Random Thoughts at the End of August

 

• It was 42 years ago today that I met Karen for the first time.  She was a blind date set up by our former sister-in-law.  We went to an ice show at the Nassau Coliseum.  The rest is history.  I sorely miss her.  May she rest in peace.
• I question how much the American Public is interested in the British Royal Family.  It seems that several times a week The Today Show does a story about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
• It was impossible for the New York Mets to invite 1100+ former players to Old Timers Day.  There had to be some discretionary decisions on whom to invite.  Inevitably some invitees had health issues or previous commitments and couldn't attend.  The retirement of Willie Mays' #24 was overdue.  It should have been done in 1979 when Willie was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Boring Sunday Afternoon at Citi Field as Mets Lose to the Rockies 1-0

 

If the Mets want to hold on to first place in the NL East, they must not play as they did today.  Max Scherzer was on the mound for the Amazins, but was outpitched by German Marquez of the Rockies.  Scherzer (9-4) gave up four hits and racked up 11 strikeouts over seven innings in his 110th double-digit strikeout game.  He got absolutely no run support as his teammates were held to just three hits by the Rockies.

The Rockies loaded the bases in the seventh inning with three singles.  The only run in the game was driven in on a sacrifice fly by Brian Servan.

It is time for scoreboard watching as the Mets' lead over the Atlanta Braves is 2 1/2 games.  As of this moment, the Braves and Cardinals are tied in the third inning.

Game Recap

The New York Mets Retire Willie Mays' #24

 

I was watching the Mets Old Timers Game ceremony, but I had to go into the kitchen to start preparing dinner.  I was quite surprised to hear that the Mets are retiring Willie Mays' number 24.  Willie's best days were behind him when he was traded to the Mets in 1972, but his number is being retired to honor his days in New York National League baseball.  Mrs. Payson, the original owner of the Mets, promised to retire his number, but it didn't happen until just now. It was not announced in advance. I am sure that Gary Mintz and the New York Giants Preservation Society must be ecstatic. 

Perusing the Radio and TV Collection at the Paley Center

 

I have reported several of my visits to the Paley Center in this journal.  Below is what I found today as I perused the collection:

• 60 Minutes Seminar Creating a Tradition,  Reviewing the first 20 years of that program. - June 15, 1987.  I miss Mike Wallace, Ed Bradley, Andy Rooney, Harry Reasoner, Morley Safer and others who have passed away.
• 30th Anniversary of The Beatles - A special broadcast on WCBS-FM hosted by Cousin Bruce
• Tribute to Charles Kuralt at the Museum of TV and Radio held December 1, 1998.  I also viewed several segments of his On the Road.  He sure knew how to tell a story.

Michael Bourne, Former Host of WBGO, Passes Away at 75

 In less than a year, two former hosts at WBGO passed away.  In October 2021, I reported the passing of Bob Porter.  Michael Bourne was a host on the station from 1984 until he retired early this year.  A lengthy biography may be found on the WBGO website.

An interview that Michael did for Downbeat Magazine in 2012 may be seen below.

My 2022 Trip to the Jewish Museum

 

I have documented several visits to the Jewish Museum on 5th Avenue and 92nd Street in this journal.  My last visit was in May 2021.  An exhibit titled New York 1962-1964 attracted me to the museum today.  This exhibit explores a pivotal three-year period in the history of art and culture in New York City, examining how artists living and working in New York responded to their rapidly changing world, through more than 150 works of art—all made or seen in New York during this time frame.  This exhibit populates the first and second floors of the museum.

Scenes from the Collection is a rotating collection exhibition featuring nearly 600 works from antiquities to contemporary art—many of which are on view for the first time.  I enjoyed watching a video of clips from TV shows featuring Jewish weddings.

Below are two works from the New York 1962-1964 exhibit

There was a working jukebox that played 45 rpm hits of that era

Cousin Brucie Saluted Me on His Radio Show on WABC

 Leslie Peskoff Fisch is Cousin Brucie's #1 fan.  In the 1960s she was the President of the Cousin Brucie Fan Club.  She regularly phones the show on Saturday nights.  On last night's show, she mentioned that I started the Fans of Cousin Bruce Morrow Fan Club on Facebook.  The Cuz responded by saying that I am a great radio guy.

Here is the conversation with Leslie and the Cuz where he mentioned me.

I hope My Most Popular Tweet Was Not Misunderstood

Since October 2007 I have posted 9165 Tweets, most of which have received few if any retweets or likes.  On August 18th I posted:

I just heard on the August 1 Inside Jeopardy Podcast that the producers are thinking about a tournament with all librarians.

I specifically included my source and that the producers are thinking about holding such a tournament.  In two days this tweet received 32 retweets and 232 likes.  I assume that most are from librarians who want to become contestants on Jeopardy.

Please understand that this librarian's tournament is not definite.  The "Powers that Be" at Jeopardy can reject this idea completely or table it.  It may not happen for another few years.  I think it is a good idea as Jeopardy has held tournaments with teachers for many years.

Today is National Radio Day

I have been a radio enthusiast since the 1960s when I regularly listened to Top 40 radio on WABC and WMCA.  As the years went on, I moved over to FM and regularly listened to WYNY when it was an Adult Contemporary station and WCBS-FM when it played the hits of the 60s and 70s.  For several years I collected and traded radio airchecks from all over the USA.

Certainly, radio broadcasting has changed over the years.  Now WCBS-FM plays mostly music from the 80s which does not appeal to me.  They are trying to reach a younger audience who grew up on the music of that era.  The only two FM stations that I listen to regularly are WBGO and WFUV.  I am sustaining members of both as I support them financially.

I do subscribe to SiriusXM and listen to several music stations in my car and online at home.  I also listen to Pop Gold Radio and Rewound Radio which are excellent oldies stations on the internet.

The radio above is a Sangean HD radio that I own.  HD radio did not go over with the listening public I think because the range of HD2 and HD3 stations are limited.  Some of those stations play formats not heard on regular FM stations.  WNEW-FM-HD2 airs smooth jazz once heard on CD101.9.  When Audacy dropped country music on 94.7 FM they moved it to 94.7-HD2.

Happy Radio Day!

 

A Discussion about Librarians as Contestants on Jeopardy

Yesterday, I listened to the August 1 episode of the Inside Jeopardy Podcast.  Executive Producer Michael Davies and Producer Sarah Foss discussed some news about the show.  They mentioned the possibility of a tournament featuring only librarians.  My Twitter post about this generated more likes and retweets than any of my 9000+ Tweets.

In the past librarians have done very well on Jeopardy.  Rhone Talsma defeated 40-time champ Amy Schneider, but that was his only victory.  James Holzhauer's stunning 32-game winning streak in 2019 was ended by Emma Boettcher, a librarian from the University of Chicago.

American Libraries in 2017 published an article about librarians on Jeopardy,

Hopefully, there will be a tournament featuring only librarians.  Presently, it is only being discussed by executives at the show.  They seem to be willing to be innovative with the long-time popular quiz show.

 

I Wanna Be Your Man - Beatles and Rolling Stones Followed by an Explanation by Paul McCartney

 I was stuck in a traffic jam on the Cross Island Parkway listening to the Beatles Channel on SiriusXM when the DJ played I Wanna Be Your Man stating that the Beatles and the Rolling Stones did it.  Here are the two versions and an explanation by Paul McCartney on how that came to be.

Elvis Presley Died 45 Years Ago Today

 In August 1977 I lived in New London, Ct. as I worked for Pfizer in Groton at that time.  On August 16 I was on vacation in Cape Cod with my former friend Jay when I heard the news that Elvis Presley passed away.  I picked Moody Blue to post in this blog entry for the anniversary of his passing.

Mets 6 Phillies 0 as Chris Bassitt bests Zach Wheeler

 

The Mets beat the Phillies 6-0 for their 17th Win in the last 20 games solidifying their hold on first place in the National League East with a 5 1/2 game lead over Atlanta.  Some of the highlights of the game:

• Chris Bassitt pitched 5 scoreless innings to get the victory.  The bullpen held the Phillies scoreless for the last 4 innings.
• Francisco Lindor got his 82nd RBI to set the Mets team record for RBIs by a shortstop
• Daniel Vogelbach homered while Mark Canha got two hits.

The Mets are now 35 games over .500 and will face the Braves for 4 games in Atlanta.  Following that is 4 game series against the Phillies and two games against the Bronx Bombers at Yankee Stadium.

Game Recap

Narco by Tiny Trumpet and Blasterjazz is the Entrance Music for NY Mets Reliever Edwin Diaz

 

Long Version of Edwin Diaz's Entrance Music

There is an article in The Athletic  (behind a paywall) describing in detail the entrance music for Edwin Diaz that has become very popular this season.  This music was used when Diaz pitched for the Seattle Mariners before his trade to the Mets.

Bob Dylan Tribute Concert at Town Hall in Manhattan on September 30

In October 1992 there was a big concert at Madison Square Garden celebrating Dylan's 30th anniversary in the music business.  A much smaller event will be held at Town Hall on 43rd Street near Sixth Avenue to celebrate his 60th anniversary.  As a member of the Bob Dylan Center  I received an invitation to purchase tickets at the presale.  Including the Ticketmaster fees, I spent $236 for two tickets for the concert which is a fundraiser for Town Hall. 

Check back on October 1 for my review of the concert.

 

If Not for You by Olivia Newton-John

 

 Yesterday, we got the sad news that Olivia Newton-John died at age 73 after a long battle with breast cancer.  Did you know that her first hit was a cover of a Bob Dylan song that charted in 1971?  It only reached #25 on Billboard but was the first of many hits that spanned several decades.  May Olivia rest in peace.

 

There is a Plan to Reconstruct NY Penn Station, but it Will Be Several Years Too Late for Me

 

For 25 years as I commuted from Flushing to Newark, I had to stop at Penn Station to change for New Jersey Transit.  During rush hours it was usually crowded as seen in the photo above.  I especially hated the Seventh Avenue entrance to New Jersey Transit which was poorly designed.  It was especially difficult for reverse commuters who had to go against the flow.

Governor Kathy Hochul's plan calls for replacing the current cramped Penn Station with a 250,000-square-foot, single-level facility. It will be easier to navigate and have more room for passenger circulation. It will feature a new, light-filled train hall that would be the size of both Moynihan Train Hall and Grand Central Terminal’s main concourses if combined.

More details.  No target date is given for the completion of this endeavor.  It is obviously many years too late for me as I retired in December 2017.

Mets 8 Braves 5 in Game 1 of a Day-Night Doubleheader

 

Many years ago, I would regularly attend Sunday doubleheaders at Shea Stadium.  I attended the first part of a day-night doubleheader for the first time today.

Spot starter David Peterson did his job as he allowed no runs and three hits in 5 1/3 innings.  However, the bullpen performed poorly and allowed five runs to make the game close.  Buck Showalter reluctantly had to bring in Edwin Diaz to close the game.  Francisco Lindor was the hitting star for the Mets as he was three for four including a double off the padding in center field that drove in two runs.  Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, and James McCann had RBI singles.

For the time being the Mets have a 4 1/2 lead over the Braves in the NL East.  There are two more games left in the series with Scherzer and deGrom pitching.

Game Recap

Random Thoughts of the Day

• A car service ride from my home in Flushing to LaGuardia Airport cost $27.50 without the tip.  On the way home, a yellow cab charged me $16 for the same ride.
• Many branches of banks have closed since so many transactions can be done online.  Today a CD from a bank that used to have a branch in my neighborhood closed.  I had to make a short trip to Whitestone to close that account and take the check to another bank that offered much higher interest.
• Thankfully, the trade deadline in MLB has come and gone.  I was tired of reading articles speculating about trades that were never made.  In any event, the salaries that professional athletics are getting are so outrageous.
• I read an article in New York Magazine about the dating app, Tinder.  Most of their users were kids under 25.  I guess dating apps have replaced the singles dances of the 1960s and 70s.
• I attended a few meetings of seniors in eastern Queens.  The topics of discussion were so boring.  I'll try this group one more time before deciding whether or not to stay with them.  I just hate it when people talk about their medical problems.

 

Baseball in Tulsa

 

In recent years my vacations have been to museums during the day and baseball at night.  This year was no exception since ONEOK Field, the home of AA Tulsa Drillers affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers was within walking distance of our hotel.  I was able to get seats behind home plate for $18.  There was a family-friendly environment in the stands.

I was very pleased to see a pitch clock which helped prevent delays in the games.  There must be a pitch within 14 seconds with nobody on base and 18 seconds with a runner on base.  Also, infield shifts were not permitted.

On Thursday, July 28th we saw the Tulsa Drillers defeat the Arkansas Travelers 4-2 in a game that was completed in 2 hours.  Box Score

We returned the next night to see the Drillers beat the Travelers 7-5 as the game ended with a walk-off home run by Jonny DeLuca.  Box Score

Visit to the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa

 

I visited the Woody Guthrie Center for the first time in 2019 when I attended the World of Bob Dylan Symposium.  Since it was right now the street from our hotel, I thought it was worth a second visit.  There were exhibits tracing his life from his birth in Oklahoma in 1912 to his death from Huntington's Disease in 1967.  The collection includes more than 10,000 items and continues to grow.

There was an excellent exhibit about Bruce Springsteen who was influenced by Woody.  It provides fans with an intimate look into Springsteen’s creative process, shedding light on how he became—and remains— one of the greatest live performers in rock and roll history.  It includes clips from many of Springsteen's concerts over the years.  It will be at the Guthrie Center until September 25.

My Thoughts on the Bob Dylan Center

I felt like a kid in a candy store.  I went through each exhibit very slowly and listened to every recording that was available.  On day #1 I concentrated on the first floor while on the second day I viewed the exhibits on the second floor in great detail.  I thought about visiting an art museum but decided against it since I would have to take a cab there and back to my hotel which was within walking distance of the Dylan Center.  On the third day, I viewed a few exhibits that I missed and did an overview of everything else.  I spent 14 hours over the three days there.

I could not tell if the visitors were locals or tourists like myself who made a special trip to Tulsa to see the Center.  I spoke to one young man who came from Chicago.  I observed some visitors who appeared to view the museum in a cursory manner.  I don't know if the Center will appeal to casual Dylan fans who may be overwhelmed.  I don't know if the Dylan Center will attract tourists from afar.  I am certain the diehard Dylan fans are likely to come regardless of the cost.

There are archives that are only open to Dylan scholars and must be seen by appointment.

Most museums have permanent and temporary exhibits.  I assume that different exhibits will eventually come to the second floor.

 

Three Days at the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa

 

In March 2017 I reported in this journal that the Bob Dylan Archive opened at the University of Tulsa.  I got this information from an article in Rolling Stone stating that select items from the collection will eventually be exhibited at the Bob Dylan Center, the primary public venue for the archive.  The Bob Dylan Center opened to the public in May 2022.  Of course, I had to go.

Lee is standing in front of the entrance

Since I became a member of the Center, I was able to get in for free.  I gave them a donation of $100. All visitors are given an iPod used to listen to recordings and see videos and recordings throughout the center. You enter through the gift shop and then into a corridor where there is a big picture of Bob and Suze Rotolo.

There is a large room where there are continuous videos of Dylan in different stages of his 60-year career.  There are some interviews of him taken from the documentary No Direction Home.  From there, visitors enter a large room.  Artifacts from Dylan's career are arranged in chronological order on the wall.  In the middle of the floor, there are kiosks devoted to several songs including:

• Like a Rolling Stone
• Tangled Up in Blue
• Chimes of Freedom 
• Jokerman
• The Man in Me

Each kiosk describes the song in detail and shows typewritten lyrics with handwritten revisions.  Visitors can also hear alternative versions.

Lee is Standing at the Kiosk for

Tangled Up in Blue, his favorite Dylan Song

Elvis Costello provided a jukebox where he chose Dylan songs, covers of Dylan songs, and other recordings he thought would be of interest to visitors.  In the corner, visitors can view how recording sessions for 5 songs progressed.

Above is my favorite photo from the first floor.  This may be an outtake from the documentary Don't Look Back as Dylan brought a typewriter to a gathering.

Now up to the second floor where there is a long wall with 92 items that include Christmas cards from the individual Beatles and a sack of fan letters that were sent to Dylan in 1966-67.

There was also an exhibit titled Jerry Schatzberg: 25th & Park.  This exhibition of photographs and related materials provides a look inside the studio at 333 Park Avenue South, a nexus of New York art and society where Jerry Schatzberg created some of his most extraordinary images and influenced the trajectories of photography, pop music, fashion, cinema, theater and literature during the turbulent, culturally rich 1960s.  Schatzberg also took photos that appeared on the Blonde on Blonde album cover.

Traveling to Tulsa after Hearing About Flight Delays and Cancellations

In May 2019 before I went to Tulsa for the World of Bob Dylan Symposium there was anxiety since there were heavy rains and flooding in the area.  Everything worked out as I had no problems with travel.  This year was aware of numerous flight delays and cancellations in the country as the airlines had staffing problems.  We arrived at LaGuardia Airport two hours before the scheduled time and sat at the gate.  We were advised that the plane would be late arriving since it came from Miami where there were morning thunderstorms.  The plane left one hour late and arrived in Dallas where we had to make connections late. Since the airport in Dallas is so large, we had to take a train to get from one terminal to another to make connections.  Fortunately, we arrived 20 minutes before our connecting flight started to board. There were absolutely no problems on the way home