Random Thoughts of the Day - May 8, 2026

 

• I blame the Mets' problems on David Stearns, as I believe he made the wrong moves in the offseason.  Again, he made the mistake of acquiring a future Hall of Fame pitcher at the end of his career.  Yesterday, Craig Kimbrel gave up a grand slam home run in the 8th inning, allowing the Rockies to beat the Mets 6-2.
• Some of my radio friends are a little too fanatical about oldies countdowns.  How many are enough?  It is very difficult to pick my favorite songs and then view the results.  I agree with the late Philadelphia radio personality Jerry Blavat, who said play from the heart, not the chart.
• Some radio friends will commemorate the 44th anniversary of the end of the music format on WABC on May 10, 1982.  This is not a milestone anniversary.
• Some baseball fans are too fanatical about attending games.  Some attended the Yankee game that started at 12:30 PM and then traveled to Philadelphia to see the Phillies at night.  What are these guys trying to prove?

Time Won't Let Me by the Outsiders - Random Oldie of the Day

 

I chose this one for no particular reason.

John Sterling Did a Sports Talk Show on WMCA in the 1970s

 

This recording is 12 minutes long, but the segment with John Sterling begins at about 6:45

Today, we received the sad news that long-time broadcaster John Sterling passed away at age 87. I don't want to repeat what has been written on many websites or social media reports.  In the 1970s, WMCA was a talk station.  In 1975, John Sterling hosted a sports talk show. This segment precedes the New York Yankees game broadcasted on WMCA.

Inappropriate Oldie of the Day - Spirit in the Sky by Norman Greenbaum

 

I heard on the news this morning that Spirit Airlines has ceased operations effective immediately.  This situation does not affect me at all.  I never flew on this airline, but since I live only a few miles from LaGuardia Airport, I have seen their planes in the sky with the distinctive yellow fuselage.  They could have given their customers some notice before they shut down.

Since it is May 1, Why Not May I by Bill Deal and the Rhondels

 

May I by Bill Deal and the Rhondels first charted on January 8, 1969 and stayed on the charts for 10 weeks.  Thus, it was not on the charts on May 1, 1969.  It peaked at #39 on the Billboard national chart, but did better on the WABC and WMCA charts in early 1969.

Beer For My Horses - An Obscure Willie Nelson Hit for His 93rd Birthday

According to Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, this song peaked at #22 on the Pop chart in 2003.  It likely peaked higher on the Country Music chart.  I don't think I ever featured a hit from the 2000s in this journal.  The video above is from a tribute to Willie on ABC-TV.  It was a duo with Toby Keith who sadly passed away in 2024 at the age of 62.

Happy Birthday Willie!

The 30 Greatest Living Songwriters - What is Your Choice? - Pick up to 10

 

There was an article in the New York Times discussing this unranked list.  Of course, it is very debatable who is the absolute best since the 30 chosen by the New York Times are from different genres of music.  Deceased songwriters were not evaluated for this list.

You can vote for your 10 favorites.  I even included Leonard Cohen who paased away.  I even included a few songwriting teams.