The Colorado Tragedy

Instead of writing inane posts about Cape Cod (I will, eventually, and they won't be inane), or bitching about clueless people (and other moaning), allow me to send you to this link from Deadspin, with news of the first "name" to come out of this mornings shooting in Colorado.

Her pen name was Jessica Redfield (given name Jessica Ghawi), and she wanted to be a sports broadcaster.  As her Twitter page said, she was "Southern.  Sarcastic.  Sass.Crass.Class."  And all she wanted to do was go see the new movie in the "Batman" franchise.

And now she is dead, along with (as of this writing) 11 other people, and dozens more injured (the number was said to be 50).  Included in the injured are an infant and another youngster, said to be six.  I'm just working off of what I've heard so far, and we can debate why such young children were at a violent movie, being shown at midnight, but I don't think we're here to have that discussion.

This is sick.  Sad.  Pathetic.

And now we have a face to put with the tragedy. 

More will follow.

Back to Reality

I literally have about two minutes to say that I'm back from a great week on Cape Cod.  Sadly, I have to go straight from this to work.  Lisa is already working, and both of us aren't exactly feeling our best this morning, likely the work of either rogue pizza, or a bad cupcake that we bought before leaving the Cape.  Whatever.  Makes returning all the more painful.

Anywho, I will dazzle (or bore you) with stories from the trip when time allows.  I'll also be back in the power chair on "The Press Box" tonight.

Oh what I would give to be back on that beach above (Coast Guard Beach - nice place).  But duty calls.

Sigh.

What's not "Breaking" and Other Linky Dinks

A few random thoughts as I wait to begin my vacation...

I've belonged to a couple of text distribution lists for so-called "breaking news."  Specifically, ESPN, LoHud (the Journal News) and CBS-New York.

Folks need to go back to the drawing board to figure out what's breaking.  Edward R. Murrow is spinning in his grave.

See, here's the thing.  With ESPN, they're going to give you stuff that is related to them at the Worldwide Leader.  For instance, they'll let you know that a soccer quarterfinal is starting on their airwaves in about 20 minutes (yawwwwNNNNNNN...ZZZZZzzzzzzzz).  Or Wimbledon, which they now air.  On the plus side, they'll also send you final scores of your teams and other such stuff.  But quite often their version of breaking news is lame.

That leads me to LoHud.  Oh boy, I can't wait for another text on whether or not alcohol was found in the body of the ex-wife of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  Or an accident on the Hutch (somewhat useful, I would say). 

I guess I'm from a different era.  The mere sound of the "breaking news" stinger theme interrupting a show could - and still does - reduce me to chills.  What could be happening?  Something related to the President?  Our safety?  What?

And then...nothing.

Listen to the NBC theme music that begins this montage.  Yikes.


The rest of the montage is interesting as well.

We know the deal: networks (and newspapers and tv and radio stations) are all out to be the one to break a story.  But my god, make sure it's legit!  My old News Director at WGCH, Jim Thompson, had a couple of carts (like 8 track tapes) lined up.  They had varying degrees of audio on them, including "special report" and "BULLETIN" (which was only to be used in case of war or something severe).

Anyway, I'm rambling.  Bottom line, I've backed off of those text lists.  I was able to change what I receive.  We'll see how it goes.

Elsewhere...Behind the Steel Curtain wishes a happy 79th birthday to the Pittsburgh Steelers, founded on this day in 1933.

Look at the clown in the red Red Sox jersey at the top of this post from Chad Jennings on the LoHud Yankees blog.  The Sox have yet to beat the Yankees this year (though they did win that game last night) and this moron is giving it to Phil Hughes.  Says a lot about fans, doesn't it?  Not just in Boston, but Philly, New York, and elsewhere.  Sadly, a lot of bad fans are out there.

I mentioned my friend Gretchen, who just celebrated her 10th wedding anniversary with her husband Michael.  She put up a bunch of pictures from their wedding in front of the Grand Tetons in Wyoming.  Scroll down for a group shot that includes a lady holding a four-month baby named Sean, and Sean's dad.  Flashback!

I'm happy that the Renegades are back on the radio, as they have landed on WKIP in Poughkeepsie.  Ken McMillan has the news.

And there's bridge work going on in Richmond.  Who better to document it from an historical point of view than Jon?

OK, time to hit the road!  See ya!

Still Hip to Be Huey

Happy birthday to one of music's good guys, and leader of one of our underrated bands:

Huey Lewis.

I need say no more.  We need music.  But first, how about a movie reference (big weenies won't let me embed it)?

So I Was Listening to Baseball Today

Maybe Chuck Costello, friend of "Exit 55", will be the only one to enjoy this post, but I've got to get this off my chest.

I had to work today, on the Fourth of July.  It's all good - I didn't have Sean today, and Lisa also had to work (such is the life of a nurse).  Nor did I have any parties to go to.  So yeah, I was OK with working.

I was in the car as the Yankees and Rays were getting underway.  Happy to take advantage of my SiriusXM subscription, I went to the proper channel, expecting to hear the Tampa Bay feed (as satellite radio normally provides the home teams audio).  Instead, it was from ESPN Radio, featuring Jon Sciambi with the play-by-play, and Chris Singleton doing color.

And once again, I ask: why are talented announcers getting passed over for this?

My problem, to be specific, is with Sciambi, who has a big-time gig with ESPN, and was with the Braves and Marlins before that. I mean, he is fine in a bland kind of way, but his call, to be blunt, is lazy, and it's not the first time I've noticed it.  His play-by-play would be OK, perhaps, if he was on TV.  But I'm not sure I need to tell him that he's...on...THE RADIO!  As such, radio means description.  A sample for you:

"Price winds and fires to Swisher for a called strike.  Oh and one."

Well, thanks for that.  Let's go through baseball play-by-play 101, friends.  What kind of pitch was it?  Fastball?  Curve?  Change?  Slider?  Cutter?  And where was the pitch located?  Outside?  Inside?  At the knees?  On the corner?

And so it went.  I normally enjoy listening to other broadcasters instead of the dynamic duo of John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WCBS, but I couldn't take it.  This broadcast was boring, lacked flavor, and as I've already discussed, lacked detail.  In fact, it relied way too much on statistics, and not enough on story telling - at the very heart of baseball broadcasting.

So I switched off to the much maligned Yankees broadcast team of Sterling and Waldman.  Say what you want about Jon (and you all have), but John can at least give you this:

"Nick Swisher leads off and Price fires a fastball strike at the knees.  Oh and One to Swisher, who struck out his first time."

To be clear, these are paraphrases of what both Sciambi and Sterling said on the air, but I think my point is clear.

Selfishly, moments like this make me not only miss doing play-by-play, but angry that I'm not doing play-by-play.

And Chris Berman gets to call a Monday Night Football game this year?  Seriously, the mind explodes.

OK, we return you now to whatever hideously overproduced televised fireworks display you might be watching.

Beary Scary

After enjoying a delightful dinner of sausage and peppers (of course, I always go sans peppers and onions) with a marinara sauce (AWESOME IDEA, DAWN!), Lisa and I enjoyed some laughs with our fellow campers before retiring.  It had been a long day for me, so I was perfectly content to sleep.  We retired to our tent and I went off into dreamland - albeit not a perfect night's sleep.

I had heard of bears strolling through the area - a standard camping concern.  Personally I prefer my bears to look like Yogi...or these...

Lisa wasn't sleeping well that night.  As for me, I drifted in and out.  Around 2:30 or so, I was brought to life by the sound of Lisa, who shot up and exclaimed: "THERE'S SOMETHING OUT THERE!"

Now, let me be clear.  This was not said in an excited whisper.  It was enough to pierce the silence of the night at a campground.  She was clearly excited and scared.  I did what I could to calm her down but the reality was that I had not heard a thing.  She swore - definitively - that she heard the growl of a bear, and the rustling of items just outside our tent.  Indeed there was a garbage bag outside - but it did NOT have any food in it.

So began our long nightmare.  Lisa, gripped with fear, held onto me for the next 45 minutes or so.  This brought on a case of the shakes in my entire body that I have never experienced - not because I thought we were going to get mauled, but because I needed to move!

We talked in very soft whispers: "Do you hear that?"  "What was that?"  "Please don't move!"  "Is it gone?" And so it went.

Finally, we heard what was definitely a bear growl, but it was off in the distance.  That began the dialogue about our next steps.  Keep in mind, our tent window was mostly zipped shut.  But then a light appeared.  HALLELUJAH! I thought to myself.  Somebody has come out to check on things - all is fine!

I don't think Lisa saw it that way.  For the first time, I saw anger, not fear.  She unzipped the tent and snarled as she shined her flashlight outside.  She blasted a verbal haymaker out the window at our unwelcome intruder...

Who turned out to be Jimi, the boyfriend of Lisa's friend Joan*.

Jimi the bear.

*OK, for those who read this post when I first put it up, I had Jimi with the WRONG WOMAN.  For the record, Jimi is NOT with Dawn (whom I originally wrote).  He's with Joan.  I apologize profoundly for the mistake.  Guess the weekend was a little weirder than I thought, or something (sarcasm).

Sigh...

Jimmy, it seems, couldn't sleep, and decided to sit on the picnic table, located just outside of our tent.  He decided to pass on telling us he was out there when Lisa popped up in fear.  It seems that, at that moment, he was looking for the bear that he also heard in the distance.

Bears at places like this have no interest in getting "medieval" on humans unless we threaten them.  To be sure, that is why I never felt nervous about the situation.  Had there really been a bear on our site, he would have rooted around for some deliciousness and headed elsewhere.

I didn't think there was any way that I would get any more sleep that night, as it was now after four, but as things calmed down, I crashed with thoughts of friendly bears dancing in my head...

Dictionary Definition

As someone who enjoys writing, I also like words.  I don't think I'll ever have the widest vocabulary ever, but I do enjoy trying to use different terms.

Last week, while camping, we played a couple of those campfire-types of games.  Specifically we played things that involved words.  I don't remember each of the words I used, and trust me, not all of them were: A) fancy words and B) suitable for print.  But I do remember one that absolutely had my fellow campers scratching their heads:

Pedantic.

Let's head to dictionary.com for this one!

pe·dan·tic

 [puh-dan-tik] 

adjective

1.

ostentatious in one's learning.

2.

overly concerned with minute details or formalisms, especially in teaching.

So it is fair to say that my writing here could possibly be construed as being pedantic.  That is all.

I Came Home to This

Last week, Sean and I went to GlenArbor Golf Club in Bedford Hills so that I could perform my duties as producer/engineer/third wheel on "The Clubhouse", a golf/sports talk show hosted by Brian Crowell and Mark Jeffers.  Sean was amazed by the beauty of a country club, and had the chance to ride in a golf cart.  Believe me, this was exciting stuff.

He also ran around the grounds and came across three wayward golf balls.  He proudly took his new possessions home with him.

Move forward to Friday, the day when Sean was to go back to his mother.  I had to get an early start to drive up to the campground to meet Lisa, which meant leaving Sean with my mom for a few hours.  Trust me, saying good-bye to him always leaves me in a state of sadness.

I finally returned home yesterday and found, among my mail, one of the golf balls, with a note - written by Sean on a blue Post-it note.  It said:

"Hi Daddy.  Sorry I'm not here to give you the golf ball but Mommy has one and I have one so we're never too far apart.  Love, Sean"

All I could do was smile.  He's an amazing kid.

The Big Hike

It was just a few weeks ago that Lisa and I did our big Kaaterskill Falls hike.  At that time, Lisa knew she would be back in the area to go camping with friends, and I was invited to go along.  We drove up separately and met at the North South Lake Campground in The Catskills to hang out with her friends Dawn, Mike, Joan, and Jimmy.

Good times.

I've taken to camping much more than perhaps I have ever expected, but let's be clear here: I'll never be a "rough it" type of camper.  Oh no.  This guy needs a shower...running water...creature comforts.  But I never did leave the campsite (which I normally do).  I stayed on the grounds, and enjoyed what it had to offer.

I'm camping with the family in August, and I think that will have wifi and possibly electricity.  I don't apologize for this.  Nor do I apologize for going offsite to do day trips.  But this worked out very nicely.

Everybody did their own thing for the most part at the campsite, which is a good thing when you've got two couples, and six distinctly different people.  That, friends, is a whole different topic.

Lisa and I broke away from the others late Saturday morning to go hiking.  Of course, I mistakenly said "walk" and was informed that we weren't going on just any old walk.  "Walking" implies a nice stroll, or something like that.  "Hiking" implies that my fat arse is getting a workout.

Ah, semantics.  But Lisa and I were on the same page.  I knew that the area had trails that would lead to some amazing views.  I was all for that.  My initial plan was to visit the site of the former Catskill Mountain House, a fairly easy hike that, in reality, was far too short and, really, wouldn't have been very good in the way of getting exercise. (We would do that hike this morning and, to be honest, it paled in comparison to what we did a day earlier).

The suggested hike was to go to North Point.

In theory, it's considered a moderate hike.  At a little under two miles, it's not a "long" walk.  What it does have, is some rocks to climb, and a few steep spots.  For the out of shape (hi!  That's me!) it is a good challenge.

But oh was it worth it.  And a day later, I'm not feeling any pain.  So let's call this a victory.

Plus you get to walk across the cool little bridge (and I think this might be the only picture of Lisa that I'm authorized to post).

There are other highlights, such as small waterfalls, but the streams that we encountered were fairly, if not completely, dry.

Along the way, we met other hikers, and there was a nice spirit of camaraderie. 

But the payoff - the WOW moment - was this, and the pictures (on this hazy day) do not do it justice.

At an elevation of about 3000 feet, North Point offers a view well down towards Poughkeepsie, and up towards Albany - perhaps 70 miles or so.  With the haze, the view was still impressive.

I enjoy the chemistry I have so far with Lisa as we do things like this.  We seemed to move at the same pace, and took breaks where appropriate.  Still, getting back to terra firma was rewarding, and perhaps that's the biggest payoff of all: the sense of accomplishment.

Then again, I wasn't so fond of the feeling of dehydration, but that's my problem, and one that I'll have to do better at for future experiences.

We walked (oops, hiked) for about three hours and 45 minutes, and it was so worth it.

Lisa asked me if it was the highlight of the camping trip for me.  I'm not sure it was the highlight, but it was a highlight.  For me, the highlights included laughing with new friends, eating yummy meals, and spending quality time with Lisa.  In "our house"

It's a very very very fine house (fine house).  Or you can always go the New Wave route (and you can't go wrong with Madness).

Then there was the bear story.  Stay tuned...

Quicky Radio Notes and Some Linky Dinks

I'm proud to say that I was interviewed on the "Louis Live" show on Israel Sports Radio a few hours ago.  I'm not sure if they will podcast it, or preserve it in anyway, but I thought it was fun and insightful.

I love being interviewed (despite how much I don't like questions!) but hey I love covering sports.  It was my pleasure.

Speaking of radio, I'll be with you (well, sort of ) tonight on "The Clubhouse" from GlenArbor Golf Club in Bedford Hills, NY.  Never forget that this is Brian Crowell (of GlenArbor) and Mark Jeffers' show, but I serve my nifty role as producer, engineer, third wheel and Sports Director of WGCH just fine and dandy.  It airs live tonight at 7:00, and we podcast it at the WGCH website.

As an opener to "Linky Dinks", here's a sad post from Ken McMillan.  Sad, only because the Renegades - my Gades - aren't on the radio anymore.  Yes, it's not uncommon for teams to be online, but I always enjoyed being able to put the game on the "wireless" to check in when I wasn't calling a game.  Life moves on.

Plus I miss calling baseball.  Miss it terribly.

News to me...CC Sabathia is going on the DL (Chad Jennings, LoHud Yankees Blog).

Also, I like that the Yankees do their HOPE Week, and it is so nice to see players grabbing the spirit of doing good in the community.  But...I sometimes wish it wasn't so public.  The Yankees' work after 9/11 was done very much under the radar (which George Steinbrenner was a big fan of - he didn't like that kind of publicity).  The Mets, conversely, were very out in the open.  Neither is wrong,  but there's something nice about doing things without the credit.  Still, kudos to the team for such great work.

Chad Jennings has the details of a terrible job by umpire Mike DiMuro, and a sufficient acting job by DeWayne Wise, along with other notes from last night's Bombers win.  None of this has convinced me that this team can win a World Series.

Last note from Chad.  Sunday is Old Timers' Day at the Stadium.  I'm most likely not going as I'm probably heading for some camping in the Catskills, not too far from Kaaterskill Falls with the lovely Lisa and friends, but Chad has the list of attendees for the annually gathering in The Bronx.  Of course, my new "friend" Kay Murcer will be there. 

Chris Berman and Trent Dilfer.  Together.  Calling an NFL game.  Budding broadcasters (and our ears) everywhere weep. (Sports Media Journal)

Not long ago I talked about my enjoyable night at Tropicana Field.  According to Deadspin, it appears that a stray bullet pierced The Trop recently.

Ten years ago this week I was in Wyoming for the marriage of my former brother-in-law to his lovely Gretchen.  Ten years later, they're living in Washington state and have two beautiful children (Eleanor and George).  Both kids have strong resemblances to Michael's family, and I see a lot of Sean's mom in Eleanor who - gasp! - turned FIVE last week).  I guess, with the divorce, I'm not really their family anymore (one of the saddest byproducts of relationships ending), but I still read Gretchen's blog that she updates.  Her writing is fun and witty, and the pictures are cute.  It's a great way to stay in touch with family 3000 miles away.  Recently, Gretchen sped right on by post number 1000.  Congratulations to them, and here's to thousands more!

Love him or not (you know how I feel), I'm pretty confident that sports talk would not have succeeded without one Mr. John Donald Imus (in the morning).  Jeff Smulyan, founder of WFAN (celebrating 25 years) tells Ed Sherman, "I can’t minimize his impact."

Jeff Pearlman is seeing what I see.  This song is everywhere.  There are countless parodies out there!

Loss

"The Three Amigos" - courtesy of Harold

Every day we deal with death.  Every.  Single.  Day.  From the people we've never met to the stories we read and hear to loved ones and acquaintances.  It happens.

In the past week, I've been personally connected to three deaths.  Yeah yeah yeah, the whole "it comes in threes" thing.  I'm sure if we looked more closely there might be more.  I always thought that concept was fairly random and arbitrary.

My friend Denise told me her Dad wasn't doing well a few weeks ago.  Sadly, he passed last week.  I hurt for Denise, whom I've known for about 20 years.  An old friend of my ex-wife's, Denise was in our wedding.  She and I reconnected on Facebook and I'm pleased to call her a good friend.

Earlier in that week, my old neighbor stopped by to say hello and told me almost matter of factly that his father wasn't doing well.  Our families have lived next to each other for almost 50 years yet I had no clue that he had a stroke back in January.  Sadly that's the way many neighborhoods have become - ours included.  Yet when I saw police cars and other people at their house last week, I knew something was bad.  To be sure, he had passed away that morning at 74.

Then came yesterday.  For reasons I can't - for the life of me - figure out, I felt the urge to reach out to my friend Harold about the health of his mother.  I knew she hadn't been well since roughly December, but had hoped that no news was good news.  Then I noticed both of Harold's sisters, Mary and Betty, had posted pictures of their mother.

And I hoped for the best...

Then I heard a beep.  It was my Facebook alert.  It was Harold.  His mom died yesterday.  For Harold, Tracy, and their kids, it was the fourth death in the span of just three years.  Tracy's mom and dad (both sweet people) had passed away, and their beloved Pembroke Welsh Corgi (and my dear friend), Scrappy died last September.

That's a lot of loss.  Especially for their two kids, the youngest of which is nine.

Those are the three grandparents in the photo at the top of the post.

"They" say that the powers that be (God, Allah, Jesus, Babe Ruth, mmmm...SATAN*??) only give us what we can handle.  Boy I hope that's the truth, because it sometimes seems like it's a bit too much.  Or maybe that's just a pithy way of saying "everything will be OK."

*Please note that I used the "SATAN" reference only so I could bring a little humor to a serious subject, and post a link to Dana Carvey as "The Church Lady."  As for Babe Ruth, well, he's fairly god-like.

As an extended part of their family, I have enjoyed many a BBQ with them.  I knew Tracy's parents, and Harold's mom.  No, I didn't know them well, and only saw Pat last August at a rainy, stormy gathering.  Once a rock of a woman, she wasn't getting around well.  Still it was nice to see her.  You want to talk hockey?  There was a woman - and a family - to talk hockey with.  We're talking a serious Rangers fan.  One who would have clearly loved to call Henrik Lundqvist "Lumberg" or other more salty things.  One who loved her Blueshirts, and reveled in the '94 Cup.  And yet - YET - leave it to her to bring the ultimate contrarian into the world.  Raise her kids in The Bronx and her son would become a Boston Bruins fan.  Sounds natural, right?  Of course, he would have to grow up to...ahem...HATE (yet grudgingly respect, in part for his friend - I hope) the Yankees.

She fought the good fight against the evil that is cancer.  My god, we've done so much - SO MUCH - in the medical field to eradicate various diseases, and stave off the impact of others.  Yet we have so far to go with cancer.

Of course, what this reminds me (and should remind you of) is that life is so precious.  I know, sounds trite and all, but it is true.  Whether we have some kind "closure" or a chance to say good bye, or if it is sudden, the simple truth is people can be here today, and gone tomorrow.  Seriously, I'm not talking rocket science.  It just means that we need to take stock.  I could tell the story of 1989, but I think I take that road too many times and don't want a friend of mine reminding me of retired baseball players and Waffle House syrup.*

*You won't get that joke.  Tim Parry will.

We get mired in too much junk.  Someone once said "love is all you need" (not my favorite tune), but it holds true.  Maybe I'm going in deep here, but the simple truth is that if you love someone, then that's enough.  The foolishness of cutting off people because of things like money, petty arguments, and if John Tortorella is a jackass or not is not worth it.  Life...is...too...short, and then we're gone.

It's just stuff!  Stupid stuff.  The root of all evil!

Harold and his family cherished their time with Pat.  Tracy did the same with her parents.  Denise and her dad.  My neighbors.

May each one of these people rest in peace.  For Pat, may that peace be somewhere along center ice, with a perfect view of Lord Stanley's chalice, and of a tremendous family that she raised.

SPAM ALERT!!

PLEASE READ THIS!

Friends, it appears that one of my email account (rda5512@verizon.net) was hacked into this morning*.  An email saying "Fwd:" went out from me at 11:26 AM to virtually everyone in my address book.  I was able to intercept a bunch of them in my "drafts" folder before they went, but the others were sent away.

I feel terribly about this and apologize for any inconvenience.  Please, please, please do not click on the link in the email.  I have taken what I think are the proper steps on my end to stop this.

Those who know me hopefully recognize that the email is not in my writing style, or they recognize spam when they see it.  Either way, I am rather annoyed at this whole thing.

Ugh.

*Special thanks to my great friend Kelly for calling me and alerting me to this so I could see what was going on.  People who do this really need to find themselves a spot in a dark layer of hell, with a steady loop of Nickelback playing all day.

The Past is Present

Sean just mentioned a Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote cartoon that he saw and liked.  "Lickety Splat", he said it was called.  A quick Google search, and a trip down memory lane.

It even has translations, for our Spanish-speaking audience!


I love that he has embraced the cartoons that were such a big part of my youth (and probably yours as well).

More Bobby Murcer Items

Off of the wonderful interview with Kay Murcer, I became Facebook friends with Bobby Murcer's niece, DeDe Murcer Moffett, who has performed the Star Spangled Banner at Yankee Stadium.  DeDe sent me a quick hello on Facebook, and I was pleased to send her the link to the interview with Kay.  DeDe's website is here.

While moving around the web today, I discovered that Oklahoma Christian University built and dedicated the Bobby Murcer Indoor Athletic Facility on their campus, which has received support from the Yankees.  More on the facility, including a note from Kay Murcer, is here.

There is also a wonderful video embedded on the page.  Allow yourself about 20 minutes to watch it.

Bobby Murcer Memorial Highlight Film from Andrew Patterson on Vimeo.


I really wish there was more video of him as a player, or even as a broadcaster, but I'll always remember this great promo that YES ran.



Incidentally, there is a Bobby Murcer statue - in Oklahoma City.  I still wish the Yankees would do more for a man who brought dignity and pride to that uniform number one that he wore for the prime years of his career.

The Consolation Prize

Henrik Lundqvist won a well-deserved Vezina Trophy last night as the best goalie in the NHL (and likely a few new modeling shoots for GQ and such).  I say "well-deserved" but, to be blunt (and consistent) I wouldn't have voted for him, opting instead for Nashville's Pekka Rinne.  I said this on "The Press Box" and I stand by it.

Not to say Lundqvist didn't earn it.  He was outrageous this year.  But who was seriously going to vote for either Rinne or Jonathan Quick?  This year was tailor made for the "King."

Quick side note: who exactly named Lundqvist "King?"  Man, is there a more over-used nickname?  "King" Felix Hernandez.  Michael Jackson: "King" of Pop.  "King" LeBron James.  Countless monarchs, of course.

And Elvis.  Something tells me it probably should have been retired with him in pop culture.

And then, of course, the LA...wait for it...KINGS won the Stanley Cup.

This is where I began thinking.

Sure, I'm happy for the guy.  Like I said (I think three times now) he deserved it (but people think I don't like the "Monarch", so I'll repeat that I do like him, ok?).  But, just as when A-Rod won the MVP (or Don Mattingly, in 1985), I find myself torn.  It's nice to get the individual award, but it wasn't the ultimate goal.

That belongs to Jonathan Quick, who will gladly stare at his Conn Smythe Trophy and enjoy his day with the Stanley Cup - which is exactly what Lundqvist - hell, all of New York - wanted.

Another side note: God forbid you ever criticize someone.  I've gotten on Joe Girardi a few times, and I've been accused of not liking him (Pat Pickens aside, who was giving me a hard time about it).  Same with Lundqvist.  Sigh.  Side rant over.

As fans, we like to see "our guys", the players we root for, win the hardware.  It still eats at me that both Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera will likely never win the top awards that they once deserved.  Jeter lost two close MVP votes, and Rivera lost out a few times for the Cy Young Award.  And yet ask either of them if they would exchange their five World Series championships (and each has a World Series MVP as well) for the regular season award.

They would laugh at you.

So while we - Rangers fans - puff out our chests over Lundqvists' win, we should also feel angry still that a team that was the top seed in the Eastern Conference had the road open to them to go get Lord Stanley's chalice, and came up short.  It's not like they were the 8th seed who backed in (as the Kings - damn, there's that title again - did).

Lundqvist, he of the Vezina Trophy, played a role (albeit a small one) in that failure.  At the same time, he played a huge role in the very reason that the Rangers were that close to playing in the Stanley Cup Finals.

And such is the bittersweet sentiment of last night.  Still, I congratulate him.

Just in case you think I don't like him.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to watching the Portugal heading into the semi-finals of the EURO tournament.  Or something like that.  Maybe it was just on in the background at the McDonald's in which I'm typing away.  Yeah, that's most likely.  It's time to leave.

This Kid is Done With Fourth Grade

Sean made a Superman shield at Toys R Us in Danbury last Saturday, and was proud to show his work.

It can't be, right?  Why just yesterday he was starting kindergarten.

Nope - that was September, 2007.

Fourth grade ends today.  Summer vacation begins.  We have Cape Cod and camping to look forward to.  Who knows what else?  Hopefully lots of bike riding!

With temps in the high 90's, I might not be jumping on the bicycle today.  Maybe bowling.  Yeah, that sounds a lot cooler.

As a result of Jack Curry (VP of Sales and Marketing) for True Power Sports Performance, I am proudly trying a negative ion bracelet.  Hey - why not?  Jack was on "The Clubhouse" last night, along with members of Mark Jeffers' class from Manhattanville College.  Jack was kind enough to give me a bracelet to try.

And yes, that's TWO DIFFERENT Jack Curry's that I have spoken to in the last few weeks.  Jack Curry from YES was on "The Press Box" recently.  This Jack Curry will be on "The Press Box" as well.

Well, time to go outside.  It's only, what, 97 or so?

The Kay Murcer Interview

Last night on "The Press Box", Kay Murcer joined us (Ryan DeMaria, Chris Erway, and yours truly) for the first half-hour of the show.  She was gracious, funny, charming, and so much more.  It was beyond a thrill to talk to the wife of my boyhood idol - a man who I've discussed countless times on this blog.

I've received some kind words for the interview but, of course, being the tough critic that I am, I found myself wondering if I was a little too much of a fanboy, and too little of a professional broadcaster and interviewer.  I hope - if anything - that I struck the proper balance.  This was meant to be lighthearted and fun, because, honestly, we weren't discussing quantum physics.

There is no doubt in my mind that if we wanted to keep Kay for the entire hour, she would have agreed to stay (and we wanted her to stay, but not overstep things).  It seemed to be fun for her, and I know it was for us.  Believe me, I had lots more that I could have gladly discussed with her ("Skoal Dippin' Man", broadcasting, Mickey Mantle, particular games, and on and on).

Her husband inspired me in many ways.  She is equally inspiring.

Countless thanks goes to Marty Appel, who set the interview up for us.

It was a joy for all of us, and I have uploaded the Kay Murcer interview to my Archive.org page.  The whole show will eventually hit "The Press Box" archive page on WGCH.com.  You can also listen to it right here.

Just an Average Monday

It's June 18th, 2012.  We lost Clarence Clemons a year ago today.  Moment of silence for The Big Man.


Wait.  This is Clarence we're talking about.  Silence won't do.  Music will.  From Live in New York City, here's Badlands.  The sax solo is short, but so powerful.  Very cool, as always.


Thank you.

People born on this day include Lou Brock (wow, he's 73!), my cousin (and budding triathlete) Kris Adams (who was great in yesterday's duathlon in Carmel), and Roger Ebert.

Oh yeah, and James Paul McCartney.  Macca is 70, and we all feel a little bit older.

So we must have a song, right?  Say what you want about his career as a solo artist, the guy could write a great melodies, and could also rock ("Jet" is a great song).  He also wrote the best Bond song ("Live and Let Die").  But for a pure ballad, this is a pretty good one.


And June 18th, 2012 will include a very special interview tonight on "The Press Box."  Kay Murcer, the wife of my boyhood hero Bobby Murcer, will visit us on the phone at 7:05.  There are few interviews that have made me more - what's the word? - anxious.  I'm not sure I'm nervous, but I'm anxious.

So tune in!

On This Father's Day

Sean and his Daddy, 8/23/05 - Yankee Stadium

Tomorrow is Father's Day.  We here around the Exit 55 home office wish all of the dads a happy and healthy day filled with love, laughs, and hugs.  Especially from their kids.

The other day I wrote about how much I don't like being a weekend dad, and I felt I should explain that a little further.  I love - LOVE - being a father.  February 23, 2002 was one of - if not the - best days of my life.  And that's where the sadness and dislike comes in.  I didn't become a father to do it part-time.  We had to do what was done, I guess.
 
I make the most of the time that I do have with him, and everyone tells me how they can see that Sean and I are very close.  I'm so very proud of him, and I know he loves his time with me.

I'm not sure I'm making myself clear on this, but it will have to do.

Happy Father's Day to all.

Field Day at Gayhead Elementary School

That's Sean in the red shirt.

I try - hard - to make anything and everything for Sean.  I've always enjoyed being in the role of involved dad.

Plus, if you didn't know, I really don't like being a "weekend" or "part-time" father.  Detest it.  But it is what it is (and some time with Sean is better than none.  Again, it is what it is.)

So when I have the chance to be at Sean's school for field day, I take it.  No questions asked.

I helped run their home run derby!  I mean, it's like the gods smiled!  Coaching the kids on their swing, laughing with them, goofing with them.  Such fun!

The time went by too fast for my taste, but I had a chance to work with each kid (including Sean), and we made our way back into the gym for some downtime.

And then?  Dancing!

Soon after I saw parents beginning to leave and knew that my cue had come to exit.  Yet there came a surprise.  After saying goodbye to Sean, I began to walk out, and waved to the kids.  One called out my name to wave to me.  Then another.  And soon, kids were running over to high five me.  They would have all made it had one of the teachers not stopped them (spoil sport).  I'm sure I had very little impact on their day.  But they gave me the nicest gift I could imagine.  One that had me smiling all the way back to my car.

In my car, later that day, I had this installed.  Yes, I've joined the world of satellite radio (note the band playing).

I get it.  I'm blessed.  I lose sight of that sometimes when I wallow in the mire.  But still, the smiles and laughter of children (most notably, my own) is so awesome.  And yes, I guess some of it comes from that eternally goofy child in me, who is willing to put a Captain America mask on at Wal Mart just for the sake of a laugh.

Yes, I know.  Horrifying.  Painful.  Terrifying.

But that's just me.

It's a Quarter After One...

...and I just got home.  Well, not really.  I got home from seeing Lady Antebellum at about one this morning, so I'll go with a little literary license on this one.  Then I got up and was off and running by about 6:45.

All worth it.  Oh no, I haven't become some big country music fan, but hey, why not enjoy?  Why not try something outside of the comfort zone?

You might once recall that I saw Lady Antebellum a lifetime ago (well, it feels like that anyway).  Charles, Hillary, and Dave were charming, attractive, talented people, with a great band behind them.  Not much has changed, except for the venue, and a slick, polished show.

Ah, but this was more than just Lady A.  A nice act called Thompson Square opened the show with a short set that had some energy, and big, inflatable lips that looked like boxing gloves and other appendages (just let it go there, friends).  The always cool Kris and Lori went backstage to do a meet and greet along with fellow concert-goers Stacy and Terri.  Shanna and Sabrina joined us later on (I really need a program to know all of these names sometimes).

Following the blowup lips we got Hootie and the Nofish.  Or just Darius Rucker.  Now, to be sure, I would rather never - ever - hear any Hootie and the Blowfish songs again in my life, having gotten my fill back in the 90's (and, trust me, grocery stores play that stuff because it's so sugary-sweet easy to play...which means one can easily get sick of it again).  But...to be fair...I dug hearing Rucker perform a couple of Hootie hits (including a few lines of "Let Her Cry" during the Lady A main set).

But Rucker also chose to end his set with a dedication to the "children of the 80's".  I was psyched.  Lisa was psyched.  Then we heard just one note, and immediately looked at each other and said, in unison: "Purple Rain?"

Sigh...

Me and the Yoga Rock Goddess, as I called her (thanks, Kris, for taking the photo).

Both of the opening acts were fine.  I could have stayed in the parking lot just as easily.  But all good.  Live music is nice.

Bethel Woods (near the site of Woodstock) is a very good place to see a show.  It has that same vibe as any amphitheater with it's lawn section, and comfy covered area.  Our seats were at the very back, in the corner, and if I could make any complaint, it would be that some of the video screens were obstructed.  Such is life.

Oh, and getting out of there is rough.  You get only a mild idea of what it was like to leave Woodstock in 1969! But still, if you don't leave before the end of the show, or move briskly to your vehicle, you are well-advised to stay in the parking lot for a while.

Lady A's set opened with some thumping dance tunes that involved showing the crowd on the video screens, which got people into their seats and fired up (I just sit and laugh - that's just me).  But the house lights dimmed and a video showed the band prepping for the show - nice touch, I thought.  Hillary putting on her makeup (and trademark six-inch heels), Dave tuning his guitar, Charles finding the perfectly too-tight shirt to wear.  Ah, such problems.  Such vanity.

They hit the stage and brought the hits with them.  I still haven't listened to their latest album, Own the Night, but I am familiar with this song, which they performed about midway through the set.


I admit to being a softy, and their songs - their lyrics - strike a nice chord.  As usual, their band was great, and the voices of Hillary, Charles, and the uber-talented Dave blended perfectly.

Of course, having seen them in Central Park in 2010, it felt like I was visiting old friends.  That's how Lady Antebellum connects with their fans.  They came out onto a stage well back into the crowd to do "I Run to You", spent a chunk of the show shaking hands, implored fans to come closer to the stage, and even pulled an adorable girl onstage to sing "American Honey" (and she did sing it!).

I even liked the touch of bringing to the opening acts back onstage for a rousing sing along that included "Black Water" by the Doobie Brothers.  And again, we see how, it's country music, but don't kid yourself.  There's a fine line before it becomes pop, or even rock, as Lady A kicked it up with a rousing version of Aerosmiths' "Sweet Emotion."

Of course, the show ended with "Need You Now."  How could it not?  They rearranged the tune a little bit, but it is still a pretty good song.

So did I walk out of there saying it was the best concert I've ever been to?  Well, no - Huey Lewis, 1987, Madison Square Garden...Bruce Springsteen, 1999, Meadowlands Arena...Paul McCartney, 2009, Citi Field are the Holy Trinity for me, but it was a good show.  Good music.  Great people to be with.  Great atmosphere.  Great food.  Lots and lots of fun on a beautiful night (I can't stress that enough).

It's worth being tired today.

The Great Scully Congratulates a Fellow Broadcaster

Hockey Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Miller has been the voice of the Los Angeles Kings since 1973.  Of course, he had never called a championship, only seeing the Kings visit the Cup Finals once, in 1993.

Now, as the TV "voice", Miller did not actually call the Stanley Cup Finals, as local broadcasters get moved out of the way in favor of the national guys (and, of course, how can one argue with Doc Emrick on the call?).  But the Kings had the smarts to have Miller do a call of Game 6 live (and will produce a DVD or some commemorative item), so that fans can hear their beloved broadcaster describe the magic moment of winning the Stanley Cup for the first time since they joined the NHL in 1967.

Miller visited 710 ESPN Radio in LA, when another famous broadcaster, one who has called a few titles in his life, called in to say hello.

Vin Scully wanted to congratulate his friend, Bob Miller.

That's pure royalty there.  Pardon the pun.

By the way, I've often wondered what the Dodgers would do if they make the World Series.  Scully is much too modest, but if Vin Scully is NOT on a Dodgers World Series broadcast, then something is very wrong.

Kaaterskill Falls on Video

There are plenty of videos of Kaaterskill Falls online.  Here's another one, shot by me.


Lisa shot one also.  If I ever get a copy of it, I'll post that one too.  You can then enjoy making fun of me, as I appear in it.  So yeah, there's that.

One More Old "Press Box" Show

"The Press Box" archives are now back up to date, but they only go back a month, and there are certain shows that I want to retain for posterity (or something like that).  This is one of them - from May 21st.

That would be the day I returned from Florida (which many of you have chided me for - lovingly, of course).  Some of you don't want to hear about it on the air.  Others want less of it on the blog.  Again, half kidding and all.

But I wanted to give lots of shout outs to the good people who I spent time with in the Sunshine State.  We also spoke with Marty Appel on this edition of the show, in which Mr. Appel began setting up the upcoming interview with Kay Murcer.

Of course, we spoke with Marty about Pinstripe Empire.  Go get it today!

So there.  And here's the link.

(Oh, and Ryan DeMaria was also in Florida that same weekend, and lost his voice.  Yep.)

A Few Linky Dinks

 Haven't linked up in a while, so here are a couple for you:

From Jeff Pearlman comes a link to a crazy harsh review of Nickelback.  I concur - quite strongly.  I'd probably rather have "Jack and Diane" on repeat than ever listen to Nickelback.

Hmmm.  Let me think about that one.  Could be a toss up.

Of course, I seem to meet women who either went and saw JC OverplayedCamp, or just like "Springsteen Lite's" music.  Seriously, what is up with that?

But they might also like Lana Del Rey.  And that's not so bad.

Side note: seriously, what was the big deal about LDR on "Saturday Night Live?"  I know I'm late to the party, but after hearing the album (several times - not complaining), I watched her performance of "Video Games" and it was a little uneven, but not the disaster it was made out to be.


Another side note: I made an attempt at getting last-minute tickets to see the aforementioned Lana Del Rey last night in New York (but alas, they were long gone).  When I mentioned it to the birthday girl in question, she was less than thrilled over possibly going to a sporting event.  As such, the TAMPA BAY Rays are now the LANA DEL Reys!

I'm digressing.

There's no question - NONE - that when I get around to discussing the most seriously overplayed songs ever, the little ditty that is "Jack and Diane" will be on the list.  Along with "Stairway", "Hotel California", and a few others.  That list might be too long to count.

From Sean Patrick Bowley comes the official word on the 2012 football schedule!  Yes - I can finally sort of figure out what my fall is going to look like.  That is, assuming I have games to call in 2012 (which means we need sponsors, good people of Greenwich!).  The Cardinals currently have nine games on the docket, but you don't have to be a genius to figure out what game number ten will be (just look at last year's schedule, friends).

PS, congrats to the Greenwich lacrosse team on their state title!  (Thanks to David Fierro at the Greenwich Time)

The canal area of Richmond is absolutely wonderful; a true highlight of a visit to R-VA.  Jon (he of R-VA) posted a "before and after" look at the canal.  Hard to believe people actually disputed doing this.

I'm feeling the need for R-VA.  Love me some Richmond (and Waffle House, and Aunt Sarah's Pancake House, and Krispy Kreme, and Rebecca's home cooking, and a Flying Squirrels game, and...)

Two Old "Press Box" Shows

I'm just playing a little catch-up on this Saturday morning.

It seems things are slow on "The Press Box" archive page, so being the enterprising old fool that I am, I posted two shows on my page at archive.org. 

1) Long overdue to post here is the fun show we did with Mick McGowan and Tom Oderwald (who celebrates a birthday today!).  It was so much fun that we took things down the block for a post-show dinner.


2) I promised the people that I met at Chris and Genna Erway's wedding that I would give them some "shout outs" on the show.  This is that show, along with visits from Pat Pickens and Paul Silverfarb.  My "man card" came into question on this show, but if it is Chris Kaelin doing the questioning, then I'll live.  I'll be just fine.


Listen and enjoy.  We return Monday night with Mike Bocchino, George Zaccagnini and possibly Fred Camillo to discuss the dedication of Strazza Field in Greenwich.  Of course we'll be all over things going on in sports (such as Mets/Yankees...and I'm feeling a little differently today). 

Next Monday (6/18), join us for (perhaps) one of the most special interviews I have ever done as Bobby Murcer's widow, Kay Murcer, joins us on the show.

Lisa's Birthday at The Falls

The birthday girl is quite happy.

June 8th is known for certain things, such as Mickey Mantle Day (June 8, 1969).

Oh yeah, and Lisa's birthday (You say it's your birthday).  Being the outdoors type of gal that she is (and a mere young lady), she decided that she wanted to be among nature.  Being the out-of-shape-fat-bastard that I am, I thought it would be fun to go along.

Or die.

Or both.

We began with a fine breakfast in Hyde Park (OK, I like this part) before heading up to Kaaterskill Falls in the Catskills.

I visited a portion of the trail to Kaaterskill Falls back in 2010 when Kris, Brittany, Shelby and I walked it (Kristi waited for us back at the entrance to the trail as she wasn't able to do the walk at the time).  We didn't finish the trail that day (in part due to snow on the ground), but it was always something I wanted to get back to.

Today - with the feisty, nature-loving Lisa leading the way, I made it to very end.  As walks go, it is not very long, but I can't stress enough that it is strenuous (especially for those who haven't done such things in a while).  It is steep, rocky, wet, muddy, and can be treacherous.  Just be advised.

Oh but the payoff is beyond spectacular.  You can see Lisa gazing at the real falls in the top photo.  The falls you see as you begin hiking off of NY Route 23A are amazing enough.

This is just an appetizer.  It gets much better.

OK, so we've made it.  We're getting to the money shot.

But Lisa (again, outdoors Nature Girl) wasn't merely happy to see the falls.  Oh no.  She had to experience it.  She needed to feel the mist on her face.

She wanted to...go...higher. (Sly and the Family Stone reference...this is how I keep my sense of humor).

Oh, and I kept telling myself what goes up...must come down (never really liked Blood, Sweat and Tears).

So up we went.  Higher.  Slipping.  Right on past THIS SIGN:

Yeah, I didn't like my chances.  I began writing my obituary (survived by his son Sean, and adopted cat Ginger...).  But Lisa was unfazed - at least on the outside.

I must say, once I got there, the view was breathtaking.

The mist hitting our faces.  The steady wind blowing (I felt like I was going to lose my Tampa Yankees hat).  But now, I went back to one...simple...question:

How the eff was I going to get down? 

Very.  Carefully.  I decided I needed to go when I felt the nerve.  So I made my way through a narrow patch and got back to safety.  From there, we just took our time.

We must have high-fived each other several times in celebration of the achievement of making it not only to the end of the trail, but beyond.  Truth be told, I loved trails when I was young, but this was a whole different level of walking for me, and I've really lost my nerve.  Doing this was out of my comfort zone, and it felt so good.

And nobody needed to call 911 (which is good, because cell service was minimal at best).

For Lisa, it seemed to be the highlight of a very good birthday (to go along with a nice lunch in Saugerties and - what else? - shopping). 

That's all that mattered to me.

Tunnel of Love

I was going to text some lyrics to someone tonight, but it was far more than 160 characters.  A great song from Springsteen...


Oh, and which lyric?  I'm not sure...they're all great, though I especially like these lines:

"Ought to be easy.  Ought to be simple enough.  Man meets woman and they fall in love.  But this house is haunted and this ride gets rough.  You've got to learn to live with what you can't rise above if you wanna ride on down; down into this tunnel of love."

 Good advice from the Boss.

Ben Folds 5 Reunited at Mountain Jam

I just saw online that Ben Folds 5 played at Mountain Jam - up in Hunter, NY.  I had no clue.  Damn.

They did a lot of their old stuff too.  Nice.

I saw Folds open for John Mayer back in 2007 and he he was brilliant.

Most of the Mountain Jam show is online (YouTube).  Tough choice which song to post...so I'll go with two of my favorites:

1) Song for the Dumped ("and don't forget to give me back my black T-shirt")


2) One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces

Richard Dawson, RIP

I just heard Richard Dawson has died.  For me, I flashback to him on "Hogan's Heroes", and "Match Game", and The Running Man, but my oh my, he will always be "Family Feud" to me.

There were few who could host a game show like him.  I owned the "home version" of the show, and I never played it.  I always hosted the showdowns in my family, playing the role of Dawson.  The show was not the same after he left.

I was laughing pretty hard watching this grainy video.


He was one of the best.

Strange Conversations

From the Adams household this morning:

Mom: (reading the Daily News) "John Franco of the Mets is going to be inducted into the Mets hall of fame tonight at Citi Field. (Holds up the paper) "Do you want it?"

Me: (amazed that she would even ask) "I wouldn't wipe my ass with that."

Mom: (horrified) "Sean, did you hear what your father just said?  Hope you don't repeat that."

Sean: (equally amazed, first to his grandmother) "Yes I know" (then to me, emphatically) "Thank you!"

Just because I congratulated Johan Santana, I otherwise really don't concern myself with the other team (who is the better team in New York right now).  That doesn't mean I'm a phony bandwagon-jumper either.

By the way, are the Stanley Cup Finals being played?  Seems nobody other than, say, Pat Pickens cares about the series (I was busy last night and didn't watch).

Umpires vs. The Rest of Baseball: The 2012 Edition

With full disclosure, I will tell you that I am no fan of White Sox broadcaster Ken "Hawk" Harrelson's style.  He was briefly a Yankees voice in the 80's and he...was...dreadful.

He has his detractors, which you can see here.

On Wednesday night, Harrelson went into a tirade about the performance of umpire Mark Wegner, who threw our pitcher Jose Quintana.  So long as Bud Selig as his band of idiots in the League office lave this video up, you can see the situation for yourself.


There is a notion in broadcasting that "we", the esteemed citizens of the booth, should not allow ourselves to get into a snit over officials.  To an extent, I agree - totally.  But as a passionate defender of sports, I have a real problem with officials who seem to think you - the paying public (of which I am a member as well) - have come out to see them.

I have heard more than my fair share of complaining over NBA officials, and equal whining about NHL stripes as well as the NFL zebras.  But nothing seems to be as out of control as the umpires in MLB.  It has been a cauldron that has been boiling for years - going back to a rant I did on WGCH way back in the late 90's, in which I heaved anger at then-ump union president Richie Philips.  At the same time, a target of my ire was longtime umpire Joe West.

Curiously, West is still at it - thinking we're there to see him.  More, West is the president of something called the World Umpires Association.  Well la-di-freaking-da.  So after a talking to White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and baseball destroyer...er...commissioner Bud Selig, Harrelson then called Wegner to offer a few thoughts before visiting West to discuss the situation.

ESPN Chicago has the details.

If you didn't watch or listen to Harrelson pop off, here is what he said:

"What are you doing? He threw him out of the ballgame. You've got to be bleepin' me!" Harrelson said after the ejection. "What in the hell are you doing? What are you doing Wegner? You got to be kidding me. That is so bad. That is absolutely brutal. That is unbelievable.

"I'll tell you what, they have got to start making guys be accountable. That is totally absurd. Here's an umpire in the American League that knows nothing about the game of baseball. They have got to do something about this. They have got some guys in this league that have no business umpiring. They have no business umpiring because they don't know what the game of baseball is about."

My only problem with this - the point that it got personal - was where Harrelson said that the umpire "knows nothing about the game of baseball."  I understand his point - that Wegner stepped over the line because he (and a lot of umpires) don't let the players police things when it comes to brushback pitches.  Warnings get issued too easily these days, or they don't get issues and then the umpires take it upon themselves to decide what pitches have intent.  There's ZERO consistency.

That's what got Harrelson hot.  That's what gets me hot.

As I said, this has been building for years, and I thought Harrelson's tirade was actually going to be a good thing for baseball, causing Clueless Bud to focus less on outlawing the fake pickoff play or making the regular season one long playoff series, and maybe actually looking into the accountability and performance of his umpires.  But no, I was wrong.  It was a chance for Selig to chastise a broadcaster for speaking his mind.

I mean, let's face it: the Mets got their first no-hitter because an umpire screwed up.  Completely.  As I said yesterday, that's the way it goes, and it was human error, but still.  Let's be honest about it.  There's no accountability. (And yes, the Yankees got a home run for Derek Jeter because Richie Garcia made an awful call...just in case you want to get on the Yankees/Mets thing, which is so lame it is laughable).

Again, Harrelson went over the line, but that has been his thing for over 30 years.  Outside of the South Side of Chicago, Harrelson is not liked.  At all.

But there was an element of truth to what he said.

To me, it was a missed opportunity.

(OK, so-called "loyal" readers who scan the sports posts, you can stop scanning now.  The topic is over)

Biking the Walkway

Not my picture (thanks, Google)

I rode my bicycle across the Walkway Over the Hudson between Poughkeepsie and Highland on Thursday.  I enjoyed the scenery, and it was nice to be outside, but as a bike ride for the purpose of exercise, it is a colossal waste of time.

Ugh.

It is just simply too crowded, and there are too many kids.  In fact, the parks department specifically says that bicycles are to go s-l-o-w on the bridge.  That, of course, does not stop people from racing across.

The bridge was fairly quiet (all things considered) as I drove across in the late afternoon sun.  I had to negotiate around some groups who felt it was appropriate to walk five across, but my ride was not very stressful.  It was purely enjoyable, but not good exercise.

Things would open up on the Highland side of the bridge for me, and I did ride for a few minutes, until I came across the following sign...

My picture.

 I mean...really?  Is it THAT hard to put the right shield up?  Boys and girls, 9W is not a New York route.  Sigh...

Well, that was enough to make me head back towards Poughkeepsie, but first, I came across a roller blader (I had just passed her) who had fallen.

And yes, she couldn't get up.  She thought she had a cracked hip.  The police and ambulance came along to take her - most likely to Saint Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie.

Not that I know anyone who works there.  Nope.  Not me.

The rest of my ride?  Uneventful.  Pretty, but that's about it.

Nice experience, but be ready for the crowds.