers).  For whatever that is worth.  I know he's good at his job, but I still think Scott Boras is the most evil man in baseball.

Speaking of negotiations and such, news flash to Emperor Goodell and the NFL: Fix.  This.  Now.

Pure, Totally Rad Awesomeness

Dear God I love the 80's.  The music, the looks, the sports (OK neither the Steelers or Yankees blessed us with a title during that decade, but nothing was perfect), the movies.

Times Square was still gross.  We had ALF.  Bueller!  We had this women who acted kind of like that Lady Gaga person, and her music wasn't terrible.

So in a world where Brooklyn holds their own Phil Collins Day parade (what???), it seems necessary to bring you this goodness...behold!


Now despite the "Back to the Future" reference, I'm not sure I saw anything dedicated to the decade's single greatest artist.  No, not that Thriller guy.  THESE GUYS...

Come on!  SOMEBODY could have dipped their head in some ice cubes!

A Great Day (and Night) of Hockey

This guy knew a thing or two over 57 years about public address announcing...

Yesterday was a hockey double-header for me.  It started at the Dorothy Hamill Rink, where I was to provide live updates for the Greenwich/St. Joe's boys' game.  It ended at Madison Square Garden, with the Rangers and Kings.

Yes, I said "updates."  No play-by-play.  Of course that never pleases me, but I can only do what I am assigned to do.  As such, one door closed and another one opened...

I was speaking with Dave Fierro, a friend and a staff writer at the Greenwich Time, who was also there to cover the game, when Lou, a Hamill Rink staffer who would be running the scoreboard, asked who was going to be the official scorer.  At the same time, we lamented that there would be no public address announcer.  For once, I spoke up...

"I'll do it if you want."

A few minutes later, I had a microphone in my hand.

It was a blast.  While we didn't do player introductions or the National Anthem, I announced all of the penalties, goals (a 5-3 St. Joe's win), and other pertinent information, including the 50-50 raffle.

I would do it again in a heart beat.  Being down that close gave me a whole different look at the sport.  The pure speed and beauty were on display.  For me, as the one who has reported the news to "the masses" for so long now, it was still a little intimidating to be doing so to the 100 or so assembled in the rink.  My style - not shockingly - was to not be a screamer.  Keep it simple.  Announce the goal, maybe inflect a little more so for Greenwich, and stay out of the way.

Oh, and maybe work in a shameless plug or two for our broadcasts on WGCH.

It also gave me a new perspective on the job of a PA announcer.  It's not completely easy, but with some organization, it can get easy.  I listened to each thing that the officials told me and made notes to repeat to the crowd.  I made sure it was all prepared.  Then I spoke.

"Cardinal goal, scored by number 15, Eric...Macken.  With an assist to number 23, Oscar...Ladd.  Time of the goal: 13:04.  That's Macken, from Ladd, at 13:04."

I got a few compliments as I left the rink.  Not bad for my first time as a varsity public address announcer.  Plus my name is on the official scoresheet from the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference.

From there, I jumped on a train at Port Chester and met up with Carrie two blocks away from the World's Most Famous Arena.  We had a nice dinner of appetizers across the street from the Garden and saw a fun game between the Rangers and the LA Kings.  The Rangers got a shootout victory, winning 4-3 (2-1 in the shootout).  Honestly, I'd debate if they deserved the win because every time they stepped up, the Kings came right back and The King allowed a few "cheapies."  Yet they should have won in regulation.

Those in charge of the three stars of the game had the smarts to not be swayed by Hank getting his 200th career victory (a mere 400 or so behind Martin Brodeur), instead going with Dustin Brown (3rd - two goals), Marian Gaborik (2nd - a goal), and Ryan Callahan (1st - one goal, two assists and played his heart out.  He will be the captain, sooner if not later).

My friend The Graying Mantis wrote about the game at The Dark Ranger.

I enjoyed the Rangers game, one of the better ones I've been at, but that was enhanced so much more by the fun I had with Carrie.  We seem to be coming together and getting closer all the time - and understanding each other so well.  Mostly, we spent the night laughing, which is something that we both need to do. 

We'd like to personally thank the couple sitting behind us for the entertainment that they provided.  Let's just say that the topic was things that are emotional and unemotional between two adults. 

And lies. 

Not really something you want to battle about at Madison Square Garden, complete with meltdowns, tears, accusations, and more.  It was good stuff - so long as it's not you.  A perfect train wreck that we couldn't stop listening to.

We laughed about it (and more) all the way back to Brooklyn and all throughout today.

Give me that kind of night any time.

Sitting in a Cafe

Live from a bagel shop/coffee shop/whatever in Brooklyn, NY, this is Exit 55's Off the Bench!

Nothing like a high priced trendy little place to grab a bite and get online.  Actually, I'm enjoying a cup of their house blend coffee for $1.95.  Not too bad.

Places like this can be great for people watching, getting out of cabin fever, and hearing some good music.  That is, depending on what their rotation is.  The first time I sat here, it was a great mix.  Last time wasn't so solid.  Today?  Bingo!

Zero 7...Death Cab for Cutie...Arcade Fire...nice background tunes.  Maybe a little too deep or electronic for some, but for me, perfect.  They're all on my iPod or in my collection somewhere.

Redskins owner Dan Snyder is mighty annoyed with a Washington writer.  And?  Dan, really?  Sticks and stones and all that jazz.

Now it's Smashing Pumpkins on the ol' sound system.  So maybe this seems stereotypical but it's OK.  I'm liking it.

As is often the case, Off the Bench is going to morph towards Linky Dinks.  All good, I guess.

I was just reading one take on how Ben Roethlisberger can't win even if he doesn't win his third Super Bowl ring.  I couldn't agree more.  No matter what, the Steelers are the guys in the black helmets.  Big Ben and James Harrison are the clear cut bad guys.  Most of my own family is rooting for the Packers because A) the black and gold beat the J-E-T-S and B) because they've made their own judgement of Roethlisberger.

To me, Big Ben has done all of the right things.  All of the things I said he needed to do.  Apologize.  Be contrite.  Then play his ass off.  I don't care what his numbers were in the AFC Championship, he outplayed Mark Sanchez with the combination of his arm and legs, and made the plays that needed to be made.

I'm still saying the Packers are going to win, but it will hurt like hell come Sunday night.

I know they get something out of it for tying in regulation, but last night's shootout loss to the Penguins by the Rangers left a really sour taste in my buds.  Down 2-0, they came back and tied it up...then promptly lost the lead.  Yet they tied it again, then lost in the SO.  That was a Penguins team without Evgeni Malkin and some kid named Crosby, among others.  I see it as a blown chance.

I wrote the other day about the demise of the peacock at NBC, but as of this morning, I'm still seeing it.

Memo to Egypt: protest is good.  Civil disobedience and violence?  Bad.  Sadly, that's why your voices are being heard all around the world.  Enough that Brian Williams (he of the still-peacocked NBC) is there.  With Lester Holt.

Charlie Sheen?  Bad.  Very bad.

Time for some "Bittersweet Symphony" here in the ol' cafe.

I can't resist the urge to post another Jeff Pearlman post.  Damn you, Jeff!  He writes for Sports Illustrated about one of the tougher, more gut wrenching sports losses for me.  Cowboys 27, Steelers 17...Super Bowl XXX.

I warned one and all - I didn't expect the Steelers to win, but if it's a close game and under five minutes to go, lock me up.  It was there.  It didn't happen.

Yet the sun came up the next morning.

You don't think a Yankees/Steelers fan doesn't ache?  You're wrong.

One more Pearlman item, talking about how he feels to see something in print.  I get it.  He's written for over 20 years.  I've been a broadcaster for over 20 years.  I still feel a huge rush of pride and excitement when I hear my voice.  Latest example?  Charlie Pennella - brilliant videographer for some of Greenwich High Schools' sports teams, put my audio all over the 2010 football highlights video.  Way.  Cool.

(By the way, Pearlman also often uses webcam pictures of himself.  What can I tell you?  Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I think our blogs are quite similar, yet I've never actively tried to "rip him off.")

I saw "Man v. Food" guy Adam Richman was at the Garden last night for the Rangers game.  I was somewhat dismissive of that silliness at first, but his show is great.  It's become a staple of Carrie and Rob's TV life (and we don't really watch a lot of TV).  In fact, it's helped make me reach for the Travel Channel everytime I put the TV on.

Anthony Bourdain rocks also.  And I still like Samantha Brown - and have for years.  Andrew Zimmern seems like a nice guy but what he eats is a little too, oh I don't know.

I think Kenn Tomasch, while often so bitingly honest, is brilliant.  He totally gets it, and is completely correct.  He also had the class to not call me out when I misprounced a name during an interview with him.

Just saw where Steven A. Smith is back at ESPN.  I don't get it.

Sort of on that same topic, no matter my criticism of him, I hear Stuart Scott is a good dude.  I also read that he is battling cancer.  Best of luck to him.  Beat it - and fast.

Oasis - "Wonderwall."  Predictable?  Yes.  I still like it.

Ready for that big Black Eyed Peas halftime show, where the biggest question is how naked Fergie will be?  Yeah, me neither.  Over at Wolfgangs Vault, they tease us with some thoughts and videos of recent haltime shows.  They're completely wrong about Prince, who completely sucked, but Springsteen rocked.  So did Tom Petty...and Paul McCartney...and U2...

Let me say that again.  Prince sucked.  Ugh.

I have no idea what is playing in here now.

More Snow Troubles

Via this post on the Ditmas Park Blog comes links to reports in the New York Post and the Daily News.

If, as it says in the Post, there was a budget protest, then somebody – perhaps a LOT of people – need to be held accountable.  That is plain unacceptable.  In fact, screw it – fire them.  There are people who need jobs and ass hats like this need to be gone.

And they can dig into their pockets to pay forty bucks for the dig out that we had to pay on Tuesday.

Both reports continue to show what a mess the whole situation is.

Snowbound – the Day After

I’m back in the cozy confines of the 8-4-5.  We still have plenty of snow here, but there’s also a patch of grass to be found in the back yard, right near the shingles that blew off the shed.  The area of bare ground is a result of the drifting, blowing, and the sun as well, along with some temperatures that ventured beyond freezing.

Yet, back in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island…things remain a mess.  A day later, there are two large regrets:

1) That I ever turned off of Ocean Parkway in the first place (I thought it would be OK, and simply didn’t know how bad it was ahead), and

2) That we never took pictures of the experience.  I had my camera with me!

Anyway, I read a stunning and largely scathing portrayal of Mayor Snowberg’s reaction to this situation in the New York Times, by Michael Powell.  Mr. Powell, it turns out, is from the Ditmas Park area as well, so he knows first hand exactly what it was like for Carrie, and the Adams’s of the suburbs.  The Ditmas Park Blog also linked to the story.  I found the comments to be most interesting and largely devoid of the idiocy that comments can normally have.

Friends who have lived in New York City for years (or those who used to live there) say that it’s always been like this.  Manhattan gets cleaned and the outer boroughs are told “fuhgeddaboudit.”  Others say they can’t ever remember it being this bad.  Some said last February’s storm worse than this one and that the City recovered much quicker.

I’m not compelled to debate with anyone about it.  The simple bottom line is that it’s bad.  The media is all over the mayor.  The people are up in arms.

And now, people are dying (New York Daily News).  A baby is dead before it ever had a chance, because emergency services couldn’t get to her mother.  Simply wow.

Yet Mayor Broadwayberg says New Yorkers should go to a show!  Hey!  Let’s see if more people get maimed or die during another performance of the Spiderman fiasco!  WAAHHOO!!

All along, the Sanitation Department is ready for the Times Square orgy!

Again.  WAHOO!

Side note: Said it before.  Say it again.  I want the old Crossroads of the World back.  I don’t want the manufactured New Year’s Eve.  I want a younger, healthier, understandable Dick Clark, perched outside (though no Guy Lombardo…holy crap I don’t like that freaking song).  I don’t want Seacrest, and apparently that’s the only night Carson Daly works anymore.  Clearly, I don’t want him either.  And I want Howard Johnson’s back in Times Square (clams and the daily double of two hot dogs!). 

Perhaps with some of this, I wouldn’t dislike it so much.  Ah, but I’ll be with Carrie (hopefully – if I can get to her), so it should be much better.  I’ve tried to have a better attitude about it.  Still, I don’t do the trappings of the night (the hats and so on).  I eat.  I drink.  I prefer to watch movies and laugh and not see Times Square.  But times change, and maybe, with two enjoyable NYE’s in a row (last year with Mick and Gretchen at Tom and Sharon’s), I can begin to not hold the dread for the night that I normally have.

OK, way off the beaten path.

Word is some of the subways are running again.  Plows are still doing their thing, and maybe they’re getting to some side streets.  Temps are supposed to rise.

We can only hope.

Snow…Stunning…Bloomberg/NYC=FAIL

(Photo courtesy ShiaHD on this page, with video available.)

New York City.  The city that never sleeps.  Surely, a major snowstorm…a blizzard…wouldn’t be enough to strangle the Big Apple.  Right?

RIGHT?!

WRONG.  Big time.

The big Christmas whopper of a storm (New York Daily News) struck while Carrie and I were near Albany, visiting her mom, brother, and niece.  We watched the snow fall, and had a largely uneventful drive back, despite some 10 inches or so.  We got up this morning and began the trip back into Brooklyn.  Sean and my mom came along for the ride.  All was well – the Taconic, the Sprain, the Cross County – all pretty good.  We hit some traffic on the Deegan near the George Washington Bridge (what a shock!).  Getting into Manhattan and shooting down the FDR Drive, and across the Brooklyn Bridge was easy – better than usual.

Brooklyn was OK, though some lanes on the BQE just mysteriously disappeared.  Yet overall, all went well.
Then I turned onto a side street.  This thoroughfare, one that I use very frequently, was, in short, a total clusterf*%k.

You want pictures?  You want to see how bad this area was?  Check out the good people over at the Ditmas Park Blog.  Some great shots are here and here (and there’s a lot of coverage of the storm).  But specifically, have a look at this post, with a picture of a bus that brought everything to a stop.

Including us.

I went forward…backwards…and repeated.  I did everything I could to move us.

We were stuck.  I had visions of abandoning the car, just as many others – TOO many others – had done.  I didn’t want to consider what that would entail.

Fortunately, a few enterprising guys walked by, and asked me if I needed help…for a price.

Gladly.

It took an hour – probably more.  These three guys (I never got their names), worked feverishly; digging, pushing, strategizing.  It took enough to get us back to the nearest corner and turn me around.  The only thing to do was to get us back to Ocean Parkway – which was clear, save for the cars parked in the center turning lanes(!).

A Russian gentleman (I’m basing it on the language he was speaking) rooted us on and gave me driving instructions.  A shopkeeper watched and smiled, as did others.  In some ways, we became a fascination of sorts (a celebrity, as our saviors thought I looked like one).

We had to dodge parked cars – including those in the middle of the road.  We had to dodge shovels stuck in the road, trying to dig a mini van out.  We had to dodge people, standing the in the road.

Eventually, we were free, and I waved and honked the horn with a mix of relief and joy.  I was able to work around that street and get Carrie within a block of the warmth and happiness of her apartment.

Sean, Mom, and I escaped from New York.

I think, largely thanks to the good humor and companionship of my passengers (who were amazingly patient), and the nature of the guys who worked so hard to free us, that my rage isn’t over the top.

But ho…lee…crap.  Trains aren’t running.  Buses are stuck.  Side roads are a nightmare.  Emergency vehicles can’t get through.  Parts of Brooklyn and Queens are literally paralyzed.

Yet…YET…effing Times Square is getting cleaned up for Friday night.  Are you kidding me?  Is that where the priorities are?  Who the hell cares about the million idiots watching an orb?

Clearly, Michael Bloomberg and business people do.  But they don’t even remotely care about the outer boroughs.  The regular folks.

Must not be an election year.  Oh that’s right, the mayor was just reelected.  How convenient.

I literally just heard one of Mayor Bloomberg’s henchmen (Joseph F. Bruno, commissioner of the New York City Office of Emergency Management) saying that the storm wasn’t predicted to be so bad.  Is he an idiot?  I was up near Albany, watching The Weather Channel, and Carrie and I could both see that NYC was going to get HAMMERED!

This is an embarrassment of huge proportions to New York City.  Oh Times Square will be just fine.  It’s the rest of the City that is a mess.  A forgotten mess.

Fifity Years Ago Today: The Park Slope Plane Crash

My thanks to The Graying Mantis of The Dark Ranger for posting a link to an interesting series of articles about the collision of two planes over the skies of New York City on December 16, 1960.

Start here to get an understanding of the tragedy.   Eventually, move forward to learn the story of Stephen Baltz, who had New York in his grip for a day as the sole survivor, only to pass away.

I've driven through this area, and haven't paid it much mind.  Park Slope in 2010 isn't quite what it was in 1960, as it was described as being a fairly rough area.  It's much better now, and I will be sure to look more closely next time I'm there.

This video includes images from that day, along with audio that was broadcast on WNYC Radio.


I can't even imagine what it must have been like, nor do I think I want to.

A search produced some YouTube videos.  This one is a news-style report, with details of the Park Slope fire, as well as a fire at the Brooklyn Naval Yard.

The Brooklyn New Yorkers?

This can't be real.  It has to be a joke.

Kelly Dwyer writes on Ball Don't Lie at Yahoo! that the New Jersey Nets might become the Brooklyn New Yorkers.  They even have a potential logo, looking like graffiti, which just looks stupid.

Sorry, folks, there was a time when graffiti was, you know, sort-of, kind-of, perhaps cool.  An art form.

That was in 1983 or so, when New York City wasn't the most safe, pleasant place.  So by comparison to the hookers, porn shops, and needles around Times Square, graffiti was positively cultured!

Not now.  Haysooz Cristo (that's "Jesus Christ" for the uninitiated) but it's big-time unsightly.  It's all over the Manhattan Bridge (which is an incredibly cool structure, though nothing compared to the nearby Brookyln Bridge) and it bugs me every time I see it.

Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked.  Brooklyn is also so fierce about saying that they're "NOT" Noo Yawkas.  They're from Brooklyn and with that comes their own form of arrogance civic pride.

Jay-Z and company should come up with something else, because this doesn't cut it for me.