Pete's World

Today's The Day

2010-11-02T12:21:00.001-04:00

Some good advice from the legendary Ray Stevens.

Behind The Wall of Sheep

2010-10-28T13:22:00.008-04:00

I love the Smithereens and I always have, since the first time I heard the "Especially for You"LP back in the summer of 1986. WHOT played the living crap out of that album and kept it in heavy rotation for the better part of two years. It deserved it - it's a fantastic piece of work.

Mon and I saw the Smithereens live back in 2007 and it was one of the best shows I have even been to. I also saw them at Beatlefest a few years back and got to interact with some of the band afterwards. Good guys all around.

So imagine my joy when I saw Part One of an interview with Smithereens front man Pat DiNizio today over at Parbench:

The Smithereens’ Pat DiNizio Pt 1

Pat DiNizio, songwriter and vocalist for the successful rock band The Smithereens (“A Girl Like You,” “Blood and Roses,” “Only A Memory”), has long faced alienation from the liberal entertainment industry because of his semi-conservative views.

He says, “People who are extremely left wing, who think it’s an artist’s obligation to be extremely liberal and espouse that philosophy and they don’t get it from me, they hate me. I’m a traitor and they want to burn my records."

Now, keep in mind when you are reading this that we're talking about one of the nicest people you'll probably ever meet. When you are on the "wrong" side, none of that matters. I have seen some of the nicest people I know called horrible things just because they refuse to march off the cliff with the rest of the lemmings.

That's what I always like about the "free speech" crowd: they love the concept...until someone disagrees with them.

I'll link Part Two when it becomes available.

That's That

2010-10-23T00:04:00.002-04:00

Well, the Yankees are done. They were outplayed in every way by the Rangers, which is not surprising when you consider they have looked like they were out of gas since August. They actually got a LOT farther than I thought they would. When a tired team meets a white-hot team, this is what happens.

While I may be disappointed in the outcome, I do think that the concept of Lee matched up against Lincecum or Halliday in Game One is tasty to think about. Should be a good 'un either way.

Lots of changes to come in the off-season...what will happen with Jeter, Andy, the OF, the relief pitching...the Hot Stove ought to be a lot hotter than usual. Until then, time to concentrate on the Isles and (shudder) Election Day.

See ya next year!

Down To The Wire...

2010-10-22T11:20:00.001-04:00

It probably killed AP to have to publish their own poll results (LOL) - but with 12 days left, the trending is encouraging. Guess we'll know soon enough...

AP-GfK Poll: Likely voters ready to embrace GOP

WASHINGTON (AP) -- All signs point to huge Republican victories in two weeks, with the GOP now leading Democrats on virtually every measure in an Associated Press-GfK poll of people likely to vote in the first major elections of Barack Obama's presidency.

Between the elections and the playoffs, I'll be doing my best to keep the TUMS people in business.

The Bullying Conundrum

2010-10-21T13:26:00.003-04:00

Bullying - specifically school bullying - is not a new problem. I would venture to say that there has been bullying going on in school probably since the first time primitive man put a few rocks around a cave wall and started making drawings to demonstrate to the young'uns the proper method of making an arrow head from a sharpened rock and the proper methods for filleting a mastodon. Heaven knows Hollywood has made enough films about school bullies in school to fill a library.

It certainly was an issue when I went to school in the 70s. I was lucky in that I managed to not fall on either the side of the bullyers or the bullyees. I found that magic groove in the middle and managed to stay there for most of my years in the halls of education. This is not to say that I somehow got through twelve years of the system without incident...none of us probably did. But for the most part, I kept my sanity and steered clear of the ever-deadly "niche" mentality.

So here's what I don't get: how is it that all of a sudden, bullying is now front-page news? Shouldn't it have been front page news all along? The part of this that is annoying me is how the news outlets on TV and in the print media are treating it like it's some sort of new 21st-century phenomena. Not only that, there's a level of phony-baloney "shock" behind it all, an air of "How can this happen?" behind it all.

Not that this should be a big surprise, the the mainstream media (in all its' monolithic splendor) has made a wonderful habit of being a few days late and several dollars short. It's unfortunate that it takes a few suicides to get these guys to wake up and see what's going on. This isn't the first time, either. Whenever a bullying-related tragedy happens, we get the same song and dance, like it's somehow some big secret society that no one knew was going on. Please.

Sadly, it will be the same thing again this time. When the hysteria calms down, the media will shift gears towards the other shock stories du jour, and bullying will be put back on the back burner until it happens again (for the first time that we never knew it was going on, etc.). Eventually schools will ease up, too and things will return back to the way they were before the media picked up on it and everyone shared Facebook status updates about it.

The only way bullying will ever become a thing of the past is if schools do what they should have done since Day One: take a zero tolerance policy. You bully a kid? you're out on your ass. No suspension, no reprimand, out. Period. In fact, they should have special schools where all the expelled bullies can be sent to and pick each other off in grand, 'Lord of the Flies' fashion while taking forced anger management classes ('A Clockwork Orange' style).

Until then, then same sad cycle will keep repeating itself...news ratings or no.

Not Looking Good

2010-10-19T00:03:00.012-04:00

The Rangers have been spanking the Yankees so far in the ALCS. Except for one inning in Game 1, the team has looked pretty pathetic.

Is this age finally catching up with them? Are the Rangers just unstoppable? The Yankees were in the same position in 1998 vs. the Indians and won in six games. Admittedly, we do not have an El Duque to step up and take control - we have the shaky AJ Burnett in Game 4. I guess we'll know in a few days whether or not the Yankees will be joining the Mets on the golf course or not.

BTW, I have to laugh at my Met-fan aquaintences that chose to poke fun at the fans leaving in the 9th with the Yankees down by 8 runs. Like staying there to endure watching the last four outs of an ass kicking makes you a super-duper fan. Give me a break. I guess sticking around to watch your team lose makes sense when you're used to sticking around to watch your team lose.

So I wondered...would Met fans hang around to watch the Queenies take one on the chin? Hmm. I don't know. Let's take a look at a Citi Field 9th inning from late September (before the Mets were even mathematically eliminated):

Yup. Those guys are the truest, bluest of baseball fans, full of diehard, mascot-loving awesomeness.

Twenty Days...

2010-10-14T13:50:00.001-04:00

...until November 2nd. Man, this is gonna be the longest 20 days in the history of days.

Oh, and in addition to that little election thing, the McRib is back on Nov. 2. I'll have one if I still have an appetite on Nov. 3.

Keeping Score of All That "Change"

2010-10-07T13:03:00.000-04:00

Scorecard! Program! Keep track of how badly you're about to be screwed with a Scorecard! Program!

100 Days to Go Until The Largest Tax Hikes in History

Sorry, we're out of little pencils.

On To The Post-Season

2010-10-03T23:17:00.011-04:00

Baseball's regular season is now over and the playoffs are set to begin this week. The Yankees go limping into the post-season, having completed a terrible September and final week of the season. The Division title was there for the taking, but I think four months of over-achieveing and playing their asses off to compensate for a myriad of injuries (the biggest being DH Nick Johnson and Damaso Marte, who was expected to be the main lefty in the pen), combined with the UNDER-achieving of many that were expected to be key players on this team (Burnett, Granderson, Vasquez...et al) finally just caught up with them.

Despite that, they did finish the season with the second-best record in baseball (one game behind the Rheys) and managed to snag the Wild Card. I am not expecting much but with a short series, you never know. The pitching staff is in a state of flux and the key will be if Sabathia can come up big and Phil Hughes can step up. Jeter also needs to be "Derek Jeter" again, not what he has been for the second half of the season (the second coming of Wayne Tolleson). Arod will also have to be Superman again and Texiera will have to snap out of it. If any one of these things does not happen, it will be a short post-season trip this year.

A note to all the self-appointed "baseball purists" out there (the ones that watch 10 games a year and call themselves experts) that do nothing but complain about "modern" baseball (which hasn't actually changed in ages): enough already. The DH has been around for thirty-nine years. The Wild Card (with all its' minuses and believe it or not, pluses) has been around for fifteen years already, and is probably not going to change until Bud Selig's corpse is dragged out of the Comissioner's office. In other words (as the kids say), 'it is what it is' and it's probably not changing any time soon. Stop obsessing and complaining about it like little spoiled chidren every fifteen seconds and shitting on the people that just want to watch a damn baseball game. You hate the way it is? Great...but those of us that still like watching the game are sick of listening to the never-ending whining. We get it. Change the channel. Go watch something more your speed, like bowling on ESPN Classic or something.

Here's a late-breaking news bulletin: nothing is the same now as it was 150 years ago, including baseball. There were times when hitting a runner with the ball was an out and the World Series was a best of nine. There were times when the post-season was a round-robin tournament (you know...like poker). There was a time when ballplayers wore high-button collars and corduroy pants. They don't do any of those things anymore, either. Change is gonna happen in every walk of life no matter what you do, and complaining about it endlessly is, well, a bit OCD. I'm not so much of a narcissist that I need sports (of all things) to be tailored to my every personal whim. I can still can enjoy watching the game regardless of some arbitrary playoff system I have no control over.

In other words, I have dealt with change and MOVED ON, rather than succumbing to BDS (Baseball Derangement Syndrome). Life's too short to obsess about inconsequential bullshit when there's so much there to relax and enjoy, know whut ah mean?

Assemble This

2010-09-23T23:45:00.001-04:00

Here's an idea: since the UN General Assembly is a major inconvenience, a big waste of money and it basically accomplishes nothing, why don't we just save all that time and trouble and temporarily release all the criminals from prison and patients from the asylums and let them just talk for a week. It will be the exact same thing without all the hassle.

I've had enough of seeing the whole city turned upside-down for a week while the most odious assemblage of crackpots, crooks and villains are given time in front a microphone to spew their noxious bullshit. A pox on them all. Move the damn UN out of NYC already (and take Euro-Bloomberg with you).

That Time Of Year...

2010-09-21T23:19:00.001-04:00

Most people wait until Standard Time to kick back in to change the batteries in their smoke detectors. I prefer to do it on the day the Mets are mathematically eliminated from the post-season. This way you never miss it.

Gots The Sickness

2010-09-16T21:37:00.002-04:00

Still not feeling well. In retrospect, doing a show last night probably wasn't the smartest thing I could have done in the world since my throat was already raw. When I woke up this morning, it felt like I'd been gargling with shredded razor blades. Now I got little more than a squeak going on. The cats are looking at me funny.

Got the throat, upper-respiratory infection yuckiness...and a relentless tiredness that has just sucked the life out of me. Got meds, got blanket, already called out sick. Looks like a day of tea and sympathy on tap (possibly mixed with James Bond movies) and soup.

Just as well. I need the break anyway.

Vote Rangling

2010-09-15T08:45:00.002-04:00

Not a huge surprise that Charlie "Ethics" Rangel won big last night. When you're core constituents are kept dependent on the government, you can't expect them to break away from the status quo (even if you are living the high life with their money while they get your table scraps). Hopefully the courts will something that should have been done years ago and put Choo-Choo Charlie out on his fat, dishonest ass (something voters in Harlem are simply too indoctrinated to do).

I give the Dems credit for one thing: they know how to pick their spots. Whenever they have a scheme in mind that involves painfully un-electable candidates, they find the proper nuthouses to run them in where even a sack of guano would get elected if it had a (D) next to it (New York, California, Minnesota...). Find the crazy people and give them someone they can relate to.

The big so-called "Tea Party" wins in DE and NH last night are already being written off by the mainstream media as losses for the GOP in November, which only shows that they still don't get what is going on. Both states showed double the estimated turnout for Republican voters last night (dwarfing Democrat voters almost 2 to 1). I don't think that happened by accident. People are pissed off with the status quo, yo. Only the media and the Republican hierarchy refuse to acknowledge it.

They keep saying these grassroots candidates can't win primaries, yet they win handily. Then they tell us they can't win general elections. We'll see. Right now nothing is "in the bag" for ANY candidate. As a result, the Big Bag O' Dirty Tricks is already being dipped into by the Dems and their willing accomplices in the media. It will only get louder and nastier as we approach November.

Tea Trumps Kool-Aid

2010-09-14T09:06:00.005-04:00

They laugh. They scoff. They belittle. They call names. Good. That means they have no idea just how much things have changed. Jonathan Rauch has a great piece in the National Journal showing just how little the detractors understand:

How Tea Party Organizes Without Leaders

Strange though it may seem, this is a coordinated network, not a hierarchy. There is no chain of command. No group or person is subordinate to any other. The tea parties are jealously independent and suspicious of any efforts at central control, which they see as a sure path to domination by outside interests. "There's such a uniqueness to every one of these groups, just as there's an individuality to every person," Wildman says. "It has this bizarre organic flow, a little bit like lava. It heats up in some places and catches on fire; it moves more slowly in other places."

It's a new world, a different paradigm now (as the hipster doofuses like to say) and I don't think there's any turning back. If anything good came out of the wreckage of the 2004 - 2009 political climate it is that the PEOPLE started to care again. The sleeping giant re-awakened. This is good news for everbody (except for pergressive elitists, who as we all know, know better than everyone else). Let them keep laughing. Keep pretending it doesn't matter.

PS - I still feel like crap after a week of feeling like crap. At this point I just want to either get a full-blown cold or have this goes away. Soon.

Never Forget

2010-09-11T09:02:00.000-04:00

Meh

2010-09-09T08:48:00.000-04:00

It's official, folks - the morning news is so depressing that I just can't bring myself to watch it anymore. I can no longer subject myself to daily reminders of how far down the shitter this country keeps going interspersed with puff pieces about Lady CaCa and Justin Beiber's quiffy quaff. I'm starting my days DEPRESSED from all this crap. Even Good Day New York (which used to be a safe haven in the morning) is getting me down.

From now on - or at least until we have a massive paradigm shift in the direction things keep going lately - I am no longer watching news in the morning. Hell, I might not even watch TV anymore until my shows kick off their new seasons. I just don't have the intestinal fortitude to start my days by looking at this shit anymore. When all there is is BAD news, you're better off getting no news at all.

I'll wait until I get to the city then look at the papers. At least by then I've managed to choke some Lucky Charms down without regurgitating them back up again.

I'm Alive (A General Update)

2010-09-01T22:07:00.000-04:00

I know what you've been asking yourself: where the Hell has Pete been? Doesn't he EVER update this freaking thing? Well, for starters I've been extremely busy. I can barely keep new updates on Facebook current (I haven't even touched Twitter in months - it's a waste, anyway).

If it were up to me, I'd have new blog updates, new FB updates, new Podcasts on both my site and the WHOT site, I'd write a book, climb Mount Everest and build something. However, life is not up to me. By the time I get home from work I have roughly an hour and a half to spend with the Mrs., watch a little TV and pet the cat community. Then I try to spend a little time working on the WHOT archive, read some boards, watch a little baseball. The bottom line is, there's not enough hours in the day. If days were say, 30 hours long instead of 24...or, even better - 40...then I could get all kinds of crazy things done. Unfortunately, until we figure out how to inhabit the planets withe longer days, we're stuck with 24. As the kids say, it is what it is.

I can give some general updates (horn fanfare)...the archive is rolling along again after a brief break. The WHOT cassettes, for all intents and purposes, are done. I still have some stragglers, and I have to get the reel-to-reel airchecks and VHS HiFi tapes done, but those are few. Then I am going back through MY tapes and filling in the gaps. I also need to get into the cavern and start digging for missing tapes in Brooklyn. I know exactly what is missing: it's just a matter of finding them.

The show is still rolling along on the HNJ Network (Wednesday nights at 9PM ET, give or take a few minutes). We still have fun. I try to get podcasts of the shows up every week, but you know - that time thing gets in my way a lot. I still have tons of CDs to burn, tons of MP3s to tag, files to convert. It never ends.

That in mind, it's back to doing something productive...I just don't know what (yet). Until next we meet...

The Comparison Is Striking...

2010-08-17T22:12:00.009-04:00

‎

*Sigh*...I miss The Gipper...truth be told, liberalism should have been crushed in this country after the Reagan Revolution, left as a smoldering remnant of foolishness past. The problem is the Right got complacent, sloppy and fat in the position it was in. The same goes for after 1994. When you become too comfortable, when you become too smug and complacent, you make yourself weak and beatable. That's what happened in 1992, 1996 and 2008.

The OTHER problem is...when you abuse the position you are in and forget how you got there, that's how we end up in the mess we are in now. The end result is everyone suffers and the country suffers more irreparable damage. When you have something with so many positives that it should sell itself, don't screw it up. Just ask Coca Cola. Don't become stagnant; remember how you got where you are. The Left will never be able to do that without using fear and trickery. Conservatives don't have to do that.

Maybe one day the politicians that are supposed to be acting in our "best interests" will remember that.

This Just In...

2010-08-14T12:21:00.001-04:00

Looks like Liberals and Progressives are taking a break from complaining about Nativities and crosses in public buildings at Christmastime and trying to censor the internet and Conservative talk radio to lend support to the building of a Mosque one block from Ground Zero in Manhattan as an exercise in "freedom of religion" and "free speech".

And they said it was impossible to talk out of both sides of your mouth at the same time!

More details as they become available. Film at 11.

Remembering George Steinbrenner and Reflecting On Life

2010-07-14T10:10:00.012-04:00

Having just celebrated my 43rd birthday back in June, I’ve spent a lot of time lately thinking about the life that I have lived up to this point, full of laughs and interesting events and (thankfully) very little regret. With the passing of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner yesterday at the age of 80, I took a few moments and thought about all the Yankees games I have been to in those 43 years and how I can tie specific points in my life to them. From the 70’s team, the lean years, the comeback years and the new Dynasty, I can mark time by them.

The first Old-Timer's Day I ever went to, Roger Maris, Elston Howard, Mickey Mantle were all alive and present. Once The Mick died, I realized that there would come a day when DiMaggio wouldn't be around anymore...and that one day Phil Rizzuto would be taking the George Washington Bridge to the eternal 7th inning. We all followed what was going on with Bobby Murcer and prayed for the best. I saw that Eddie Layton and Bob Sheppard were getting up there and I knew I should treasure them both.

Then Joe D got sick and went soon after that. Phil retired and he left us as well. Bobby fought the best he could but lost the battle in the end. Eddie Layton retired and then he too was gone. Bob got sick and never returned. Throughout all this I'd had George in the back of my head but kept it buried there. When Bob Sheppard died at the age of 99 this past weekend I started to think about George again. When I heard on the news yesterday morning that he'd had a heart attack I knew it didn't sound good.

George Steinbrenner was such a larger than life character you almost expected him to transcend things like illness and mortality. I'd always had this image in my head of an aged, 90-something-year-old Boss, barking orders at Cashman like Mr. Burns does to Mr. Smithers…and Cashman responding with a “Yes, Boss”. Alas, it was not to be and now one of the last great icons - perhaps the last great 'king of the jungle' we'll see in professional sports - is gone.

After his reinstatement to baseball George changed. Once beyond unbearable and abrasive, he mellowed out somewhat and sought to rectify some of his past transgressions later in his life (not unlike Dickens' Ebenezer Scrooge - not due to visits from three spirits, more likely due to the visit of one suspension). He became likeable (almost loveable) and while still in control, he allowed his staff leeway to run things. He did commercials. He allowed himself to be lampooned on Seinfeld. In death, the level and magnitude of his philanthropy and charity is just now being truly revealed.

This makes his passing all the more melancholy. I sometimes try to explain to people that do not follow professional sports (or have narcissistically labeled themselves too good to do so) how when you live and die with your team day in and day out they essentially become your extended family. George morphed into that crazy uncle (or grandpa) that was never approachable in the past but was now the first one at the family gatherings to start telling jokes. When he's not around anymore, you're sorry that it took so long to get to know him. So it is with George.

It's been a tough week for Yankees fans and for all of baseball. It IS nice to know that George goes out a winner, the way he would have wanted it. His team is the reigning World Champion, the last game he saw was a win (an 8-2 drubbing of the Mariners) and many of his players are proudly representing his team at the All Star Game he did not get a chance to see. I also chuckle knowing that George stole the spotlight from the "midsummer classic"...even in death, he's making Bud Selig's life miserable.

Love him or hate him, the guy liked to WIN. He was more than just an owner, he was a fan. He found himself emotionally involved with the team’s daily goings-on to a fault, for better or worse. As a result, he knew you had to spend money to make money (unlike some of his contemporaries that sit around and bitch about disparity while they tuck into another poached lobster purchased with wasted revenue sharing money). For that we Yankees fans should all be grateful.

In a world where things don’t seem to mean much anymore, it meant a lot knowing that while we cared about him, he also cared about us and did his darned best to put a winner out on the field year in and year out - not just for himself, but for the fans. Thanks for that, Boss.

Enjoy those calzones.

B.S. Is As B.S. Does

2010-04-23T10:36:00.005-04:00

I'm getting pretty sick and tired of reading op-ed pieces from axe-grinding douchebags in the media that keep trying to portray Tea Partiers as violent, angry racists by using cure little code terms like, "where was all this anger during the Bush years" and equally cutesy-wutesy Left-Wing, MSNBC-distributed talking points. The latest bit of garbage that is being gobbled up as "proof" of this is a bullshit poll taken by CBS and the NY Times (which in and of itself is a joke) that claims most Tea Partiers are rich, white folks that don't like that bog ole black Pres'dent.

Cut me a freaking break. First of all, I'd LOVE to know how See-BS and the Time "massaged" these poll numbers. Thier stances on such things speak for themselves, as do their reputations (you know, the same folks that brought you forged documents as news and Jayson Blair working together like the League of Doom). So any poll numbers they present - working TOGETHER no less - send my Bullshit Detector well into the stratosphere.

Second, any moron that takes these BS poll numbers and uses them as an excuse to further paint the Tea Party movement as a bunch of rich white folk or lyinchin' Klansmen (interesting combo there, BTW) is more full of shit than a Port-O-San at a construction site. Where was the anger three years ago? If any of them BOTHERED to do five minutes worth of research, they would might have learned that the Tea Party Movement was BORN during the Bush era in response to the spending largesse of the administration - and started to gain ground after the insaity of the TARP bailout.

The main difference then was there was not a House and Senate interested in creating untolled trillions worth of increased debt like we are seeing now. Spend, spend, spend and let the great-grandkids pay it off. What a great way to "fix" problems - like putting chewing gum in a dam leak. All the while smiling like the cat that ate the canary. THAT'S why people are pissed off now, you dumb media bastards.

Maybe some of these numnuts that keep running around like Chicken Little screaming "racism" like fire in a movie house, should give this a watch:

Not that they'll pay any attention...as Forrest Gump so correctly stated, stupid is as stupid does...and the mainstream media seems to be full of plenty of stupid these days.

How 'Bout That Hughes?

2010-04-22T08:53:00.000-04:00

For the second time in the last two weeks, another Yankee came close to making history. Not a bad season so far!

Electric Hughes nearly no-hits A's
Bid for history spoiled in eighth, but Yanks win sixth straight

OAKLAND -- Phil Hughes couldn't help but know that he might be possessing no-hit stuff. If the Athletics' feeble swings and quick trips back to the bench weren't telling him, the scoreboard glaring into the Yankees' dugout surely was.

Sweet.

Pete Sayek's Day Off

2010-04-12T13:12:00.003-04:00

OK, so I am not Ferris Beuller, but that doesn't make taking the day off any less enjoyable. Unlike Mr. Beuller (Beuller...Beuller...), mine is a sanctioned day off so no need to resort to creative trickery to cover it up.

Coming off a great weekend, Monday "off-days" are the best. It's a beautiful spring day, the windows are open (how about that...?) and the breeze is nap-inducing. I may take it up on it's offer.

In the "big picture", it's all good...Yanks are 4-2 and come home tomorrow, Rags got eliminated yesterday (in a shootout, no less) and I don't have to hear the name "Tiger Woods" again - at least for a few weeks. Shopping is already done, washer is chuggin' in the background and the afternoon is my oyster. Or erster, depending on where you come from.

It's easier to sit back and drink these things in when you're not workin'.

Feeling The Love

2010-04-10T19:10:00.002-04:00

What a great gane today. CC Sabathia comes within four four outs of pitching a no-hitter against the (dirty) Devil Rays, and the Yanks threw them a 10-0 ass-whupping to boot. There were so many outstanding, phenominal defensive plays in this game that it was like watching a year's worth of highlights all in one afternoon.

It's after games like this when my love for baseball is reaffirmed, and why despite all it's shortcomings it's still the most complex and enjoyable sport to watch. There's a reason why I defend (and enjoy) the game of baseball and it's afternoons like this. Rock on.

How Do You Know It Will Work If You Haven't Come Up With The Plan Yet?

2010-04-07T13:56:00.002-04:00

Long John Nebel asked that very question a long, long time ago. Well, no more worries: the Obama White House announced TODAY - April 7, 2010 (mark that date down) - that they have FINALLY come up with "A PLAN" for being "the most transparent administration in like, the history of forever, man"!

Yes, you heard correctly - they haven't announced they ARE now open like a screen door with a broken hinge - no, they've FINALLY come up with "The Plan" to be open! A little over one year and three months into this presidency, after 10.5 Trillion dollars in "bailouts" that allowed unfettered government takeover of the mortgage, auto and banking indusrties - and after forcing through one of the most secretive, backroom-deal-laden, Constitutionally bankrupt bills in U.S. history (so we could "find out what is actually in it"), NOW the White House has come up with A PLAN!

Isn't that awsome? I guess I was wrong about Obama all this time.

I'll probably have even less hair on my head and be a day older before this "plan" ever gets put into place (if ever). It's kind of funny that they keep telling us how "transparent" they PLAN on being because it's painfully easy to see right through them.

Lots of Win-Wins

2010-04-06T23:33:00.004-04:00

This evening gets files under "good"...I FINALLY got PodOMatic's tech team to fix BOTH podcast pages...I was able to successfully install MS Front Page (after many tries)...the weather has been beautiful for days (and tomorrow will be great, too)...and the Yankees have win #1 under their belts against the Dread Sawx.

In addition to everything else (which takes a load off my mind), I shall float to sleep tonight on a river of sweet, nectar-like tears of Yankee haters everywhere. Like a free-floating waterbed.

Good evening, indeed.

A Random Observation

2010-04-05T23:08:00.000-04:00

People make my f*cking head hurt. I'm just sayin'.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T18:36:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter, everyone! What a great day (so far): great weather, great dinner, off shortly for dessert with family and friends and Opening Night tonight. Not to mention all that 50%-off Easter candy the stores will have on sale tomorrow. Woo hoo!

In other news, I'm entering my second week of working with PodOMatic's tech team to try and fix the file storage issues. You tell them what is wrong and they ask you questions that have NOTHING to do with the problem. Very frustrating.

The good news is once they get their act in gear I'll be able to get new archived shows up. Woot!

Enjoy the remainder of your day...happy egg salad!

March Going Out Like A Lion

2010-03-29T22:35:00.004-04:00

The record-breaking rainfall continues here in the Garden State. The nearby creek looks like the wild water rapids ride at Dorney Park. Crazy. Won't be too sad to see this month come wheezing to an end.

Nothing really new right now...I'm a bit political-ed out right now, just too much overload in the wake of Death Care Reform. So I've been working on the archive and trying to figure out what to do with the RFNY site (which is in dire need of an upgrade) and the future of podcasts (since Pod-o-Matic seems to be flaking out).

Last weekend was Beatlefest weekend and with money being scarce and way too much work to do, I missed it for the second year in a row. I hope to make it back in 2011...I don't want the memory of my last Beatlefest to be what my last one was actually like - riddled with illness, crazy happenings and drama. I'd like to make it back to at least one more Fest so I could actually ENJOY myself without any peripheral jazz (like the last one I attended).

In the meantime the WHOT archiving is officially in the home stretch. After six years of archiving casettes, reels and video tapes, the light is at the end of the tunnel - at least for the WHOT tapes (proper). There are four ten-boxes left and that's it.

Now, I still have to find the missing tapes which are still dangerously AWOL and all hailing from the early-80s. I live in perpetual fear that these tapes are gone. I catalogued them shortly after the WHOT bust in 89-90, so they definitely DID exists - old tapes of WGUT shows, WQXQ and the WKRB Halloween show. All from 80-82. I hope they can be tracked down. I'd estimate there are about 40 tapes missing in all from this era.

Of course, once I finish THESE I move on to Phase II: the original Radio Free New York shows. There's some great stuff in there from 90-95, basement jam shows and other great stuff...AJ and I doing sports call in shows...these should be a breeze to go through compared to teh HOT tapes (all mono).

Anyway, that's what's new and exciting, which is not a whole lot. Feeling beat so I'm gonna hit the haystack. Hopefully I'll have an update on the RFNY Site and podcasts soon.

Do As They Say, Not As They Do

2010-03-23T09:48:00.000-04:00

You have to laugh at stuff like this because if you don't laugh, you'll cry...

A little secret about Obama's transparency

The current administration, challenged by the president to be the most open, is now denying more Freedom of Information Act requests than Bush did.

"The Democratic administration of Barack Obama, who denounced his predecessor, George W. Bush, as the most secretive in history, is now denying more Freedom of Information Act requests than the Republican did".

Who here is REALLY surprised by this? Show of hands...anyone? Anyone? Beuller...?

The nut jobs are running the asylum while we all sit back and twiddle our thumbs and toes. The prospect of what is next frightens the bejesus out of me. It should scare the crap out of you too (unless you watch MSNBC every night and drool on yourself).

Good Morning, Amerika...

2010-03-22T09:38:00.002-04:00

Velkomm to new paradigm, komrades...

You vill get health coverage from Dear Leader!!!

One Picture Says It All

2010-03-21T12:28:00.004-04:00

Again: good work, Generation Y (borrowed from Tammy Bruce):

Why Report The Facts if the Facts Don't Feel Good?

2010-03-21T10:47:00.001-04:00

The mainstream media is up to it's usual "Stupid Reporting Tricks" again regarding the mostly-impromptu anti-heath debacle protest in DC today. First there were accusations of "racial slurs" that NEVER HAPPENED, then the head counts of the crowd were seriously lowballed by the usual suspects.

Is it any wonder that the minority of lunatics that reside in the asylums known as the east and west coasts live under the misconception that they are actually the majority opinion, and the people that watch the news and take it as gospel continue to march off the cliff like good little lemmings?

It's OK...by this time tomorrow this, along with the very principles this country were founded on, should all be over.

The End Is In Sight

2010-03-19T10:58:00.006-04:00

It's Friday, and I figure I should spend the last few hours as a free American being productive, so I will be working on the Podcasts and web site this weekend. It's long overdue.

It looks like Sunday is D-Day for the Obamacare travesty vote. I may have metioned this once or twice before but when something gets done on a weekend or at one in the morning, it's being done that way so you won't notice. That's why the bring the sheep to the slaughterhouse at night when they can't see what is going on. Not that it matters - the sheep-le are perfectly OK with having government run their lives, so what's the big deal...right?

I tried to warn people in 2008 about what happens when you vote with touchy-feely emotions instead of your head (see: Carter, Jimmy) but no one would listen. Congratulations, Generation Y. Good work. You'll be old one day and probably denied service because of your age. Then you can REALLY enjoy the fruits of your stupidity.

In Honor Of Earth Day, Another List

2009-04-23T13:21:00.000-04:00

OK, I freely admit I don't blog as much as I should, and I don't come around here as much as I used to (blame Crackbook!), but as I sat here this morning nursing a sore neck (ow) I plowed my way through old e-mails and blog postings and found this little nearly-missed gem from the good folks over at Teh Resistance.

Granted, my Top 8 would have been a Top 10, and my choices probably would have been a bit different (where's Keith Odorman and his yellow teeth???), but I really can't argue with any of THEIR choices, either:

8 Most Obnoxious Hollywood Lefties

Our three main criteria are 1: Advocacy of insane progressive fascism, 2: Overall Obnoxiousness and 3: Hypocrisy. The industry is packed to the rafters with left-wing idiots who roll down the windows of the limos long enough to shout “Eat the rich!” and then drive back to their Malibu beach estates without any conscious awareness of the irony. So, we’ll set aside the washed-up, ineffectual, and blatantly insane for now, and skip straight to Hollywood’s Moonbat A-List.

A fitting post on this day-after-Earth-Day.

New Yorker Article on the New Stadiums

2009-03-19T13:20:00.000-04:00

Nice piece in the New Yorker about the new New York stadiums opening this season:

HOME: New Stadiums For The Yankees and Mets

"There is nothing so revolutionary in Yankee Stadium’s replacement, which opens just to the north, across 161st Street...the new Yankee Stadium, designed by the architectural firm HOK Sport, is effectively an attempt to atone for the brutal 1973 renovation of Ruppert’s building, which removed the historic ambience without adding much in the way of modern amenities. HOK has reincarnated the old stadium, but with clearer sight lines, luxury suites, plenty of places to eat, and, finally, sufficient bathroom facilities."

Hot. And only a few weeks away...woot!

Remebering Ron Silver

2009-03-16T13:36:00.000-04:00

RON SILVER SUCCUMBS TO CANCER AT AGE 62

"Some people have more courage than others. And still other people have dead on guts that make the rest of us seem like terrified guppies in a sea of cowards. That was Ron Silver."

I had the good fortune to meet Ron Silver (ever-so-briefly) at the GOP Convention in 2004. He was about to be interviewed and I was working, so it wasn't anything more than a "hello, nice to meet you" moment - but without any of the contrived brevity you would expect from a celebrity. A sincere moment from a sincere guy. He'll be missed. R.I.P.

That Damn Filet O Fish Song

2009-03-10T23:36:00.000-04:00

I have NO IDEA why this commercial cracks me up - or why this song is stuck in my head - but that's the way it is!

For what it's worth, I HATE the McDonald's Filet O Fish sandwich. Ironic, isn't it?

Stuff I Told People About A Year Ago

2009-03-04T00:22:00.003-05:00

...only now The Wall Street Journal is pointing it out, too.

The Obama Economy

As the Dow keeps dropping, the President is running out of people to blame.

Americans have welcomed the Obama era in the same spirit of hope the President campaigned on. But after five weeks in office, it's become clear that Mr. Obama's policies are slowing, if not stopping, what would otherwise be the normal process of economic recovery. From punishing business to squandering scarce national public resources, Team Obama is creating more uncertainty and less confidence -- and thus a longer period of recession or subpar growth.

Addendum...

I had posted this article earlier today on Facebook and after an hour's worth of unpleasant comments that dredged up everything from the names of every politician and commentator on the right to the history of the Dow Jones Average and stimulus bills in general (er ah yeah - they never work, even ones that contain ACTUAL stimulus - I knew that already), I took it down.

The good thing about insults and name calling in lieu of an actual counter-arguement is that usually means there isn't one.

This is why I quit the debate team in high school. I not only was I giving myself ulcers, but it was getting harder and harder to fight the urges to stab people in the eye with a pin microphone - and I heard that prison was a pretty unfriendly place.

I didn't write this - the Wall Street Journal did. So please direct any insults and name-calling you may be inclined to spew as a result of the mere existence of this article to THEM, not me.

*I* on the other hand will just be sitting here twiddling my thumbs, watching my 401K and IRA evaporate to nothing. It's all good.

The Cleansing of Life

2009-02-21T01:42:00.000-05:00

I know what you are asking yourself: where have I been?

Well, I'm smack-dab in the middle of detoxing my life from the sludge left behind by an individual who tried to fuck around with yours truly and Mrs. Yours Truly (you can do a lot of things to me, but when you mess with The Mrs you have made a BIG mistake. I don't take kindly to that kind of shit by any means), smiling to our faces and then revealing the real dirtbag beneath the phony veneer. As a result, this person is no longer part of our lives and the stench of dirty, unwashed alcoholic has been expunged from my living space.

The experience has taught me a lot. For starters, a smile and a handshake mean NOTHING if the source is untrustorthy. Promises mean crap if they are written on toilet paper. If you suspect that there is a hidden agenda with some people, most likely you are correct. There is an old saying that you can't help people that don't want to be helped, and then there are people that never intended to change in the first place.

The good news is, this has been the equivalent of the sun coming out after a tornado. You never realize how miserable you are under a rock until you crawl out from under it. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you. Fool me three times and so long, SOB. I have a new clarity about what actually is and isn't important. It IS 100% true that everything is small stuff, some of it smaller than others.

It's nice to talk about future plans with excitement instead of a sense of dread. Let's face it - it's nice to know that there ARE plans and nothing can drag things down anymore.

This person's bad karma will eventually catch up with them, as I truly believe you get what you give. I have spent my entire life trying to treat people the way I would like to be treated. Granted, it doesn't always work out that way but at least I can sleep good at night knowing I tried.

How some people can act the way they do and sleep at all is beyond me. However, this is all sewage under the bridge. Yours truly is alive and well and moving on. As for some others? Who cares.

And So it Begins...

2009-01-22T09:49:00.000-05:00

Well, this certainly didn't take very long. Interesting that he considered weakening our national security to be one of his first priorities...

Obama to Close Guantanamo and Foreign Prisons, Limit CIA Methods

Obama is expected to sign "several" executive orders Thursday, directing the CIA to close secret foreign prisons and Guantanamo Bay, and limiting detention and interrogation methods.

Great. Well, at least unemployment will be going down...at the terror camps in the hills of northern Afghanistan. The good news is, since these guys will be going back to work under the ten-year cutoff date, they are all still eligible for their '40 Virgins' retirement plan.

Good work, America.

It's Very Strange...

2009-01-20T13:27:00.001-05:00

...anyone else notice that there is strangeness out there in the air today...? A lot of distant, aimless stares? Odd, undead-like behavior? A need to...aimlessly...follow...

Joyeaux Noel

2008-12-25T11:17:00.001-05:00

Ooh. Sparkly.

Holiday Goodness

2008-12-22T15:47:00.000-05:00

If there are any fellow XM subscribers out there, I wanted to tip you off on a pretty cool holiday treat they are offering up this year.

Mixed in with all their specialty channels on ch. 120, they are doing something called "Bing Crosby Christmas Radio". This channel replays all of Der Bingle's RADIO Christmas Specials from the 1940s, complete and containing all the skits, guests and songs that orignally aired when the shows were originally broadcast.

It's a fascinating slice of both radio and entertainment history, a look at a period of days gone by. I've been enjoying the shows, closing my eyes and trying to put myself in the period when the shows aired: no TV, no iPods, no internet from Al Gore, Jr. yet - this was your main source of entertainment, and it certianly was entertaining.

And now, back to the Philco Radio Hour from December 25, 1946...

Oh, Those Wacky Illinois Democrats!

2008-12-09T17:11:00.000-05:00

Is is any wonder that so many deceased citizens have no problem voting (multiple times) in the fine state of Illinois?

Illinois Gov. arrested on corruption charges

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on corruption charges on Tuesday, including trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by fellow Democrat President-elect Barack Obama, federal prosecutors said...

The case shines a light once again on old-style corruption in the Chicago political caldron from which Obama emerged.

'The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering,' U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, the federal prosecutor, said in a statement.

Like, awesome. Totally.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-28T07:36:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving day and is now fully stuffed and enjoying a nice turkey nap!

All the best from the Pete Sayek show to all of you and yours!

Iowahawk: America Can Take Pride In This Historic, Inspirational Disaster

2008-11-07T21:06:00.000-05:00

Good Old Iowahawk never fails to disappoint. His Election analysis is (as always) sprinkled with ironic humor - in this instance, more ironic than usual:

"Less than fifty years ago, African-Americans were barred from public universities, restaurants, and even drinking fountains in many parts of the country. On Tuesday we came together and transcended that shameful legacy, electing an African-American to the country's top job -- which, in fact, appears to be his first actual job. Certainly, it doesn't mean that racism has disappeared in America, but it is an undeniable mark of progress that a majority of voters no longer consider skin color nor a dangerously gullible naivete as a barrier to the presidency."

Read the full piece HERE. It's a keeper.

File Under: You Asked For It

2008-11-06T17:43:00.001-05:00

Yes, all that "Hope" and "Change" is ALREADY paying off!

U.S. Stocks Post Biggest Post-Election Drop on Economic Concern

The market's decline came a day after the biggest presidential Election Day gain since the New York Stock Exchange first opened for trading on a voting day in 1984.

That's what happens when the pre-election polls show a tightening race and it doesn't actually happen, folks!

However, Market Watch has some advice to those of us looking to ride out the next four years without ending up in the poorhouse (and keep avoiding those glorious redistribution checks!):

How to Obama-Proof Your Portfolio

"The main theme is not to invest in America...that means non-USA oil and gas companies. The antidrilling prejudice and windfall-profits enthusiasm will drive the United States to actually import more oil..."

Boy, this is sounding great already and it's not even January 20th yet.

To paraphrase the late Bette Davis, fasten your seatbelts...it's gonna be a bumpy ride.

The Pod People Have Won

2008-11-05T09:13:00.001-05:00

And the loser is everyone. Major companies are already discussing their hiring freeze and layoff strategies under Obama's wealth redistribution plan. Double-digit inflation rates and increased recession trends are just mere months away. When businesses cut spending growth stops and you know the rest.

Get ready for another round of "healthcare reform" to be rammed down your throat like Vincent Price with a plate full of poodles. The best we can hope at this point is that there won't be too much damage done and that conservatives can get their act together for the mid-term elections.

John McCain is a good man who ran a terrible campaign. He's wasn't really an electable candidate but he squandered any chance he DID have. He took a lot of shit from smartasses on the Left that he didn't deserve. He stuck to his word about not using public funds to run for President (Obama sure didn't) and that cost him in the long run.

More than anything, McCain was a victim of Bush Derangement Syndrome and lost to the guy with the better ad campaign and endless supply of willing media mutton heads eager to do his dirty work to get "their guy" elected.

Conservatives need to get their act together and stop coddling the RINOs and "moderates" and get a movement going for the 2010 elections to start swinging the balance of power back towards where it should be. Since JFK's assassination (keeping in mind that JFK was really a conservative) we've had eight Republican administrations and THREE Democratic ones (with the fourth around the corner). That's 32 out of 44 years, so this too shall pass.

Look at morons like Jimmeh Carter. He did so much damage in ONE TERM that the effects are still being felt today. As Gary (Gretscviking) so aptly pointed out - Presidents come and go. Let's just hope America still looks the same when THIS one goes.

Debate 2 Thoughts...

2008-10-08T07:04:00.000-04:00

Well, there were no knockout punches delieverd tonight, that's for sure. McCain didn't come out as forceful as I thought he would (based on yesterday's appearances) but he definitlely stated his positions well and stood up to Obama's never-ending-run-on-sentence style.

JM finally hammered Obama on the financical crisis (THANK GOD) and scored on the things that really matter - foreign affairs (Obama came off as disjointed again on the topic and tried to work Iraq into EVERYTHING), substance and details. Obama repeated the same tired stuff and really went off into scary territory with all the proposed entitlements and textbook class warfare nonsense.

Hot Air has some solid analysis HERE.

Too early to tell what the armchair quarterbacking will be like on this one, but going forward and in the final debate, McCain really needs to hit a home run if we are to avoid the first Marxist regime in American history.

VP Debate Review

2008-10-03T15:44:00.000-04:00

As predicted, Sarah Palin wiped the floor with Joe Biden last night!

What the Hell was up with Biden's eye tuck and spray-on tan last night??? He was Halloween-scary lookin'.

Now it's up to JM to take the gloves off! He needs to hit Obamessiah hard on the financial crisis - it's time for the GOP to start reminding people that they were fighting to reign in these horrible lending practices back in the 90s - only to get shouted down by the likes of Blarney Frank!

As the Boston Globe points out, these weasels need to look in the mirror before they start pointing fingers across the aisle. What balls these people have, and media just eats it up like the good little finger puppets that they are.

Come on McCain - there are four and a half week left. The emperor has no clothes. Get out there and 'em Hell the way Sarah did last night! People just need to hear the truth, baby...just the truth.

How Did This Financial Mess Happen?

2008-09-29T05:35:00.000-04:00

I know better than anyone that we're not all economic wizards and we don't all understand how things happen - just that they happen.

If you have about ten minutes, this is one of the simplest, clearest explanations of what happened to lead us into this mess. It's important that everyone take some time for a little Economics 101 and watch this clip.

As Fat Albert used to say, "We might even learn something before it's done. Hey hey hey!"...

UPDATE 9/30: Despite several attempts by "interested parties" in getting this clip pulled from YouTube, it lives! Let's see how long it lasts this time...

AGAIN? REALLY?

2008-09-28T23:32:00.003-04:00

Oh...my...GOD!

THEY DID IT AGAIN. The Mets were eliminated from the post-season on the LAST DAY OF THE SEASON - and on the day they closed Shea Stadium, no less! Seems like a fitting send-off.

Two years in a row...really? This is unbelievable. I would once again like to thank the New York Mets, their front office and their fans for making it suck a little bit less to be a Yankees fan tonight.

The Yankees may not be going to the post-season either, but at least they didn't get ousted in spectacular fashion. Two years in a row (did I mention that?). I knew the Yankees had no shot a month ago. Despite that, I shall have blissful sleep tonight.

Once again, the gang over at Enough Lupica sum it all up rather succinctly:

Let's Play "Guess The Season!"

Farewell, Old Home

2008-09-19T10:11:00.000-04:00

I saw my last game at OLD Yankee Stadium last night - the Yanks won 9-2, but that was secondary. It was a chance for me to say goodbye to a place I spent a large chunk of my life in. I have not done the math but I'd be willing to bet that I've spent about as much time in Yankee Stadium as I have anywhere else.

I was torn...one one hand, I am extremely excited about the new Coliseum-like Stadium being built across the street. If you know me, you know that I have been looking forward to this new Stadium for quite some time. The current Yankee Stadium, while certainly a classic, is a tainted one. The renovation of the early-70s robbed The Stadium of much of it's character; the facade/frieze was taken down, the big scoreboard removed and the open-air "feel" replaced almuminum roofing and clinical, blue-painted concrete. As my Dad was wont to say, "they took all the life out of it". For all intents and purposes, "Old Yankee Stadium" officially closed for good in 1973.

Adding insult to injury, the 70s "renovation" was a slap-dash affair; new structures were built on the 100-plus year old skeleton (a huge chunk of which gave way during the early months of the magical 1998 season), like cement poured on Chernobyl. As a result, the renovation did not stand up to the test of time. Cracks appeared in the new cement within a few years that kept re-forming and getting patched year in and year out. It was only a matter of time before a new Stadium would need to be built.

I took one more walk around the old place before taking my seat. I stopped to get a hot dog and soda from one of the attitude-laden concession stands folks for old time's sake (I won't miss them). As I took my seat in the upper deck - and as the game went on - I scanned for the various places I'd sat in over the years. I rememberd the great games I'd seen here - ALCS-ending HRs from Chambliss in '76 and Boone in 2003...Dave Righetti's no-hitter in '83...Mattingly's last regular-season at-bat in '95 (a double)...a World Series clincher in 1999...all the games I saw from the bleachers (oh, how many second-hand contact highs did I get as a pre-pubescent kid out there...?)...and I got a little choked up looking around at all the places I sat with my Dad over the years.

After the last pitch I walked the same ramps out of the old place just like I had hundreds of times before. This time, I walked slowly, looking around was all the nooks, crannies and signs one last time. "No running". "Slippery when wet". As I walked down to the D train to head to Brooklyn, I turned and took one last look at the old girl, the lights illuminating the now-empty upper deck.

Next year will be full of excitement and pageantry as a sparkling new ballpark, one that corrects the sins laid bare by a quickie renovation some 35 years ago, is unvelied. I will be excited, too - and I am sure my first trip to the NEW Stadium will be full of eagerly-awaited awesomeness - but last night, it was all about remembering the days gone by that will soon be no longer - and saying a fond farewell.

Boycotting 'Us'? We Did!

2008-09-09T03:27:00.000-04:00

Published reports say that Jann Wenner-published puff rag 'Us Weekly' has lost anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 subsribers since putting out a shameful smear job on VP candidate Sarah Palin last week. Good for them. This exercise in yellow journalism came less than a month after 'Us' published a hugs-and-kisses softball-tossing love-fest about Barack Messiah Hussein.

Wenner made one tactical error when he decided to reprint bullshit posts from Daily Kos as "sources": the housewives that waste money on his glossy shitrag are NOT the same tired, living-in-the-past hippes and wannabe West Side eletists that read his useless music tabloid Rolling Stone (a magazine that hasn't been relevant since...well, ever).

Mon and I won't be spending a red cent (appropriate term, isn't it?) on any future issues of 'Us', and if you think as I do that bullshit needs to be called out as bullshit, or are not aware of the whole 'Us' controversy, you can read all about it HERE.

As I once told a subscription salesperson from the NY Daily News, if all toilet paper had been abolished and the only thing that kept me from being clean or living with a lifetime of itchy, nasty personal rashes, I wouldn't even wipe my ass with an issue of "Us Weekly'.

It's Kiki-Mania!

2008-08-26T21:03:00.000-04:00

It's not quite Kiki - but it IS an INCREDIBLE simulation!

Ninja Kitty

Jenna MySpace Video

(Everyone that knows Kiki knows what I mean!!!)

Two Huge Losses

2008-07-12T23:31:00.000-04:00

I guess there's no other way to express how this day has gone, other than "tough".

Earlier today, former Yankee player and announcer Bobby Murcer lost his battle with brain cancer at the age of 62. Bobby fought an unbelievable year-and-a-half fight against something that normally takes people within weeks. The Murcer family had released a statement recently stating the Bobby was not doing well, so while this is not totally unexpected, it's still a shock.

Murcer was one of my father's favorite players. When the Yankees traded him to the Giants back in '74, my Dad was crushed - but he was equally ecstatic when he came back to the Bronx during the '79 season. For those that don't know the story, Murcer retired in 1983 to make room for Don Mattingly. The next night, he was in the Yankee TV booth - a place he would stay for the next 25 years.

For today's generation of Yankee fans, Bobby became the modern version of Bill White and Phil Rizzuto rolled into one; a voice in the booth that became synonymous with summer, baseball and the Bronx Bombers, his Oklahoma drawl drawing you in to one of his stories about days gone by or glory days to come.

Unlike many of his retired contemporaries, Murcer was good friends with many of the current Yankee players, extending the hand of the "Yankee family" that he had been a part of for so long. Today's Yankee players were visibly shaken up when they spoke of the loss of this great man.

By all accounts, Bobby Ray Murcer was as good a man as you could find. His endless work for a variety of charities is well-known, and he addressed everyone with kindness and a wide, ear-to-ear smile. There were many times I'd see Bobby on his way into The Stadium and call out his name. He always responded with a wave and that same smile.

Murcer will be sorely missed by the Yankees, their players, their fans and the baseball world in general. The team plans to hold a special day in his memory; no date was announced yet.

Several hours earlier, former White House Press Secretary, news commentator, radio host and equally good guy Tony Snow also succumbed to his (colon) cancer. Back when Tony started up his radio show, there was a period of time when the outfit I work for distributed the program. Naturally, any time you start up a new network, there are going to be issues, and from time to time we'd have to work with Tony's people about refining certain things.

During one of these times I mentioned that something Tony had said on the previous day's show made me laugh uncontrollably for the rest of the day. It was suggested that I send Tony an e-mail and tell him this, which I did, never expecting an actual answer.

Not only did Tony e-mail me back, but we struck up a friendly e-mail correspondence for the next several years….snarky little stream-of-consciousness things about the events of the day and whatnot, always good fun. We were both addicted to Smarties, so when he got the White House Press Secretary job, I sent him a congratulatory package of them that would have probably lasted for the next decade. I always meant to go see his band play down in DC, but never got around to it (of course).

The last time I saw him was just a few months ago. He was up at my job, doing some news and commentary. He looked and sounded great, weak but the way you would expect a guy in recovery to look. He was still just a genuine, fun guy to be around. We talked shop over some Chinese food and had some laughs, hoping to see one another again soon. That was the last time I talked to him.

I'm sure he's somewhere right now, chewing on Smarties and laughing at the insanity of it all...meanwhile Bobby, Thurman, Billy and The Mick have a few beers and catching up.

RIP, Bobby and Tony. You'll both be missed.

Some Interesting News

2008-06-26T19:36:00.000-04:00

Gallup (who does some of the most accurate and realistic polling out there) offered up THIS little tidbit of information yesterday:

The latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update on the presidential election finds John McCain and Barack Obama exactly tied at 45% among registered voters nationwide.

Good news, indeed...yet McCain (in lieu of any actual Conservativism) needs to start pounding away at The Messiah (TM) with a little more direction.

Some days I wish I could just sleep until November 5th and avoid the four months of agita that I have ahead of me. This is gonna be a good year for Maalox.

Not So Strange Bedfellows

2008-06-04T09:46:00.001-04:00

From one craptastic former president to one potential craptastic president, a show of support. Can't you feel the love? Or is that nausea?

Courtesy Tammy Bruce:

One Complete Disaster for the Country Endorses Another One

Peanuts in a pod. Now that he has the coveted Hamas endorsement, why not pull in the nod from the biggest failed president of the modern age? Yes we can!

Ahh yes, James Podunk Carter, the last POS President we got saddled with when the vox plumbeus decided to vote based on touchy-feely emotions and not with their heads.

Of course, it's highly possible they did vote with their heads back in '76, but the heads were all on 'empty'. I can sense the same wind whipping through the empty whipperwills right about now.

I know Hillary's supposed to have spoken tonight or will speak or some such nonsense, but I'll read about it tomorrow. There's something about the sound of her voice when she goes off on that shrill, sticatto shouting thing that she does during every speech she makes that makes me want to shove knitting needles through my ear drums, and I'd like to avoid the Emergency Room tonight if I can.

I hope she stays in somehow - or (gasp) even runs on an Independent ticket. Then we'll have some REAL fun around here.

It Snows Everywhere But Here

2008-03-08T00:31:00.001-05:00

Unbelieveable. There are blizzard warnings up all over the place, and what do we get here in Joisey?

FLOODS!

Bah! There's no justice, I tells ya. A Friday night snowstorm would have been pretty cool...but it was not meant to be.

Surprise, Surprise!

2008-03-05T09:35:00.000-05:00

Gomer Pyle said it best, no? Looks like the Democratic battle just got a whole lot more interesting. That ceratinly wasn't the feeling yesterday morning when one of my co-workers humorously noted, "Tonight we begin finding out all about the devil we don't know". So much for that.

Well, we wake up today and wonder of wonders, Hillary's back in it. I guess all the eulogies and coulda-shoulda-woulda's can be put on hold for at least a few more weeks, if not months.

So what happened? Could be any number of things. First of all, we pretty much know now that polling data is useless. It has been since the 2000 election. Why people still read anything into polling data is beyond me. We know for sure that HillyBill ain't going anywhere now, and things should start getting interesting.

Of course, we still have to wait for the results of the Texas caucases (what is with that state anyway?) and this can flip-flop back on a dime, but did Hillary's sudden aggressive ad campaign (however disjointed it may be) combined with Michelle Obama's unfortunate habit of being unable to control her Marxist maw (and some dirt on hubby beginning to surface in the form of questionable business dealings) make for some of the difference leading up to yesterday?

With McCain having sewn up the nomination now, and Huckabee heading back to his Fender bass, all that remains for him now is the dog-and-pony show of the GOP Convention. On the Democratic side, I think the gloves are about to come off. McCain can sit back and watch the fireworks while HRC and BHO go after one another like foaming pit bulls.

Before anyone assumes that this will be a civilized battle going forward, remember these ARE the Clintons we are talking about. Just ask the fomer White House Travel Office employees about how civil Hillary can be. No, I'm betting that we are going to see a real street fight here, possibly all they way up until the Democratc convention.

As Hank and Jim listener Chris pointed out last night, this upcoming Dem Convention might make the 1968 one look like a backyard tea party. I better go to the wholesale club and stock up on popcorn.

More Ado About Nothing

2008-02-14T21:41:00.000-05:00

If you were unlucky enough to watch that entire multi-million-dollar dog and pony show on ESPN yesterday, then you probably feel the same way I do today: completely disgusted.

Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee both appeared before the House Governmental Oversight Committee hearing on Wednesday to participate in an ambigiously-defined session of "He Said / He Said". And for what? Clemens was looking to clear his name, and in one of the best examples of our society, McNamee was looking to futher ruin his in an effort to show how "honest" he is.

What we actually saw was among the biggest wastes of time and money that you will have ever witnessed. Two questionable (at best) characters vying for the title of Biggest Bullshit Artist on national television, each not worthy of any benefit of the doubt. Clemens, a loudmouth whose self-serving verbiage is surpassed only by that of the equally-bulky (but somehow uninvestgated) Curt Schilling. McNamee, a scummy, dirty ex-cop who has made a career out of hindering investigations (until now, of course).

After four-and-a-half snowbound hours of my life that I will never get back, my opinion on this matter hasn't changed one iota: Clemens is full of shit and McNamee is probably embellishing what he knows to avoid further jail time. Meanwhile, the guy that distributed the steroids McNamee used in the first place (ex-Met Clubhouse Attendant Kirk Radomski) gets 5 years probation and is laughing at us all.

This whole mess, from the Mitchell Report on down to this friggin' display we were all subjected to yesterday, has been nothing more than a smoke-and-mirrors dance being orchestrated by that Used Car Salesman Bud Selig to keep Congress out of Baseball. Yep, that REALLY worked, Bud. You truly, TRULY are a genius. Of course, after the wonders of Interleague Play and the All-Star Game World Series Coin Toss, we should have all known that already.

I wonder what Congress and Senator "Bawston" Mitchell would say if they realized that the majority of baseball fans could care less about all this. The only people that actually give a shit are the cranky old baseball scribes that yearn for the days when baseball was perfect - and only had alcohol abuse, cocaine, rascism, gambling and homophobia as problems to worry about.

Here's an idea: institute an effective testing policy and let's move the fuck on. Stop wasting my tax dollars on nonsense that can't change what's already been done. Stop showing me trials with no verdict but lots of mud. In the words of North Carolina Congressman Patrick McHenry (R), "We're facing huge challenges in housing, government spending, taxes and illegal immigration. Congress would be better served to focus on any of those issues instead of inserting itself into a name-calling, finger-pointing, school-yard brawl."

I couldn't have said it any better myself.

Gee, I can't wait until the Justice Department gets involved and this BS starts all over again. Yeah, that will sure help keep baseball clean.

Not.

Super Tuesday Burnout

2008-02-05T21:38:00.003-05:00

Well, Super Tuesday is upon us - and if you are like me, at some point today you are going to feel political burnout (despite the welcome distraction of the Giants Victory Parade today). It's to be expected: there only so much blather and rhetoric one can stand about the witch Hillary, empty suit Obama and that robotic animatron McCain before you want to smash your face through the nearest storefront window.

Which is why I am pleased to report that I just discovered a web site I never knew existed before: ENOUGH-LUPICA.COM. If you're a regular reader of this blog, or know me personally, you know I hate that little prick more than I hate cilantro, and that's a LOT of hate. It's nice to know that there are apparently a lot of other people out there that see the little midget for what he is: an egotisitcal dog shit on the sidewalks of sports journalism.

You have to love a web site that points out just what a little, demeted piece of shit Lupica is. I heartily recommend the Photoshop page, which features delightful gems like this:

Good stuff...good stuff.

So - when the Super Tuesday burnout kicks in...go have a couple of laughs at that dipshit Lupica's expense. I know I sure did.

BTW - I've been lax at keeping this thing updated, so I'll try and copy over the entries from my Blogspot blog at some point so you can all enjoy my recent blaterings.

Come on, you know you love it.

2008 Is Doin' Great

2008-01-03T10:13:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone survived New Year's in one piece...not a whole lot going on right now, just hard at work on the WHOT Archive and other fun bits of this 'n that. Trust me, when I have something to say, you'll be the first to know!

Meowy Christmas!

2007-12-25T11:08:00.000-05:00

I know, I haven't been saying a whole lot latey (I suck!), but I did want to take a moment to wish everyone a wonderully Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Why? Because It's Fun!

2007-12-03T20:54:00.005-05:00

Since my posts of late September I have gotten some e-mails from people wanting to know what my beef is with the NY Mets and why I took such glee in watching them collapse (hee hee hee...sorry, I still can't stop chuckling about it).

Believe it or not, there was a time when I really didn't care either way about the Mets. In fact (gasp!), back in the mid-80s I even followed the Mets because they were such an intriguing team to watch. I never really "hated" the Mets back then and they were fun to watch. At the end of the day, my heart still belonged in the Bronx. I was just indifferent at the time.

Of course, it didn't take the Mets long to get back to doing what they do best - sucking. I could not believe that after winning the World Series in 1986, GM Frank Cashen began IMMEDIATELY dismantling what would have been a potential dynasty team. He couldn't leave well enough alone. One by one he picked them off - Ray Knight, Kevin Mitchell, Len Dykstra - while placing emphasis on spoiled crybaby types like Greg Jefferies. Watching all that go down reminded me why I was a Yankee fan, and after the '88 NLCS loss to the Dodgers enough was enough. I couldn't figure out why I gave two shits about the Mets anyway since I was a Yankee fan. The clandestine fling was officially over.

Still, I didn't "hate" the Mets. They were the NL team in town, good for them, they were bad, whatever. One day my buddy AJ said to me "there's no way you can be a Yankee fan and be ambivalent about the Mets". I argued this point but he said (in his prophetic way), "you'll see".

The answer to the question actually explains itself. What finally made me loathe the Metros was (drumroll)...Met fans. I worked with some pretty obnoxious ones at the time (a few were particularly obnoxious about it) and while I never disrespected or poked fun at them when the Mets invariably did what they do best (sucking), they never missed an opportunity to bust balls when the Yankees were going through lean times. It wasn't that they enjoyed watching the Yankees stink - they enjoyed busting balls of Yankee fans about it, which is pretty pathetic.

It's like Red Sox syndrome. When the Sox were finding new and exciting ways to lose every year, with their fans it was NEVER the Red Sox management's fault, never the players' fault. No, it somehow was always the Yankees' fault. The penis envy was always pathetic. Beer's too warm? The Yankees must have all the cold beer! Player made an error? The Yankees must have willed it to happen with voodoo! Turns out Met fans are just as bad, if not worse. No bad event is ever the Mets organization's fault, it's always those damn Yankees. Get a grip.

When the Yankees lose, Yankee fans don't walk around going "it's those damn Wilpons and the Mets - they get everything" (after all, the Mets have the highest payroll in the NL, so it's worth being envious of them, right...?). No, we know when they suck it's because they suck - not because some other team made it happen simply by existing (side note: somehow after finally winning a World Series, Red Sox fans have actually gotten worse about this...it's sad, actually).

The final straw was the day after Mickey Mantle died. It was a pretty somber day at my job, and the Yankee fans were having a group talk around my desk about The Mick and his unfortunate passing. On cue, the resident King Asshole Met fan came by and unleashed some of the most classless, scummy, childish insults about Mantle - and he did it just to dig at us personally so we'd feel even worse on a sad day. He almost got thrown out the 32nd story window, but cooler heads prevailed.

It was at that very moment that I awoke from my baseball amnesia. I realized that AJ was right - there was simply no way a Yankee fan could exhibit compassion to a Met fan because he would never get it back in kind. I had this proved in one trashy exchange that Monday in 1995 by a prototypical, "Letsgo Mets"-ing, Mr. Met bobblehead-ing Met fan in all his blue-and-orange glory. At a time when if the shoe had been on the other foot, I would have gone to this person and expressed condolences from one fan to another, I was not afforded the same luxury. At that moment I opened my eyes from the coma.

It was also the moment I went back to doing as I did in the 70s and wished for the Mets to somehow implode spectacularly. It took 12 years, but my prayers were finally answered, on the last day of the 2007 season. Even now, the thoughts of it take the sting off the way the Yankees' season ended. It was a fair trade.

So now you know. Never question the power of prayer.

Well Look Who's Back...

2007-11-15T21:53:00.000-05:00

Stop the presses...Alex Rodriguez has retuned to the Yankees. Arod essecntially has crawled back to New York, and in the process has wrested control of his future from his Svengali-like "super agent" and full-time asshat, Scott Boras.

I am not prepared to take back all the bad things I said about Alex a few days ago. This is a good thing for Alex. Boras was single-handedly ruining his client's reputation and making him look like a fool. By dostancing himself from Weasel Man, Alex has shown himself to be smarter than I gave him credit for.

Alex will be a part of the Yankees for the next 10 years now and if he can stop himself from tripping over his own feet and ego - something he has had issues with in recent years since leaving Seattle - this should be a good marriage for both sides.

Welcome back, Arod. Don't piss me off again.

It’s Official: TV Writers Walk

2007-11-05T23:08:00.000-05:00

Yep, the WGA went on strike last night at midnight, which means that most TV series’ should be in re-runs a few weeks from now, and most (if not all) late-night talk shows should be in re-runs tonight.

How lame and pathetic are the late-night talk show hosts that a writer's strike is enough to send them into immediate re-runs? I wish I had a job where all I had to do was read unfunny crap that other people wrote for me. I can't believe that for what these guys get paid, they can't function without their precious cue cards.

I bet Carson would have stayed on just to spite ‘em. Wimps.

A Reminder

2007-11-01T23:33:00.000-04:00

Happy Novembuh! Remember to set that clock back this weekend!

Halloween Sure Can Be Scary

2007-10-31T22:48:00.003-04:00

Happy Halloween, one and all – hope everyone doesn’t suffer from sugar shock after eating all those chocolate bars and candy corns!

Wanna hear a scary Halloween story?

Back when I was a college puddin head, I was out having a few brews with friends and I innocently asked if they had anything planned for Halloween – any parties, hay rides, what have you.

Much to my surprise, a peripheral aquaintence - whom up to that point I'd assumed was completely normal - chimed in with “We don’t do Halloween in our house”. Say what? I was dumbfounded. “What do you mean, you don’t “do” Halloween”? “It’s a nasty, evil holiday”, he tells me. I queried on. “Do you give candy to trick or treaters?” “No, because that just further legitimizes this evil day”. Evil day? What planet had I just fallen on to?

I attempted to point out that the paganism of the day had long ago been co-opted by seven-year-olds dressed up like Superman looking for Bite-Size Snickers, and teenagers looking for a more creative use for toilet paper, eggs and shaving cream. None of this seemed to matter. No, on a scale of one to ten - with one being puppies and ten being Hitler - apparently, Halloween was an 11.

This would have been scary enough, except that further prodding revealed that growing up, his family never did any of the innocent, childhood things most of us grew up with: no Santa Claus, no Easter Bunny…I was dumbstruck. I looked at the other people we were with and asked “Did any of you guys have a NORMAL childhood”? Thankfully, I was not alone in my self-percieved sanity.

Thankfully, my parents didn't think my childhood should be all about them. There is only one time in your life when your suspension of disbelief is such that you can find yourself believing in something as wonderful and innocent as jolly old St. Nick and other bearers of joy (I'll even through the Tooth Fairy into the math - why not). There’s plenty of time when you are an adult, with mortgages, utility bills, illness and threats of terrorism to be a cynical mess. To not know that innocence ever in your life is a shame.

Ever year when I am enjoying my marshmallow Jack-o-Lanterns and nasty candy corn, I still think of him, all these many years later.

Who said Halloween wasn’t scary anymore?

Breaking News (of the Insane Variety)

2007-10-30T00:08:00.000-04:00

This just in via e-mail from Jim Nazium:

From: Jim Nazium
Sent: Monday, October 29, 2007 6:26 PM
To: Pete Sayek
Subject: It's over!

I can say without feeling guilty to anyone including my friends that if you voted for Eliot Spitzer you're an asshole!

NY Senators mum on Spitzer's ID plan for immigrants

Eliot Spitzer's Halloween Trick: Driver's Licenses for Illegal Aliens

Thankfully, Jim knows I do not qualify under the ‘asshole proviso’ as I left New York for greener pastures many a moon ago, and even IF I still lived there, there’s no way in Hell I would have been THAT stupid.

I guess the events of 9/11 weren’t tragic enough for shit-for-brains megalomaniacs like Elliot “the bulldozer” Spitzer to have learned anything of value. I guess the guy is always too busy to trying to ruin people that oppose him to pay attention to what goes on in the real world.

Equal shame on “Homeland Security Secretary” and withering corpse Michael Chertoff (a.k.a. Skeletor) for capitulating to this effing insanity. What a disappointment this administration has truly become.

I am guessing this will NOT be the final word on this matter. Stay tuned.

Goodbye, Alex…Hello, Joe

2007-10-29T22:30:00.000-04:00

Early this afternoon, the Yankees announced that Joe Girardi had been chosen to succeed Joe Torre as manager. This is good news. Girardi is that anti-Torre. He’s a smart baseball man who won’t play favorites and allow funk to spread uncontrolled. The rumor is a formal announcement could come as early as Wednesday.

The real BIG news took place overnight and into the early morning hours. The fires hadn’t even been set and the windows barely broken in Boston last night when Alex Rodriguez announced via his mouthpiece and pimp, Scott Boras that he had chosen to opt out of his final contact year, effectively severing his ties with the New York Yankees, ending a tumultuous – occasionally caustic – three-year affair between Arod and the Yanks.

There’s no denying that Arod is a phenomenal player. That is one thing that can’t be argued. However, when he played with Texas – and before that, Seattle – you would always hear rumors about what a head case the guy was, how for all the good he brought to the table, there was always the bad; there was “the baggage”.

Who knew that no only were those rumors true – they were 100x worse than you could ever have imagined.

When Arod came to the Yankees, it was right after a deal to send him to Boston fell through. Remember that? Oh yeah, New York really pulled a fast one on Boston, didn’t they? They pulled Arod right out from under them! Nothing left to do now but sit back and count the rings. Well, since “stealing” Arod away from Boston, the Red Sox have two World Series titles while the Yankees have made three hasty first-round exits from the playoffs.

In lieu of championships, we were treated to the Alex Rodriguez Traveling Road Show and Flying Circus. Stupefying heights. Mystifying slumps. The Contract. The sports psychologist. The bad blood with Jeter. The carefully-rehearsed interviews. Photos from Toronto with a mystery blonde. The ‘HA!’ incident. The ‘don’t boo me’ pity party. The 500 HRs. The magnificent regular seasons…and most glaring of all, the mind-numbing, Winfield-like post-season failures that piled up like leaves in Autumn.

Arod’s stay in New York will be littered with the debris of “the baggage”. People will remember three things about Alex now that he’s gone: the fact that he could never live up to the money he was paid no matter how many heroics he put up (he never allowed himself to); his astonishing October disappearing acts; and the fact that when push came to shove, he just couldn’t hack it in New York.

Alex is represented by Scott Boras, as big a dirty pimp as there is in organized sports. He schools his clients in the fine art of selfishness and disloyalty; his only concern is big contracts to maintain his big percentage cuts and large lifestyle. The onus however is all on Arod. Boras also represented Bernie Williams. Bernie had no problem telling Boras to shut the fuck up when he wanted to stay with the Yankees. Arod is different – he is Mr. Sensitive, Boras’ Golden Goose. As such, he is kept on an obedient, short leash.

Arod’s departure allows the Yankees to take the 30-million per it would have cost them to keep him in Pinstripes and disburse it in a wiser, saner way – namely on bringing in some sorely-needed bullpen help and keeping their new, youthful core intact well into the 2010’s.

So long Alex. Thanks for that meaningless home run in Game 4 against the Indians.

Take your “baggage” and your pimp with you.

The End of an Era

2007-10-19T13:10:00.000-04:00

The Joe Torre era came to an end for the New York Yankees yesterday. Torre’s tenure ends with a whimper – a poor post-season showing and first-round elimination for the third straight year. Despite that, the Yankees made a more-than-fair offer to Joe: 5 million for next year with added incentives for each milestone that the Yankees reach: a mil for the Division, another mil for the Division Series, another for the Championship Series, and a payoff for a World Series title – with an option for a second year.

In light of how things have gone since 2001, I can’t say as I blame the Yankees for making that offer. Torre parlayed the good will of four championships in the late-90s into becoming the highest-paid manager in baseball by a WIDE margin. What did the Yankees get for their buck? Not much bang. Six straight years of post-season disappointment following the bloop-and-error-aided 2001 WS loss. Joe didn’t think so, and so he moves on.

I appreciate what Joe did while he was here. Four World Championships are nothing to sneeze at. However, many knowledgeable Yankee fans – who watch this team day in and day out – will tell you that the four championships could have (and should have) easily been seven or eight.

So what happened? There is a theory that managers are only successful for a certain amount of years because once the familiarity sets in, managers become partial to “their guys”. They play favorites over doing the right thing (something Joe Torre was guilty of the last few years), and the complacency starts to set in.

Joe’s dugout naps and lack of a pulse were OK when the Yankees were winning. When they are getting screwed repeatedly by bad calls and being blinded by bugs, suddenly it’s not so cute. It’s an old saying, but it is true – sometimes you DO need to make changes just for the sake of making changes. Casey Stengel, Joe McCarthy, Miller Huggins – all eventually parted ways with the Yankees because that’s the way it goes. Nothing lasts forever.

So long Joe…it was fun while it lasted and what you did while you were here is definitely appreciated…but it’s time for a change.

NY Libs Wild About Rudy

2007-10-17T21:49:00.000-04:00

Courtesy Tammy Bruce comes this little gem: a piece in The Observer outlining the various ways the mere CONCEPT of Rudy Giuliani running for president is driving New York Libs crazy:

Rudy’s Doin’ It! Shocked Cacophony Among New York Democrats That The Rudy They Know May Actually Become Republican Candidate

“It’s totally unbelievable,” said Charles Rangel, the dean of the New York Congressional delegation and a longtime adversary of Mr. Giuliani. “I refuse to believe that this could possibly happen to our country. I have too much confidence in our country to believe that this could really happen.”

The article is chock full of classic New York Liberal narcissism in action from the likes of Rangel, Norman Siegel and Ed "You actually didn't do so good" Koch.

The reason why Rudy drove (and drives, apparently) charlatans like Siegel, Rangel and Koch bananas was because he came in after two administrations (Koch and the uber-charlatan Dinkins) that made it their day-to-day business to bend over backwards for every “special interest” and “activist” like pathetic puppets.

Giuliani came in and fumigated the stench from City Hall by not doing the popular things, but doing the correct things. He took people and situations on a case-by-case basis and (correctly, IMHO) wouldn’t give clowns like Sharpton and his ilk the time of day, letting them know in no uncertain terms that they would no longer be allowed to run slipshod over City Hall like they did the previous four years. Little things like actually enforcing laws started to make a difference immediately. This drove a whole sub-class of rabble-rousers insane because they were effectively de-fanged and made irrelevant. Meanwhile, the city turned around and it became a decent place to live in again. Autocrat Bloomberg is doing his best to reverse all that, unfortunately.

Yet, I have a lot of misgivings about Rudy as President. However - if he can take out the Clinton Machine, I might be able to live with them.

Give Paws a Chance

2007-10-16T22:11:00.000-04:00

Hey fellow Cat Peeps – in case you didn’t know, today is National Feral Cat Day. The whole purpose of this day is to clear up some of the misunderstandings about feral cats.

The most common misconception is that feral cats are “wild”. Feral cats are NOT “wild cats”. They are the same domestic species as the house cats that simultaneously sleep on - and destroy – your sofas at home. The only difference is that “feral” cats were never socialized, so they fear human contact.

Many communities have begun the humane population control of feral cats though the effective method of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). The ineffective method of destroying unadoptable ferals is an unacceptable control method – especially when TNR is a viable alternative that better manages and reduces feral cat populations.

Take a couple of minutes and read all about the good work that the people at Alley Cat Allies do every day to spread the word about TNR. The little feral fuzzbutts in your area will be glad you did.

The Stupid Get Stupider

2007-10-12T11:15:00.000-04:00

Well, those screwball idiots at the Nobel Foundation (or whatever the hell they are) did it - they went and awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize to Algore for permeating his junk science on the masses. No matter that tons of meteorologists and scientists have problems with his reporting of hackneyed theorum as fact. These Nobel folks are becoming as arbitrary in their choices as Time's Man of the Year: throw some crap at a wall, see what sticks.

What I want to know, is why the schmucks at Nobel never award their little trinkets to honor things that have actually made life worth living? Where are the Nobel prizes for...

Those foam caddies that keep your beers cold.
Air conditioning (thank you, God).
Electronic guitar tuners (we, the tone deaf, appreciate it).
Stereo hi-fi equipment (and all that has come since then).
Cable de-scramblers.
Ice cold Coca-Cola on a hot day.
The "Brazilian cut".
Chicken marsala.
Bit torrents.
Blizzards on a school day (I remember that).
Martini shakers.
White Castle Hamburgers.

I could go on and on...the list is endless, really...but instead, we honor the cream of the assclown crop. It's almost a metaphor for the futility of life, I tells ya.

All I'll say is this: if you are going to give Al Gore a Nobel Prize, you have to also consider giving one to Doctor Science and Professor Irwin Corey.

Better yet, let’s give them to every weatherman everywhere. I’m down with awarding trinkets to Lloyd Lindsay Young and Al Roker. I think Tex Antoine deserves a posthumous Nobel…don’t you?

Yes, Fans...it WAS the WORST

2007-10-10T23:03:00.000-04:00

Simply because I can't get enough schadenfreude these days, I present to you ANOTHER article - this one from Zac Wassinick over at Yahoo Sports - that points out YET AGAIN how the Mets collapse of 2007 was the worst in baseball history:

The Mets Are the Biggest Chokers of Them All

Many Mets fans are pointing to the Yankees of 2004 as the biggest choke-job in Major League Baseball history. That team, as is well known, took a 3-0 lead in the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox before losing four straight, the first team to ever lose a series after taking the first three games in the history of the Major Leagues. Nice try, Mets fans. It's time for fans to realize that the collapse of the 2007 is even worse than what the Yankees "accomplished" in 2004. Here are the reasons why that is true.

Read and learn. Look on the bright side - someone has to be worst.

Another Early Exit

2007-10-09T08:38:00.000-04:00

I’m gonna keep this one short and sweet: the Yankees made another hasty exit from the Playoffs last night. Wish I could say I wasn’t getting used to this, but unfortunately, I wasn’t shocked. I am only now beginning to understand how it must have felt to be an Atlanta Braves fan in the 1990s – good enough to get to the dance, but not good enough to leave with a trophy.

I know these guys killed themselves down the stretch (they needed to play .700 ball after the All-Star Break just to make the post-season), and I’m sure that factored into the ‘fold and mutilate’ they just executed, but this team was definitely better than the Indians and the excuses…well, they’re just not floating with me right now.

Joe Torre looked like a guy in a coma throughout the series and it will be interesting to see if Boss George makes good on his threat to go in a different direction next season. Regardless, it should be an interesting off-season.

Go Tribe.

Happy Birthday, JWL.

I Know Baseball Fans Like Stats, So...

2007-10-03T23:50:00.001-04:00

...a little lesson in basic math from the guys over at Enough Lupica for our favorite Midget Met over at the Daily Snooze:

Enough Bullshit About Payroll

For years we've had to endure the same payroll bullshit from Mike The Douche Lupica.

The Yankee payroll is $200 million - every week, every month, every year, every article we have to hear about it. We get it. We did a little research about the Mets payroll - and guess what? Time to shove it up your ass, Mike.

In addition Mike, your politics suck, you're ugly and you dress like a dwarf.

Oh My GOD!!!

2007-09-30T21:22:00.002-04:00

Well hey everyone - freshly back from Baltimore where we saw the Yankees win one and lose one en route to the 2007 post-season. We were supposed to go to all three games, but after a busy weekend full of activities down in Charm City, we decided to blow off today's final game and drive back early. Heck, I have work tomorrow, so it just made sense.

On the way home up I-95 we kept flipping between the Yankees game (which had all the flow of Maine molasses in January) and the Mets game. You know the story - the Mets had to win to guarantee at least a tie with the Phillies (after beating the Marlins Saturday night). A Met loss and a Phillies win would mean the Mets would have completed the biggest collapse in baseball history. Watching the Mets drop five out of their previous six games and whittle away a 6-game lead down to nothing has been nothing short of hysterical. All weekend I've been thinking of how delicious it would be if the Mets didn't even make the post-season.

So imagine the heights of euphoria I reached when we tuned in to hear the Mets losing 7-1 IN THE BOTTOM OF THE FIRST! Mon and I cackled like delighted school children. We started flipping back and forth between the Phillies game and the Mets game. From then on it was a matter of counting down the innings while the Mets folded like a house of cards in a hurricane and the Phillies tacked on runs against the Nats in Philly.

The Mets lost 8-1; about five minutes later the Phillies won 6-1. Cars on I-95 (south of Philly) honked wildly. It was a beautiful moment, a moment made all the more sweet by the dribbling bullshit I have had to endure from slack-jawed Met fans ever since the Yankees' ALCS loss in 2004 (which, unlike this majestic masterpiece, was simply a three-game losing streak at a bad time). In that one instant, as the crowd cheered at Citizen's Bank ballpark, I thought of how ironic, poetic and fitting it was that the 2007 Mets had just let Gene Mauk and the 1964 Phillies off the hook, bettering their famous collapse by a couple of extra notches in futility.

From now on, when people ask "what team had the biggest collapse in baseball history", the 2007 Mets will roll of the tongue. To quote my friend AJ (who sent me an e-mail about this earlier this afternoon), "it was like watching the best porn ever".

It couldn't have happened to a better group of fans. I'm sure Mike Lupica (and the other Midget Mets out there) will be crying himself to sleep tonight.

Karma: it's not just for breakfast anymore.

Same Crap, Different Era

2007-09-23T23:42:00.000-04:00

For those of you that may live under a rock and are not aware of such things - and really, good for you if you don't - this week is the annual U.N. General Assembly. New York City, while safer than it's ever been, will be crawling with the most odious assemblage of crooks, thieves and murders we've seen around here since the Abe Beame administration - all of them flouting Diplomatic Immunity.

Nothing is more outrageous than the open arms extended to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad NOT ONLY by the increasingly-irrelevant UN, but by the faculty of one of New York's echelon's of higher learning, Columbia University. Of course, Ahmadinejad will fit right in at Columbia...hell, they might even offer the little murderous bastard tenure.

I know what you are thinking: how could a place like COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY offer an invitation to a psychopathic dictator? Surely, this sort of thing has never happened before!

Guess again. The folks at Little Green Footballs will set you straight.

Nice.

Fly The Flag on 9/11

2007-09-11T01:05:00.000-04:00

As we mark the 6th Anniversary of one of the worst attack on the United States, I invite you to participate in the Fly The Flag Campaign. Let's make sure our nation is awash in our colors on 9/11, a reminder to all who would try to hurt us, including the enemy within, that these colors do not run:

Please join us in this FLY THE FLAG campaign.

We have just a few days to get the word out all across this great land and into every community in the United States of America. If you are able please tell at least 11 people and if each of those people do the same, well you get the idea.

THE PROGRAM IS THIS:

On Monday, September 11th, 2006, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States. Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this fifth anniversary of our country's worst tragedy. We do this in honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism.
Sadly, many of those flags have all but disappeared.

Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds.

Action Plan: Here is what we need you to do...
(1) Forward this message to everyone you know (at least 11 people). Please don't be the one to break this chain. Take a moment to think back to how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you.

(2) Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11. Honestly, Americans should fly the flag year-round, but if you don't, then at least make it a priority on this day. Thank you for your participation.

God Bless You and God Bless America

Thanks, as always, to Tammy Bruce for the info. I’m proud to spread the word.

Global Warming Update

2007-08-22T22:59:00.000-04:00

You know I like to keep you updated on this scary Global Warming thing. Here’s another scary tidbit for ya:

Arctic August: NYC Sets Record For Coldest Day

Yeah, that and I just saw a thing on Eyewitness News This Morning about how Norwegian fishermen are battling the worst impacted ice they’ve seen in fifty years.

Guess I’d better go turn that thermostat down a notch.

Sleep With the Dogs, Wake Up With Fleas

2007-08-20T21:08:00.000-04:00

OK, so let’s review: the Chinese are trying to kill us with tainted vegetables, kill our pets with botulism, and kill our children with small-part-and-lead-filled toys.

Why are we buying ANYTHING from a country that bulldozes Democracy protesters? Why are these assholes back on the “favored nation” status?

Grunt.

Phil Rizzuto – 1917-2007

2007-08-14T21:48:00.000-04:00

Longtime Yankees announcer and shortstop Phill Rizzuto passed away earlier today at the age of 89 after a long illness.

It’s funny…I had just been thinking about Phil on Old Timer's Day...I knew he was in bad shape and I was wondering how much time he had left.If you grew up in New York City in the 70s, you probably think fondly of the days when you could walk around the neighborhood streets and from everyone's front porch or backyard you could hear the sounds of Phil, Bill White and Frank Messer. The Yankees were returning to prominence, on the precipice of a Dynasty, and the Yankees ruled NYC. Rizzuto, White and Messer were the soundtrack of your summers.

Hopefully Frank is waiting for Phil with a microphone in hand.

Rest in peace, Scooter - you were one of a kind...

Who Ordered the Tornadoes?

2007-08-09T22:05:00.000-04:00

WELL. The huge storms that tore through parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island yesterday morning proved to be – as suspected – the rarest of all weather phenomena: New York City tornadoes!

For those of you in other parts of the country that don’t know, we really don’t get a whole lot of tornadoes ‘round there parts. There are a lot of scientific reasons for that – from the lack of flat grounds to the geographical makeup of the five boroughs…although I personally believe it has more to do with the scarcity of trailer parks than anything else.

Sure, we’ve had a couple of brief twisters her and there, but they usually touch down and pop right back up. There were the real deal – destructive, F2 tornaders. Luckily, they missed the Hank & Jim studios by a couple of miles.

The old adage is true: if you hang around long enough, you will see everything.

Radio Free New York Site Update: RNI!

2007-07-26T22:10:00.000-04:00

This week marks the 20th Anniversary of Radio New York International!

That's right - it was twenty years ago that a group of underground broadcasters got together and attempted to sign on an offshore pirate radio station (broadcasting on an old fishing trawler called The Radioship Sarah) from international territory, four-and-a-half miles off the coast of New York City - outside the three-mile limit.

Well, as we learned, territories can be in the mind of the beholder - and after just five days of broadcasting, RNI was shut down and dismantled by the FCC. Despite RNI's short existence, it left a lasting mark on the radio scene and those of us who were a part of it will never forget the experience!

Radio Free New York is proud to mark RNI's 20th Anniversary with a group of site updates that add new audio, video and text commemorating this historic event. Among the updates are:

More detailed notes on the RNI saga.

Embedded video from our personal collections, including news coverage from that crazy week and the days that followed!

Airchecks of the last broadcasts from The Sarah before the FCC brought the hammer down on July 28, 1987.

The new updated pages (with audio and video) can be found directly HERE.

I'm sure these new RNI pieces will bring back memories for you as they did for me while I was putting them all together!

As always, thanks for surfing our way!

The Bronx Is Burning…Again

2007-07-09T23:05:00.000-04:00

ESPN is running an excellent miniseries commemorating the 30th anniversary of the 1977 World Champion Yankees. It’s not JUST about the Yankees – it’s about the whole astounding mess the city was going through back in 1977, from Son of Sam to the big Northeast Blackout, to one of the more contentious mayoral elections in city history.

The miniseries is based on Jonathan Mahler’s excellent book of the same name, although the TV version relies heavily on other sources since it mainly focuses on the ’77 Yankees and their role in the turbulence of the times. So far the acting has been top-notch (John Turturro’s turn as Billy Martin is downright scary) and the vintage news and game clips are sure to rattle a few memory cells that you haven’t referred to in a while.

If you’re around my age and lived through the insane craziness of the time, you’ll definitely want to check it out. ESPN has set up an excellent sub-site with episode updates and the like HERE.

Fourth of July Memories

2007-07-04T23:38:00.000-04:00

Happy Independence Day, everyone! Earlier this week at work, I was waxing nostalgic about July Fourths of my youth, taking a stroll down memory lane...

Growing up in Brooklyn NY, Independence Day always meant the sounds of firecrackers, whistling rockets and crackling fountains - starting somewhere around mid-June and increasing in intensity until July 4th, with a rousing, citizen-provided, city-wide fireworks display the likes of which you probably wouldn't see anywhere else.

In addition to the sights and sounds of sparkling lights and popping crackers, the smell of sulphur would permeate your nostrils. It was hard to escape the full-senses assault: pretty much every city block featured a high number of homeowners barbecuing and setting off their own Chinatown-purchased displays (it was always illegal to buy and sell fireworks, and to an extent, to set them off...but most law enforcement looked the other way in the spirit of the holiday and all that).

When Rudy became mayor, all that changed. He decided to crack down on John Gotti's annual ridiculous Grucci-like displays in Queens, and I guess he felt that it would only be fair to crack down on EVERYONE. Police began confiscating fireworks from the average citizen in great numbers; patrols were doubled and tripled on July 4th; people that protested were issued summonses.

I am a huge fan of what Rudy did for New York - reversing the cancer that had been allowed to spread under Koch's last term and the total ineptitude of the Dinkins years (shudder) - but I feel in this particular instance, he was simply going over the top. What Gotti was doing and what John Q. Homeowner were doing in their front yards was like comparing one tiny apple to a truckload of oranges. Autocrat Bloomberg must share an equal disdain for fireworks, as he has kept the hard-line ban up under his rule.

I have been back to Brooklyn for Fourth of July in the years since the crackdown, and you'd never know it was the noisy, joyous place it used to be when I was a kid. You occasionally hear a fire cracker pop from a brave soul, or a whistle from a wayward bottle rocket - but it's nowhere near the full-blown rattle and bang that it used to be 'back in the day'.

I miss those sounds, and I miss those smells. As a young boy, I couldn't wait for the Fourth because I knew it would be a borough-and-city-wide block party of epic proportions. But it's still a good time for a fun barbecue!

The iPhone is Here (or, Invasion of the Brain Snatchers)

2007-06-29T23:49:00.000-04:00

Apple released the much-ballyhooed iPhone to the masses today, and while this is being treated as a grand day for technophiles, I see it as yet another strike against humanity.

Oh, the humanity.

It’s bad enough that we already live in a society that wherever you look, you are surrounded increasingly more and more by oblivious idiots that walk through life staring down at their blackberries, blueberries or whatever the Hell mobile umbilical cord they happen to have attached themselves to. I’ve seen people walk into traffic, into poles, into each other – all because they simply tear themselves away from their e-mail long enough to walk from the Subway to the office (where, it should be pointed out, the e-mail gleefully awaits them).

The iPhone is sure to kick up the social retardation a few more unbearable notches. It’s got e-mail! Videos! MP3s! Internet access! Voice mail! YouTube! Holy mother of GOD, it’s got EVERYTHING! So – how long before someone gets hit by a commuter train because they were too busy opening up 1GB .AVI files attached to their webmail to se see the train coming?

Some mornings I see commuters hop on the bus, one after another, all yapping away on their bluetooths and unbelievably annoying chirping walkie-talkie 2-way phones…or the inevitable e-mail-reading downward-staring obliviot. It blows my mind.

It’s not that I’m old-fashioned…I like gadgets as much as the next guy (look – I even BLOG). I just worry about a society that continues to implode exponentially inward from a glaring misconception that it needs to be in touch every minute of every hour of every day – so much so that the concept of having to do WITHOUT their redundant lifelines can throw them into frenzied panic attacks.

Maybe I am turning into a crotchety old man, but to me, the need for constant contact has eclipsed the natural desire for ACTUAL contact – be it with other people or the world around us. You can’t enjoy watching life go by of you’re too busy staring down at a 3” by 3” LCD screen.

In other words - it’s hard to stop and smell the roses when your phone keeps buzzing. Me? I’m still trying to find a good turntable stylus.

Radio Free New York Site Updates!

2007-06-24T01:15:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to let y'all know that I've added embeds from Hank's YouTube videos to several pages on the Radio Free New York Site! Check out the WFAT, WHOT, RNI on WNYG, WHOT Returns, Current and Archives pages for some video fun. I'm hoping to get even MORE video up soon, so check out the new adds!

Also - this July, Radio Free New York will mark the 20th Anniversary of Radio New York International! While it's tenure on the radio airwaves may have been brief, it was an experience that none of us will ever forget. We have received some airchecks of some of the long-lost test broadcasts from listeners and hope to have the final test show - hosted by Hank and Jim on the day before the FCC "bust" - up soon. Has it REALLY been 20 years???

Thanks again for your continued support, aircheck tapes and for spreading the word about RFNY - it is greatly appreciated. Don't forget - your submissions, questions and comments are always welcome!

Happy Easter

2007-04-08T23:20:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a great (albeit cold) Easter Sunday. We had a great weekend here – Hank and Tina Hayes came out for the wheekend and there was much joy and merriment. The four of us went to the Sellersville Theater in PA on Saturday to see The Smithereens, and they were phenomenal! It was the first time Mon and I had seen them live, and they really blew the roof off the place. It was awesome!

Of course, the drive from NJ out to PA yesterday was not without a degree of difficulty – heavy snow squalls provided some challenges, and getting back from there provided us with a scenic driving tour of greater Tinicum township – but we were none the worse for the wear today, enjoying a wonderful Easter dinner with the parental units at a nice, fancy-schmancy restaurant.

Hope everyone’s weekend was just as good!

Hope Springs Eternal

2007-04-02T09:42:00.000-04:00

It's been a bit of a while since my last trip to the blog-o-matic, but what better a day than Opening Day?

Mere hours from now, the Yankees will take the field against the Devil Rays. Yankee Stadium will no doubt look as splendid as it always does on this special day, with the smell of freshly-mowed grass and hot dogs in the air, the sounds of various high school marching bands, the sight of red, white and blue bunting waving in the air and the sound of baseballs popping into leather gloves. Opening Day is always a grand day no matter which team you root for. The slate has been wiped clean, and as the Tigers demonstrated last year - anything is possible.

For those that have never experienced Opening Day at Yankee Stadium, it is truly something to behold - with all the pomp and pageantry of a military ceremony combined with the tradition and memories of great days gone by (and to come). On TV, it impressive; in person, it is stirring.

More than anything else, it is tradition-laden spectacles like Opening Day's splendiferous grandeur that make Baseball the king of all games - and form where it draws its' strength to survive. Baseball survives - and thrives - in 2007, despite a long amalgamation of events that over history were supposed to be harbingers of the game’s “demise”, yet it has managed to outlive them all.

Baseball has survived the Black Sox scandal, Dead Ball era, the lowering of the pitcher’s mound, Astroturf, the designated hitter, Pete Rose, several work stoppages, the absolute worst TV coverage (FOX), the idiocy of Interleague play and it will survive no-necked idiots shooting bovine growth hormone in between their toes.

Why? Because what Baseball is – a myriad of imperfections wrapped up in a blanket of total perfection – is a lot like us, both as individuals and as a Nation. There are a lot of things about this country that may not be perfect – but when you look at the alternatives, it looks pretty darn good by comparison.

Play Ball – and GO YANKS!

Calvert DeForest, 1921-2007

2007-03-21T23:24:00.000-04:00

Just heard on the news that Calvert DeForest, the guy that played Larry "Bud" Melman on David Letterman's late night shows (you know - back when Dave was actually FUNNY) passed away today after a long illness.

DeForest's old appearances on Late Night used to crack me up. It was obvious that he had no idea what the hell he was talking about half the time, yet could milk laughs out of even the silliest concepts. Who can forget the fake commercials for "Larry 'Bud' Melman's Toast-On-a-Stick", or the nonsensical ones for "Melman Bus Lines".

There was one old Late Night where Dave put "Larry" in the basement of the Port Authority Bus Terminal to greet "travelers" as they arrived in New York City. Of course, only COMMUTERS come in the bottom floor...well, the results are intentionally and unintenrionally hilarious. Watching "Larry" hand out hot towels to weary travelers in Port Authority. Classic.

Another gem was putting "Larry" in a huge bear suit and sending him out in the street to hug people. The results were about what you could expect on the streets of NYC. Every second that ticked by was a potential train wreck waiting to happen.

DeForest's last appearance on Late Show was in 2002 on his 81st birthday.

Little known fact: Calvert's paternal great uncle, Lee DeForest, was a radio pioneer who in 1906 invented the Audion tube, also known as the triode, which made large-scale broadcasting commercially feasible - and for that I will always be eternally grateful.

Rest in peace, funny man. You'll be missed.

Back From The Fest!

2007-03-18T22:20:00.000-04:00

Another Beatlefest in in the books, and as is my way - here is the full report!

The basic rundown:

The snow and ice caused many accidents on the roads to Secaucus, so the normal post-work 15-minute bus ride in from Port Authority took almost two hours. From the hotel window, we could spot accident after accident taking place out on the Turnpike. Looks like it was a great night for all those tow-truck drivers making overtime.

The weather made a HUGE dent in the Friday night attendance. It was probably the first time that I've ever seen an open seat in the bar on a Friday night (there was about seven people in there when I poked my head in around 10PM)! Still, the sparse attendance made for a nicer-than-usual commiseration experience with the old friends that did make it.

Attendance was more up to its' usual numbers on Saturday. Bruce Spizer's first slideshow (mainly containing material in his new book) was hindered because some of his audio / video material never made it via FedEx due to the weather! So we missed out on hearing an actual song by The Titans and WWDC playing "I Want To Hold Your Hand" for the first time in the US. Bruce covered up nicely (certainly better than Ashely Simpson would have).

Ran into Billy J. Kramer in the afternoon (he was just hanging around - not an actual guest!), talked baseball with him (of all things), got a picture. I also discovered that while the inclement weather may have cut down on the number of participants in the yearly Beatle-freak show, the intensity of the ones that DID show up were definitely kicked up a notch (bam!). Definitely an interesting side show element this year.

The Smithereens were great in the afternoon (when are they not?) and The Bootlegs had a great crowd (as usual) on the second floor. Saturday night festivitites ran WAY late (Martin Lewis didn't begin his goofy panel discussion until after 1 AM in the morning - when, by the by, Liverpool was STILL playing!!!). The Blue Meanies / Mr. Neutron finally got going around 2AM and good fun was had by all.

Didn't stay around very long on Sunday (I'm STILL suffering from some flu-like symptoms, so I spent more time sleeping than partying this year, and felt a little burned out by early afternoon on Sunday). Lo and behold, here I am back at the ole homestead a few hours later.

Other things of note that were obverved this year - for the first time, probably EVER - the hotel security was extremely Nazi-riffic. There was an increased "beefy rent-a-cop" presence throughout the Crown Plaza, and they were very quick to flash their hotel-supplied rent-a-cop badges and talk tough about people making too much noise (excuse me?) and open bottles (wha?), etc. For the most part, Fest crowds are very diligent about policing themselves, so seeing a lot of heavy-handed, ham-fisted cro-magnons making threats to people that really weren't doing anything out of the "Fest norm" (singing, drinking, etc.), and stomping around like jackasses was a tad disturbing.

Other notes - heavy amounts of ice and snow caused the cover on the lovely outdoor Crown Plaza pool to cave in. A somewhat incoherent Mark ("Cap'n Crayola") Hudson grabbed the mike on the second floor Saturday afternoon while The Bootlegs were on break and made a rambling spectacle of himself. Last but not least, someone made a VERY "intereting", um...shall I say, "phallic" snowman out back some time on Friday night that was easily visible to Saturday morning breakfast diners seated near the lake-facing glass in the hotel restaurant. Looked like someone had slipped Frosty a few Viagra!

See y'all again in 2008!

Beatlefest 2007 Is This Weekend!

2007-03-15T22:57:00.000-04:00

Or, you know - The Fest For Beatles Fans, or whatever it is being called this week!

I'm planning to arrive Friday after work, probably around 6PM. Hope to see some of you there!

FLU UPDATE: Believe it or not, still feeling somewhat sick - TWELVE DAYS after feeling the initial signs of illness coming on. Hopefully more of that will clear out by the weekend!

Pete's Influenza Diary

2007-03-09T23:31:00.000-05:00

It was exactly one week ago today that I first started to feel the effects of The Flu. Little did I know then that it WAS "The Flu". Boy, would I be sad to learn that this year's Flu is the Nuclear Flu.

It's the Flu on Steroids.

For those of you who may think you are coming down with The Flu, here's what you have to look forward to...

Friday, March 2: This is the first inkling I have that something is wrong. I drag all day and collapse in a heap before 8PM.

Saturday, March 3: I wake up feeling OK, assuming that I was merely tired the night before. Mon and I go to breakfast, hit the Stop & Shop, pick up something for lunch and head home. Between the hours of 3PM and 9PM, it becomes apparent that something is very, VERY wrong. My temperature shoots up. My nose closes up. My head starts to feel like it's in a vise.

Sunday, March 4: I wake up feeling like something cats play with after they've killed it. I can barely get out of bed without feeling like I've run the NYC Marathon. The concept of eating anything is nauseating to me.

Monday, March 5: Called in sick. No energy. Fluctuating between feeling like I am on fire and chattering with the chills. I manage to get some soup down, but that's about it. Nighttime brings massive chills. No matter what I do, I can't get warm. Hobbes throws himself on top of me and I manage to get a few hours of restless sleep.

Tuesday, March 6: Still at home. Chills still an issue, can't breath, throat is killing me, can't stop coughing. No appetite. Headache is debilitating. Can't move because head is pounding. This is how the entire day goes.

Wednesday, March 7: Feeling only slightly better. Some of my appetite is back, choke down some soup. Blow through an 80-pack of cough drops in about four hours. Knocked off my THIRD bottle of Robitussin.

Thursday, March 8: STILL out of work. Finally able to handle some solid food. Temperature is normal for the first time since Saturday morning. Despite all this, my throat is still like razor blades and energy level is zilch.

Today, March 9: Went back to work...big mistake. By midday I feel like I've been hit by a bus. Get some backed-up work done and hit the road as soon as possible.

And here I am, seven days later. Still feel like Hell. Temperature has normalized, but the cough is killing me. Chest aches. Tired. Going to bed.

I wonder how long it will be until I feel normal again...?

Sick...and Getting Sicker

2007-03-03T22:37:00.000-05:00

Hey Gang,

Sorry to report that I seem to have been bitten by the flu bug, and have been feeling worse by the minute all day (although it really seems to be intesifying this evening...I feel like I've been hit by a steel truck).

Therefore, I probably won't have the Podcast up tomorrow that I wanted to post, but hope to get it done some time next week.

Well - back under the blanket wit a hot tea and a cat or two.

Life Is Funny

2007-03-01T23:28:00.000-05:00

There are people who will say that "life is funny" without really knowing what it means.

I don't mean "funny, ha-ha" - I mean, "funny, like a kick in the balls" funny. When you are young, you have this idea in your head of how you want your life to turn out. Then, one day you wake up and realize you are still going around and around in the same cul-de-sac of frustration you were in ten, fifteen years ago.

The funny part is that life will throw you a bone every once in a while, and you think "Ah, finally - things are starting to turn around the way I always expected they would". But - those feelings are often short-lived; plans get squashed; things get ruined; and you find yourself back in the same spiral, watching sands pass through the hourglass and days get ripped off the calendar one by one, month by month...and your dreams and blueprints that you drew out for yourself the aforementioned ten, fifteen years ago - are not even CLOSE to coming to fruition. If anything, they are even further away than ever.

Like it or not, things WILL conspire against the blueprints you draw out for yourself, knowingly or accidentally. But in the end, the biggest enemy is yourself - because you know you could have done things differently, but you chose the path of least resistance at every turn rather than fighting the good fight because you just didn't have the stomach to fight.

You can look around one day, and in the blink of an eye you can feel the walls closing in on you - or, feel the foundations you built around you being dismantled with the cruel, clinical precision of an undertaker - brick by painful brick. Before you know it, the foundation is gone, and the ever-closing walls - will snuff out the dreams like a tsunami on a single candle.

It's at that point when you reach your nadir. How to get back to where you expect - no, demand to be - seems like a distant, darkened light at the end of an endless tunnel (that you have no clue how to navigate).

Thank goodness that at the end of the day, there is AT LEAST an iced tea and a cat on your lap to look forward to.

The Eagles Are Gathering

2007-02-28T12:13:00.000-05:00

Last time the anti-war crowd decended on Washington, they spent a lot of their time desecrating monuments, causing disruptions and spitting on war vets. Horrors of horrors, they will be back on March 17th.

Thanks to a heads-up from Michelle Malkin in her column today, maybe we can do something about it this time:

A 'GATHERING OF EAGLES' TO MARCH FOR AMERICA

February 28, 2007 -- HOW many times have you sat in front of the TV over the last four years, watching anti-war activists march on Washington, chase the ROTC off your local college campus, vandalize war memorials, insult the troops and wreak havoc under the surrender banner?

How many times have you thought to yourself: What can I do?

Here is the answer: Get off the sofa and join the Gathering of Eagles on March 17 in Washington, D.C.

Perhaps I shall free my schedule for this.

Please go to the GATHERING OF EAGLES WEB SITE for more info.