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.

Congratulations to Mike Casiano for Attending His 10,000th Baseball Game

 

He made the message board at Citi Field

It Looks Like He Is Sleeping

I have observed Mike at Shea Stadium and Citi Field for years.  I assume that it took him about 60 years to attend so many games.  As I have followed him on X (formerly Twitter), I observed:

• Very often, he attends 2 games in one day.  He can go to a Mets game in the afternoon and travel to Philadelphia to see a night game.
• He often sees regional minor league teams, such as the Brooklyn Cyclones and Somerset Patriots.  There could be a Yankee game during the day and a Patriots game at night.
• He takes many road trips.  Perhaps he has visited all 30 MLB parks and many defunct stadiums.

He certainly deserves to be interviewed by Steve Gelbs on SNY.  It is a shame that game 10,000 was a loss for the 2026 Mets, who are rapidly becoming the worst team money can buy.  Game 10,001 will be the second game of a doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies.

Detailed article about Mike and his enthusiasm for sports.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly by Hugo Montenegro - Random Instrumental Hit of the Day

 

This movie theme actually hit #2 on the Billboard chart in 1968.  I don't remember seeing the movie.