Rest in Peace, Le Grand Orange

You had to close down on opening day





The fight left you as the team you inspired as children
took their positions on the field
Your poster on their parents walls
Baseball card in back pockets
Never flipped for luck
Saw you almost hit .400 in the World Series
You could not carry your team on a broken shoulder
The Shea Stadium outfield fence took away your arm
as you made the catch, but not your bat
Never your bat
Later in your career you were called on in the seventh, eighth, ninth inning
to do one job
The crowd chanted your name, knew you’d come to the plate
You’d pinch hit a single, double, never a triple
(foot speed was never your top skill)
or the tip your hat to the crowd encore home run
When your career ended you cooked
You fed the hungry, the first responders
Anyone
You gave back to a city that embraced you as one of its own
Now, Rusty, we say goodbye, au revoir, thank you

A day I'd rather talk about the Instant Pot

Blue's a nice color. It's a color in the Mets uniform and they start the season tomorrow. My Son is halfway between 14 and 15 and has never been to a baseball game. He shows no interest in it when it's on TV, but he loves the episode of Dora the Explorer when she plays baseball. Maybe Dora can catch for the Mets, she may stay healthier than d'Arnauld? He watches that episode of Dora on his iPad all the time. I know because he turns the volume up full blast and gets angry when I turn it down. He does not understand the concept if you do not turn it down I will take it from you because I did that and he did not care. Putting duct tape over the speaker was a temporary solution, but his therapist at school was not able to hear the apps she's using so it had to come off.

When I was his age the Mets manager was a guy named Joe Torre and they lost 96 games. Loss was a big part of my childhood. I do not know how my Son feels about his childhood. His main reply when I ask him a question is the word, "Sad."

This inspires little confidence in my parenting.

The Mets winningest pitcher in 1978 was Nino Espinosa. He won 11 and lost 15. He was traded to the Phillies the next season for Richie Hebner (who did squat for the Mets) and Jose Moreno (who did even less). Espinosa had his best year with the Phillies when he won 14 games. He lost effectiveness, was not on the post season roster when the Phillies won the World Series in 1980 and was out of the league a year later. He died of a heart attack on Christmas Eve, 1987. He was 34 years old.

I do get asked about how my Son is doing frequently. He is probably healthy, not capable of letting us know if he is sick, has pain in his mouth or gut. He can now let himself out of the car and knows how to open the hatch of my Volkswagen. Those two tasks were easy to teach. There's an app he uses to let people know his name and other life details that he uses. He usually urinates in the toilet but still defecates in his diaper over 90 percent of the time. When he does poop in the toilet the size of the movement is about the size of a burrito. The colon and sphincter are amazing things.

April is autism awareness month, I've known this for more than a decade. Seen the hashtags, social media posts, have lost months of sleep because of a child who stays up late, then wakes up singing three hours later, and refuses to go back to sleep for another couple of hours.

Sleep deprivation due to having an autistic child is a real thing. Does that get a hashtag? An awareness color or ribbon? A special brand of coffee?

Tomorrow, for the Mets, is opening day. A time of hope. A time to perhaps take care of unfinished business and win the World Series for the first time in 31 years.

Tomorrow is another day in the life of my Son. He will get out of bed around 6AM to eat his breakfast and I will take him to his Mother's about half an hour later so she can bring him to school. We do not know how he will sleep tonight. I will pick him up from school a bit after three and bring him home with me. When he gets home he will take off his coat and shoes then will go upstairs to use the toilet. I will not have to prompt him to do these things. He knows. Then he will take a yogurt (Yoplait, French Vanilla, no other flavor he can read the label) out of the fridge and eat. I will find some peas, fruit, a Hormel Compleats dinner and blend them all (not together) to prep for his dinner and school lunch. He has never eaten a cookie, hamburger, hot dog or Coca Cola. Textures in food repulse him.

Maybe he will defecate in the toilet, but more often he will not. Maybe he will fall asleep at a decent hour and make it last through the night. Maybe he'll have a future in which he can be slightly independent. Maybe there will be funding for services for adults with autism as there will be so many of them in the decades to come. Maybe we can get some foresight do deal with a major social problem that is unstoppable.

Maybe the Mets will win tomorrow.

The title defense begins in one hour

On the last game of the 2014 season, I said the Mets would be in the World Series next year. At the beginning of this season, I make no such claim. Despite changes in the middle infield and a solid outfield along with what may be the best starting pitching in the league, baseball is a funny old game and anything can happen. It's hard to repeat, and I salute the Royals for coming back to the series after being so close to winning it all in 2014.

Shortly, the Mets and Royals will play in Kansas City. The 162 game spring/summer/fall race begins. I am so looking forward to the ups and downs a season of baseball contains.

Lets Go Mets!

The return of the October Classic to my radar

Twenty nine years ago this month I was sitting in my living room in Fredonia, New York, watching the Mets win the World Series on a 13” black and white television trying not to celebrate too much as my then wife had her face in a pillow. She was a Red Sox fan and was devastated. I had to mute any joy I had, which was fairly representative of that relationship.

Fifteen years ago I was at a New York Rangers/Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game the night Roger Clemens threw part of Mike Piazza’s bat back at him. I saw this happen through long lost binoculars as I looked at the screens of the luxury boxes of Madison Square Garden from my Uncle’s seats. My then fiance and I were on vacation, visiting my family on Long Island. That is about the only memory I have of the 2000 Subway Series other than the yankees won it all at now demolished Shea Stadium. They should have won it on their own turf, but so it goes.

It was harder for me to follow my team from Columbus, Ohio back in those days. After the 1994 strike that cut the season short, I did not look at a game or a box score in the newspaper for an entire year and never really got my enthusiasm for baseball back. It took a few more cable channels devoted to baseball and an internet that could always find access to a game to bring it back.

I watched two end of season collapses from afar and a horrible playoff loss in the last decade or so. This year I have been paying even more attention.

After an impressive take down of the Dodgers and a sweep against the Cubs that I would never have predicted the Mets find themselves in the World Series against the Kansas City Royals. The Royals return to the series for the second straight year after getting defeated in gut wrenching fashion by the San Francisco Giants. The team has not won the series since 1985.

So this is where we are at: the solid hitting of the Royals vs. the young hurlers of the Mets.

Will the bats of the Royals solve the fastballs of the Mets pitching, or will control be the key for the New Yorkers? From my side, I’m worried about the left shoulder of Yoenis Cespedes they way I was about the field crippled Rusty Staub in 1973. Can Lucas Duda produce in the way he did in game four against the Cubs? If so, he is capable of carrying a team.

And of course there’s the explosive chaos that surrounds Daniel Murphy, who had owned opposing pitching this postseason to the point where he now has a major league record of most games in the postseason with a home run to call his and his alone. Will he be able to keep up his amazin’ pace against the erratic starting pitching of Kansas City?

The Royals have home field advantage, which means the designated hitter will be involved in at least two games. The Mets are said to be using Kelly Johnson in this role, but I prefer the seemingly out of favor Michael Cuddyer. I think the starting pitching is going to be ok and adjust to the fastball hitting Kansas City lineup, the way for the Mets to win will once again be maintaining their offense and ability to generate runs. I’m excited!

What I've been doing all summer

There is something happening in my life that has been a part of my life for years, but in the last six months it has really flared up. I’ve hinted about it in the past but it’s finally time for me to talk about it more openly here.

How about those Mets?

This season has been a rollercoaster of Daniel Murphy chaos, Matt Harvey inning count drama, Yoenis Cespedes heroics, Wilmer Flores emotions and so so much more.

I had hope going into the season. Harvey was back after arm surgery, the pitching staff looked very sound. The rest of the lineup was Wright, Granderson and some prayers.

In April the team went on an eleven game winning streak. The pitching was doing some strong work while the bats were pulling out just enough to win.

The Wright got hurt, then d’Arnaud their steady young catcher got hurt.

Then the bats stopped working altogether. May and June were grim months as the team struggled to keep pace with the division leader. July was not much better. A player hitting .176 was hitting cleanup as injuries mounted and team depth diminished. What in the names of Mayberry, Monell and Muno was happening? There was discussion to let a couple of the better batting pitchers pinch hit. The fan base was screaming at GM Sandy Alderson to make a move to improve the team. Michael Conforto was brought up from the minors, and while he’s a fine young outfielder who is only going to get better, he was no savior. Then they brought up phenom Steven Matz, who pitched and hit very well for two games until he tore a muscle in his back. This, also, was so Mets.

In mid-July Alderson was forced to deal. He made a couple of trades of some promising minor league pitchers and brought in Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson. Both players immediately upgraded the slop that was on the bench and they immediately made impacts on the team on the field, and in Uribe’s case, in the locker room.

Later in the month, with reliever Jeurys Familia in a post All Star Game slump, Alderson traded with Oakland for reliever Tyler Clippard - a move that strengthened the bullpen and sent their closer a small message - which was received.

Then, on July, 29th, one of the most amazing, crazy and incompetent thing in franchise history happened. While losing to the San Diego Padres, internet rumors of a trade between the Mets and Brewers that would send outfielder Carlos Gomez to the Mets for shortstop Wilmer Flores and injured pitcher Zack Wheeler reached the team bench. Manager Terry Collins had not heard these rumors, and kept Flores in the game. Flores went out for his at bat and received very warm goodbye applause from the crowd at Citi Field and went he went to play his position, teams fell as he took the field.

The trade though, did not occur. The Mets thought Gomez was an injury risk and pulled out.

The Night of The Tears had happened.

Then, at the trading deadline two nights later, the Mets traded for Yoenis Cespedes. This was the power hitter the team was lacking all season. Cespedes was acquired just as the team was starting a series with the division leading Washington Nationals.

Game one was tight. A 1-1 tie that went into extra innings. In the bottom of the twelfth the first real magic from The Night of The Tears happened as Wilmer Flores hit a walk off home run that gave the Mets the 2-1 win. The Mets went on to a three game sweep of the Nats and were tied for first place in the NL East.. They were nowhere near out of it now. This was a pennant race.

In August the bats were unleashed in a fury. Lucas Duda hit about 40 home runs in a week. The team reeled off two straight 14-9 wins in Colorado, put up an insane sixteen run barrage in Philadelphia and slowly began extended their division lead.

The Captain, David Wright returned to the lineup after being out since April for treatment for spinal stenosis and provided his leadership and overall skills. Catcher Travis d’Arnaud was finally healthy - the team has a solid winning record when he’s in the lineup.

By the end of the month the Mets still led the division but things got a bit wonky in Miami as they lost two of three to the Marlins and held a four game lead with a three game series to the Nats to come.

During this series in Washington, the Mets were behind in each of those games, including an six run deficit in game two, a soul crushing defeat of Stephen Strasburg - who was pitching the game of the season until Johnson’s game tying home run, and swept the morale out of the Nats and now lead by seven games with 23 left to play.

Credit must also be given to Manager Terry Collins, who actually has a team to manage now. He’s platooning the right guys, knows how to treat his players. As long as he can handle the middle relief, which no manager can seem to do anymore, he’ll keep the ship sailing.

That’s where things stand today in this crazy season of on field crying, late game heroics and all of the amazing plays and players I have not mentioned. The Clubhouse Raccoon and Rally Parakeet have become as beloved as Wilmer Flores’ emotions as September solidifies and you realize your 45th year of Mets fandom is going to have an incredible ending. When they won it all in 1986 they ran away with the division and saved all the crazy for the playoffs. It feels so different this year. The less said about 2006 and 2007 the better. This season, every game, every week, brings drama, social media snark, excitement and victories.

No matter what happens; be it the end of this month, the beginning, middle or (preferably) the end of October - win or lose, there are going to be tears when this season finally ends.

Watch it or do not, choice

For me it happened on my seventh birthday - when you see something for the first time that is much bigger than you thought it was.

The World Cup is in full swing, there have been little tragedies and heroic acts of physical ability in the soccer stadiums of Brazil.

While this is going on, people of Brazil are being trafficked, exploited and displaced by their government in a corrupt embrace with FIFA, I'm well aware of this. I'm well aware of the tax folly that is Nationwide Arena and the hypocrisy of college athletics. I'm disgusted by the bloodsport that the National Football League is turning into, which is causing many lives to end prematurely. I'm aware of the bread and circuses that happen around me daily.

Trying to be authentic, to not support those who exploit others in any way is next to impossible in this consumer society. This computer I'm using to type this was probably made by wage slaves, on a good day. There's blood on this keyboard and I'm not sure if I still have to hate Ani DeFranco now that Gary Oldman is the latest celebrity target of I do not like him anymore.

When I went up that ramp on that June day in 1971 and saw a blue sky, that huge scoreboard I'd only seen on 19 inches of black and white television screen, the greenest and largest field of grass in the world, I thought.

Loved the game, the sport but when you're small, weak and have glasses that fly off your face at any impact, it was impossible to find a niche. I was horrible at bat, average at best in the field, could run a little. My last softball game was about twenty years ago, when a ball struck me square in the face, I think it cracked my sinus cavity.

So I watch. A lot of football, a good deal of hockey, and some baseball. It took me almost twenty years to attend a major league game in person after the strike of 1994. For a year after I did not read a single box score or watch a game. It's taken me a long time to get over that.

I watch a lot of soccer now. been to a few Columbus Crew matches, even went to a game in Glasgow, which was not the same as here and amazing all at once. The culture of the sport in Europe is completely different, which is why the World Cup is such an incredible event.

And it can be violent, there is no denying that. But it can also be sublime, jaw dropping and incredibly sweet.

At the end of a day, or in the middle of a bad one (or even a good one) sometimes you just need to sit, zone out, and watch the greatest athletes out there do their thing. Do not attempt to guilt trip me into a while this match is going on a few miles away from the coliseum something bad is happening. Because, where I'm typing this, a few hundred yards away, I'm sure something bad is happening too.

And that's why I type this. Because remembering the first time I stepped into Shea Stadium and wanting to keep doing that keeps me going.

An old one who will be missed, and a new one that is more than welcome

One of the major voices of my life died this week. Ralph Kiner was one of the trio, which included Lindsey Nelson and Bob Murphy, who announced Mets baseball games during my formative years. Kiner was there from the team's inception of 1962 until 2006. Being away from New York television for over thirty years did not diminish Kiner's impact on my love and knowledge of the game. He was an outstanding hitter whose career was cut short by a back injury and a class announcer with a penchant for some whoppers of malapropisms. "It's Father's Day so to all you fathers out there, happy birthday."

Ralph Kiner was 91.

After a long time of waiting, Dirty Franks West finally opened on Monday. I commend the Columbus Food League for taking a chance on the west side and making the commitment. It's a similar menu to the spot on 4th Street, but the space is almost double the size. There's even a small stage.



There is also some more great artwork by Tim Lessner on the walls. The space is divided in two. There's the bar half with some seating, and a dining area with plenty of tables.



Lessner did not, to my knowledge, create this work - which is what guys look at while facing the urinal.



The expansion of Dirty Franks is a fine asset to the west side, a part of town that is very under served. I hope this is the start of more business setting up shop here so we do not have to drive all over town for say, a coffee shop.



After 11 years of living here I may finally have a local. 2836 West Broad.

Tripping in the Steel City

Life goes on. After finding out my friend Mike died on Thursday night, with a heavier heart we headed to Pittsburgh for a planned well in advance weekend.

It's a very easy drive from Columbus. A trip that is a bit quicker now that the speed limit on Ohio highways is up to 70 miles per hour. If I had not missed an exit in the strands of spaghetti roads that is downtown Pittsburgh, we would have made the hotel in about two and half hours.

The hotel was in an odd area, just north of downtown, with high rise public housing across the street. There were no problems though, other than one guy asking for change on the corner, like that's never happened in Columbus.

The room was small, but cozy. The shower was quite small, but there was plenty of hot water. The room itself was rather noisy as we found out at 1:30AM when the room upstairs from us was having sexy time. The iron framed bed was rather old and loose in construction and did a lot of bouncing and banging. I hope there were two people up there.

The level of service at this hotel was excellent. There was a free shuttle that would take you anywhere within the city. One of the drivers was quite knowledgeable and friendly as he took us to a restaurant before the baseball game.

There were a number of recommendations for Meat and Potatoes on the Columbus Underground messageboard, so I made reservations a couple of weeks in advance. There was a crowd of people waiting for the five o'clock opening. Our names were called right after opening and we were taken to our seats as the bar instantly filled up.

Extensive cocktail menu, the drinks were excellent. My wife had a slow gin fizz with authentic Plymouth Sloe Gin. The cheery with her drink she said was the best ever. It was an amaro cherry from Italy, we were told.

My mussels came, it was an entire dish filled with them. Not many tiny ones either, all rather substantial. The only minus was the fries, I thought they would be cut thicker but while there were plenty, they were rather tiny.

I had a few bites of my wife's pannacotta dessert, which was light and tasty. I ordered an Oban off their whiskey list. It was pricey, but what the heck. It came in a Glencairn glass which is always a touch of class. What shocked me was the amount of whiskey in the glass. I know what an ounce and a half in a Glencairn glass looks like, this was about double that. That impressed me, and I was not driving!

The stadium was a short walk from the restaurant. Very impressed the city closes off the Roberto Clemente Bridge to cars and lets pedestrians have the whole thing.



The experience outside the stadium is impressive. Fans tailgate, they play whiffle ball in the parking lots along with cooking out and drinking. I respect Pirate Fan.



In addition to the Clemente statue, there is one of Honus Wagner, Bill Mazeroski and Willie Stargell. Two tipsy Pirate fans offered to take a picture of my wife and I with it, but seemed to be so drunk they could not press the button on a digital camera. It was the thought that counted.

A friend of ours gave us his tickets. His seats are incredible.



PNC Park is stunning even without the amazing views of the Pittsburgh skyline. There does not seem to be a bad seat in the house.

We saw Jeremy Hefner pitch for the Mets. He made one bad pitch to Alcarez and the visitors were down 2-0. They fought back to tie it up and send the game into extra innings. We left after the tenth and got back in time to see the Pirates win in the bottom of the eleventh watching in the hotel bar. That's how close things are in Pittsburgh.

The hotel breakfast was ok, not great, but the courtyard is pretty. We asked the driver to take us to the Fred Rogers statue.



Mister Rogers Neighborhood was filmed in Pittsburgh.

The riverfront is quite scenic.



We walked back to the hotel to rest for a bit before meeting a friend of mine at a coffee shop and then hit a deli next door. Down the street is a theater that may or may not be renovated. It was once a porno house.



After saying goodbye we rested up, had some dinner at a mediocre pub then headed to Stage AE for the Belle and Sebastian show. We met an old live journal friend of ours who was also going to the show. Before he showed up, my wife and I rated the attendees on the amount of tweeness in their clothing. The winner was a girl in front of us, who had birds all over her dress.

The venue is very similar to the LC in Columbus, it may be a bit steeper. Yo La Tengo opened and did not impress me much. They even had spinal tap guitar moments as Kaplan flung his guitar around, causing the annoying feedback. He then put his guitar down while it was still sustaining and picked up another guitar to make his noise.

Belle and Sebastian were impressive. It was fun to see my wife finally see a whole show from a band she loves.



Their back catalogue is large and they were digging out some nuggets from the first record. Stuart Murdoch made reference to the baseball game happening next door by playing Take Me Out To the Ballgame.



Fireworks were happening after the baseball game while the band was playing.



The band did not hear it as they were playing, but could smell the gunpowder. After the fireworks were over, the band's string section did a few snippets from the 1812 Overture, which was quite sweet.

It was worth the trip. A weekend we needed as we prepare for the rest of the summer. I've started 42 days in which I will be in the hospital with my son as he is in intensive in-patient feeding therapy or at work.

But Pittsburgh though, I'm not sure if it's a grass is greener thing, but I like the vibe of the place and can't wait to go back.

A great windup

A couple years after my son was born, my mother sent me my old little league uniform with the stipulation that she see him wear it when he was big enough. When his mother moved out of the house, the uniform was "lost" for six years.

Last week the uniform was found and I did not have my son until this morning.



Would have done the shoot outside, but it was pouring rain most of the day. The original cap disintegrated years ago so I had an appropriate hat or two he could wear.



The uniform is flannel and goes back to the mid 1970's. They're not made like that anymore. I wore this, and played ball in the outfit sometime between the ages of eight to eleven. Would have given him my glove, but it's bigger than his head. He's a lefty anyway!



The shirt fit fine, but is missing one button. The pants are a bit short, but he's even thinner than I was and needed a belt.



For some reason I thought I wore number four. Sent my mother the pictures and she was so happy. Grateful to have the uniform back before he grew out of it completely.

What I have not put in Facebook status updates or tweets.

I was at a Barnes and Noble recently, looking through the magazine rack I noticed about half a dozen soccer magazines, none of which were there when I worked there six years ago. I know print has changed, but you know the subject is gaining in popularity.

During last month's storm, the gutter on the front of my house was partially ripped out and hung there in the snow and ice. No way I was going up there. No way a repairman was going up there. Luckily it hung on until the snow and ice melted and I was pleased to find out it was repaired yesterday afternoon. Yes, I have to pay for it, but it's peace of mind.

This last month has been a struggle. Grief is all around me, and it's hard.



I really do not give a shit about who has and who has not been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this year.

Hey, we've extended the deadline to apply to read at the 2013 Columbus Arts Festival. Poets, you have until January 28th to submit. You can do that here. It's quick, fun, and free. Showcase your work in one of the coolest venues the city offers you.

Have returned to Ohio

Back in Columbus after a few days away. We almost could have driven to our destination as American Airlines had a massive cock up on Thursday morning for a flight to Chicago, and our flight. We were about three and a half hours late in departure.

Nevertheless we arrived at the ancestral home and had a very good time. Went out east on Friday. My son was not pleased being out in the open spaces and by the water. He just wanted to chill. He did not sleep well four of the five nights we were there. He did eat better as the weekend progressed.

Here's a photo dump, with some descriptions of what we did.




Bethpage Park, about five minutes from my parents house. Home of the Long Island Ducks of the independent league. Great place to see a game. If this was around 35 years ago when I was growing up, I would have been here all the time instead of Putt-Putt.



Fudgie the Whale knows.



It was Bud Harrellson bobble head night. My friend Jodi re-enacted the great fight he had with Pete Rose. Awesome!



The Museum of Natural History. Can't beat the dinos. I had not been here in years. When we went on field trips we always seemed to start on the bottom floors and never had time to see the fourth floor, where all the dinosaurs are.



The dioramas here are amazing.

Japanese girl giving the peace sign in front of a Tiki God. Come on!

My favorite diorama of all. Why?

Aw, look at the cute, dead otter.

Central Park was wonderful for a post-museum walk. Hey, a wedding!

The Bow Bridge.

Central Park Bandshell. Yes, is the answer!

Serious playground ball on 4th Street. The trash talking is amazing.

McSorley's Ale House, the greatest bar in the world.

This was outside of some theater/bar on St. Marks Place. I have not had time to research it, but there's Kitty Carlisle and Allan Jones, who were in A Night at the Opera with the Marx Brothers.

I took pictures in all the subway stations.

Great visit. As always, there is never enough time. I did get to see a couple of friends and a few relatives. My wife met some more of the family. Had a brief, but wonderful time with an old friend from elementary school and his family. Ate some fresh fried sea bass, drank plenty. I think it was a good visit.

Back to work tomorrow. First day of school for my son. He starts the fourth grade. Where did the time go?

A long post, mostly sports related

You may remember that we saw the Vice President's limo go by my workplace last week. Turns out, after his speech there were still people outside the building, waving and cheering as his motorcade went down the road. Biden stopped the limo, unexpectedly as the rest of the detail traveled on, got out and shook a bunch of hands.

The Vice President attached himself to one my co-workers, would not let go of her hand as he talked to people, asked for their names. He suggested they take a group shot on the stairs, which produced a wonderful photo that I wish I could post here, but it's not mine to post.

I left about an hour earlier so I do not feel bad about missing him. If it was ten minutes though, I'd be kicking myself for a missed opportunity. It was a great experience for librarians!

The NC$$ issued what it thinks is a severe and unprecedented penalty on Penn State University. In addition to scholarship reductions and losing post season opportunities for four years, the University was also fined sixty million dollars for covering up Jerry Sandusky's being a child rapist.

The one thing the NC$$ did that shocked me was erasing the wins of the team going back to 1998, when the cover up for Sandusky's crimes of child rape began. This wiped out coach Joe Paterno's coaching wins record, and most of his legacy at Penn State. A clear message was sent with this punishment.

A lot of people were expecting the 'death penalty', the team being shut down. However, as the NC$$ explains in its 'rules', the death penalty only goes to teams that deliberately cheated to gain advantage on the field. This is a tragic and unique case. I think the penalties issued are fair, justly harsh. In some ways, even worse than the death penalty, the program is going to be weak for many years. I am surprised that they did not issue a ban on playing, or that the team was not allowed to appear on television. The football culture of the university is going to be difficult to change. I do not think the administration really gets it, not in the theater they used in tearing down Paterno's statue early Sunday morning. Change has to start at the top, where the trouble and cover ups for child rape lie.

Going back to the sixty million dollars though. That is a lot of money. it's supposed to go toward helping sexual abuse survivors. I do hope this is the case, and that helping and healing victims comes from this tragic series of events. That money could go a long way to help.

The horrors of the Colorado theater shooting still resonate. It's still easier to buy weapons online that liquor in this country. Peace to the victims and their families. Strength to all the victims. I do not have any more words for this.

The Blue Jackets finally traded the franchise today, shipping Rick Nash to the Rangers. An expected move. I think Howson got the best deal he could, now and at the trade deadline it would have been about the same. Dubinsky is a solid player. Anisimov is a young scoring center with some upside. Erixson is a young defenseman with a lot of potential. They're very deep and competitive at the blue line. Now they have to address the goaltending situation and hope a bunch of players (especially you, Derek Brassard!) start to establish themselves and put the puck in the net. The double teaming of Nash has stopped. It's time for the potential to get to work.

The Blue Jackets also got a number one draft pick, which gives them three for the next draft.

A lot of people do not think Howson got enough for Nash. I do not think any package would have been enough for a lot of people. I wish Nash well. He had it very easy in Columbus for the ten years he was here. Expectations and pressure will be a lot higher in New York. We'll find out if he's capable of handling them.

News comes that Everton's Tim Cahill has been sold to the New York Red Bulls of the MLS. At his best, Cahill was one of the most passionate players on the pitch. An asset to the club. The Aussie often scored with his head then beat the crap out of the corner flag after doing so. I'll miss seeing him do that. In recent years though, I think his production dropped. Time to move on. He'll do well in America.

Then I found out the yankees traded for Ichiro. If anything can rejuvenate one of the greatest singles hitters in the game, a move to a winning team will.

Meanwhile the Mets relief pitching stinks, Jason Bay is worse and the Crew would rather have a tower than a designated player.

Sports calm me, keep my blood going and give me a sad - sometimes all at once.

Throwing the party at you

Big night in the sports world as Matt Cain pitched the 22nd no hitter in MLB history. Ended up staying up until one in the morning to watch the last inning. Never seen one before. Very exciting.

R.A. Dickey of the Mets has been mowing batters down with his knuckle ball. First pitcher to reach ten wins this season. With some semblance of a middle relief staff, the Mets would be flying high instead of fighting for a wild card spot.

The Rangers FC is no more. Being sold because of tax problems and other issues involving financial malfeasance. What happens next will be another chapter in the soap opera that is Scottish soccer. Does the league vote to put the NewCo, the reorganized Rangers Football Club, in the league this coming season? Or do they vote them out, relegate them to a lower league and make them fight their way back to the top division? Needless to say, opinions are divided. Opponents of relegation say it will cripple the league financially. I say the league is already a financial mess, and with the Old Firm split, it would eventually enhance the fortunes of one or two clubs looking to finish in second place to gain play in European tournaments. Attendance figures may prove lower but I think that is a risk the league could take. The problem is television revenue. Sky may have a provision in their contract that there must be an Old Firm. Going to be very interesting to see what happens.

Last night Writers’ Block held its first qualifying slam for the Individual World Poetry Slam season. Seven poets took to the stage to start the season. I got the six slot in the first round and went with a new poem called Condom Kabuki. It’s based on a scene from a horrible film a dozen or so poets viewed last Saturday called Street Poet. I’ll probably post about the experience in a few days, it’s still sinking in, but the sex scene was excruciating and I cannot unsee it. Hence the poem, which got me the high score of the round so I got to read first in round two. Here I read gaythiest, which got a decent score, but I did not think it was good enough to keep me up top. Rose Smith scorched the stage, Alexis, Ythan, Louise and Vernell all did well. Brandon kicked ass in round one with a poem about gangsta’ Connect Four with a child.

In the end I finished in first, got the three points by .2. Rose came in second, Alexis third. The difference between first and seventh place was 1.6 points. Very tight scoring in a great slam.

Open mic was a blast. The first poet up pulled her poem out of her pack of cigarettes. That’s hardcore! Scott burned the stage with his hosting and a poem. The Suarez family represented. Jon Sands is featuring next Wednesday night. All is well.

Getting My Bell Rung.

Cooper Stadium was built in 1934 and until 2008 was the minor league ballpark of the Columbus Clippers. At the time of its closing it was the oldest operating facility in the minor leagues. It was a lovely, intimate setting to see a baseball game.



We first saw a game there in April of 1990, it may have been Easter Sunday. We arrived early and I bought a program from a very friendly vendor. Turns out, she sold me a program with a winning number enclosed. We won a welcome wagon pack from a realtor. It was the only time I won any of their contests.

Over the years we saw a lot of good baseball there. We had a friend in the box office who always set us up for tickets. The Clippers were the AAA year of the Yankees. Many great players came through on their way to the majors. Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter to name three.

We also saw Deion Sanders, Hideki Irabu and Rey Ordonez, whose throw from short to first hit the first baseman's glove with the most explosive pop I've ever heard.

In the stands I saw Dick Williams and Graig Nettles scouting and one memorable time, Mr. George Steinbrenner himself, who was putting ketchup on his own burger. Really. I guess he trusted no one to do it for him!

Never had a bad time at a game. Saw them win two Governor's Cups. Went to many games in the 1990's then as depression and a new life came along, started going less. It's a shame I did.

In 2008, the last game was played there and a new downtown stadium was built. Hunington Park is perfectly fine. A great place to see a game, but I miss being just two miles down the road from baseball.

Went by there a couple of weeks ago and took these pictures. It's very sad to see how this proud facility has been neglected.







There's all kinds of talk going on about what to do with the site. A racetrack being the main topic. I'm not sure about that, having grown up next the noise of Islip Speedway as a child. But what can be done with a site that is bordered by a highway and two cemeteries? I'd rather see something in there and revenue generated that what is happening in the pictures above.

Rest in Peace #8

Gary Carter died yesterday of brain cancer at the age of 57. One of the best catchers I ever saw. He joined the Mets in 1985 after an illustrious career with the Montreal Expos. He was the final piece to the championship puzzle, which would finally be solved in 1986. Without him, they would not have won.



Carter had constant enthusiasm on the field, led his team in hugging his teammates. Off the field he was a family man, but had his critics, especially when it came to having to pay for autographs, which Carter donated to his charity.

I've been reading tributes to him, Mets pitcher Ron Darling in a cancer awareness ad that aired during the World Series, held up a sign that read, "My catcher."

New manager of the Buffalo Bisons (the Mets AAA team) Wally Backman, said yesterday that, "Gary was ... if I had an idol as a player I played with, Gary would definitely be one of them. Without question. In remembering Gary, I'm going to wear 8 until somebody tells me I can't wear it."

I hope he wears it awhile, but I hope the Mets retire #8, in his memory. There's never going to be another like The Kid.

Put Me in Coach, I'm Ready to Play

Had a dream that we were stuck in traffic headed north on 71, just south of the 70/71 split by the Greenlawn Avenue exit. The windows were open and we could hear Bill Campana reading poetry at the Berliner Park softball fields.

What was not a dream was going to the Clippers game last night. It was game two of the Governor's Cup playoffs and the hometown heroes had won Tuesday night 18-5. The Clippers had very solid starting pitching and timely home runs and shut out Durham 4-0.

Even with my dollar scorecard and lineup I had no idea who any of the players are. Usually there have been a couple of names I recognized from a roster. A player that's hanging on to his career by playing in the minors. I'm simply not following the game the way I used to.

We sat in the second row, third base side. The great thing about the minors is that the players will have some fan interaction. Major leaguers will simply ignore you while they collect a paycheck to hit .228. Here they'll nod their head at you, put a smirk on their face after a good heckle. Between innings, the left fielder overthrew a ball while having a bit of a tiff with the guy warming him up. The ball flew into the stands, nearly hitting a woman in the head. Both players came over to them and apologized.

I have a streak going that has reached 39 years now. At the first game I attended, on my seventh birthday, a foul ball came toward me, fast. The man in front of me stuck out his hand caught the ball on the fly. I can still hear the sizzle of the ball and the slap the ball made on his hand. It would have caused some damage to me if I'd made an attempt to catch the ball.

Years go by, lots of Clippers games go by until, at a game in Cleveland there's a pop foul into the stands, and it lands in the tote bag my wife was using as a glove.

Last night, a foul ball flies into the stands behind us. The ball bounces off the brick wall of the concourse and richocets towards the field. It goes over my head and slips over the rail in front of a man, sitting in front of my wife, in a Derek Jeter jersey and goes onto the field. Third base umpire gives him the ball.

Still counting.

Keeping Heads Above Water

Yesterday was a very introspective day concerning my thoughts on the internet and social networking. The topic received a thorough and spirited discussion which got me thinking about Columbus and how it is perceived by outsiders.

It also was good for me to vent a little in a productive way. I did not like what Michael Ruhlmam said. I wrote him a reasonable email, not a blog post about wanting him to die in a fire. I got a respectful response. Lines of communication were kept open. Still, not enough for some people, but plenty for me. And it was not the 'celebrity' writing me back. It's the same situation as a poor business transaction, or part of a poetry slam you do not like - it's a good thing to offer on the spot constructive criticism. To find the person in charge and make concerns known. I guess it's easier to archive outrage in a blog or sit in internet purity on a message board than to be proactive.

What do you all think of Columbus? What are you initial reactions to it, especially if you have never lived here? What were your thoughts about it when you found out you were going to live here? I've lived here for twenty years and I'm learning things about it every day.

George Steinbrenner died yesterday. I'm no Yankee fan, while he made sure baseball players got paid well it also made it difficult for those who are not well off to attend a baseball game. In the mid nineties I was at a Clippers game with wife no.1, we were walking though the concourse and I saw a short, portly man. It was Steinbrenner, all by himself, putting ketchup on his burger. I was impressed that he was doing something ordinary, but also thought that the last person who did that for him incorrectly probably got fired, as did the person before that. She went to talk to him and had a casual conversation. She told me as she started talking to him she could see a look pass over him that meant that he wanted to be left alone but quickly changed to one in which he was dealing with the public. I'm not sure about the conversation, but it was short and not unpleasant.

Here's a video of my son swimming.

Bow Down to Number Twenty Four

All I can say about his therapy is that he seems to be eager to go. Once we're there he climbs up on the table, lays down and is ready for the session. No fussing at all.

We went to the grocery after this morning's session. I only had a few things to get so I did not put him in the cart. He held my hand and we walked around the whole store with no problems at all.

He's been so good I got out his wagon, which he turned over and walked on immediately.

I had donuts, it's been a good morning.



Really enjoyed reading Hirsch's biography. It's authorized but we are still allowed to see some of the cracks in the legend. I thought it stopped a bit short when we read about Mays' hospitalizations during a couple of seasons. I thought his being 'tired' was a brush off. Mays' relationship with his first manager Leo Durocher is described fully and I had no idea how warm and respectful it was.

Mays is probably the best living baseball player at this time. He played in the Negro League as it faded after the game was slowly segregated. Mays was not the fiery player Jackie Robinson was, nor did he speak out for equal rights the way Robinson did. Mays brought his joy to one person, one stadium full of people at a time, and if you did not get that it was your loss.

I only got to see Mays play at the end of his career with the Mets. A very sad year he never should have started. His appearances though made me appreciate and love him for what he was, and why I own a New York Giants 1954 replica baseball hat. The only major league cap I wear.

Baseball as a Subtext

Was thinking back to my seventh birthday. My parents took me to my first baseball game. Mets vs. Phillies at Shea Stadium. The greenness of the grass. The vastness of the field. So damn beautiful. The great Tom Seaver pitched. We sat on the left field line. Before the game, I got backup cather Duffy Dyer's autograph. I saw Rick Wise, the opposing pitcher. I saw Art Shamsky make a catch close to us. It was also utility player Bob Aspromonte's birthday. How cool was that, Sharing a birthday with a baseball player! He pinch hit, did not get on base. Then, I do not remember who hit it, but a line drive came toward us and it was hit hard. The man in front of me stuck up his hand and and the ball slammed into it with a sizzle that I can still hear to this day. It was the closest I came to a foul ball until twenty nine years later when my ex caught one at Cleveland Stadium in her Betty Boop tote bag.

Here's the box score!



That's me, at either age seven or eight. My brother is behind me, over my right shoulder. I wonder what memories my son will have of his seventh birthday, and how he we be able to communicate them when he turns forty five?



Had a staff lunch on campus today. I was goofing off with the camera by RPAC. There was a interesting reflection.



A picture of me that does not suck.

Getting the Bell Rung

Saturday night we went to Huntington Park for the first time to check out the new ballpark.

I did not take any decent pictures, but it still looks like this when I walked around it back in March.

It's a lovely, intimate place to see a baseball game. You're very close to the action and the sight lines are excellent. I do not think there is a bad seat in the house.

The quality of baseball was poor. Both teams, the Clippers and the Bisons are suffering from being the AAA affiliate of a couple of bad major league teams this season in the Indians and the Mets. It was a lousy game, that the team from Buffalo won 2-1.

I do miss Cooper Stadium. I live two miles from there and see it, abandoned, every day. I know why there is a new stadium, but it hurts seeing a functional structure go to waste.

That said, it is a modern minor league ball park, with concessions that are approaching major league prices. The food was quite good, and there is a variety of dining options that Cooper Stadium simply did not provide. There is Tim Horton's, Roosters, City Barbecue and more.

The beer selection has improved considerably. Locally there's Elevator, there's also plenty of Leinenkugel. Imports are slim, but represented by Labatt's and the big boys are there if you want Miller or Budweiser.

I was also impressed that parking, when Nationwide Arena does not have an event, is only three bucks. This was a pleasant surprise.

What I did not like was the aggressive shouting of the vendors in the stand. Having a patter is important when you're selling cotton candy, but sounding like Sam Kinison is not going to get me to spend money with you.

The sound system is very lacking in power. I was not expecting it to sound like a rock concert in there (and was grateful it did not) but we were sitting directly under a speaker and were having problems hearing what the announcer was saying. It needs a lot of improvement.

Not sure if I'm going to be able to get there for any of the few home games left. The night we went was a sellout, it's good to know that people are going to the games. I hope they continue to support the team when the luster of the new stadium fades.