Random Thoughts on New Year's Eve

 

On New Years' Eve, I think of some of the bad experiences I had in the late 1960s and 1970s.  One year my date got sick at the last minute.  I also attended some crappy parties.  At one party the girls did not talk to the guys.  During my QBBS days, there was a party at HK's house where there 13 guys and no girls.  I guess they did not want to advertise they didn't have a date.

In hockey, a team may challenge a referee's call, but if the call is upheld, the team is penalized for delay of game and must play shorthanded for two minutes.  I think the team that loses it challenge should just lose their timeout. 

Most of the emails that I receive on my AOL are requests for money from charities or non-profit organizations.  It seems that once you donate, the organization won't leave you alone.

Celebrity deaths came in threes this week as Pele, Barbara Walters, and Pope Benedict XVI passed away.

Ray LaLonde - Jeopardy's Latest Superstar

 

I consider anyone who has won at least 10 Jeopardy games a superstar as Ray Lalonde reached that milestone by winning on last night's show.  He now ranks #14 in the list of highest-money winners in regular season games, not including tournaments.  Here are his statistics according to The Jeopardy Fan:

261 correct, 30 incorrect

20/23 on rebound attempts (on 36 rebound opportunities)

42.63% in first on buzzer (243/570)

15/15 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $44,100)

8/10 in Final Jeopardy

He is a scenic artist from Ontario, Canada who has a penchant for swaying back and forth which annoyed some viewers. There is a report that he suffered some spinal cord damage over a period of years and had to work hard to prevent muscle spasms in his legs while he was on camera.

Nobody knows how many more games he will win.  A big milestone for him would be to become the winningest Canadian by beating the record of 23 victories by Matea Roche.

Spotlight on Travis L. Ayres aka Marc Sommers

 

In this video, Marc Sommers says some wonderful things about the radio personalities he knew when were worked at WABC and WCBS-FM. Mark has a YouTube Channel @travislayres (His real name is Travis Ayres) tells you a "Radio Story" from his years at WTIX & WNOE (New Orleans) and WABC & WCBS-FM in NYC.  I highly suggest that readers of this entry check it out.  You should also check out his website https://travislayres.com/.  He has also written several books about the Civil War.

There is a new career for people who have left the radio business.

WFUV's Question of the Day Didn't Play My Favorite Box or Boxing Songs

 

Every morning WFUV asks its listeners to pick songs that answer a question.  Today, since it is Boxing Day listeners, were questioned about songs about boxes or boxers.  When I listen at about 6:45 I am busy making and eating breakfast, so I don't get a chance to vote.  Listeners can vote at https://wfuv.org/question .  Corny O'Connell plays the winning theme set at about 9:10.  The songs played were:

• Rosanne Cash "Tennessee Flat Top Box"
• Wilco "Box Full of Letters"
• Warren Zevon "Boom Boom Mancini"
• The Grateful Dead "Box of Rain"

I assume Corny makes the selection, but it could be Ross Boris, the music director.

I would have voted for The Boxer by Paul Simon and Hurricane by Bob Dylan, considering the story of boxer Ruben Carter.  On second thought, they could have played a hit by the Box Tops.

Baby It's Cold Outside by Dean Martin

 

This song by Dean Martin did not hit the charts, but it is appropriate for today.  At 7 AM it was 7 degrees with a real feel of -20.  I will have go out for grocery shopping today since the store will be closed al day tomorrow,  I will dress warmly.

Homeward Bound: A Tribute to Paul Simon Excluded My Favorite Line from Mrs. Robinson

Homeward Bound: A Tribute to Paul Simon seen last night on CBS  featured covers of his songs by renowned singers including Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, Eric Church, Rhiannon Giddens, Susanna Hoffs, Jonas Brothers, Angélique Kidjo, Ledisi, Little Big Town, Dave Matthews, Brad Paisley, Billy Porter, Sting, Take 6, Irma Thomas, Shaggy and Jimmy Cliff, Trombone Shorty and Stevie Wonder.  A detailed review may be found in Variety.  One of my favorite Paul Simon songs is Mrs. Robinson, but the performance last night excluded my favorite line.

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?

Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you

Woo, woo, woo

What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson?

Joltin' Joe has left and gone away

Hey, hey, hey

Hey, hey, hey

I suppose that time constraints compelled the editors to cut it short.  Below is the complete version of Mrs. Robinson sung by Paul at Joe DiMaggio Day at Yankee Stadium in 1999

Liz Chaney won a John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage Award

 

The John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage Award is given to an individual who defends democracy at home and abroad. In May 2022, the following five individuals won the award: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. Representative Liz Cheney, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Arizona Representative Russell “Rusty” Bowers, and Wandrea’ ArShaye Moss.

The Jan. 6 select House committee voted to refer former President Donald Trump to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation and potential prosecution for trying to overturn the 2020 election.

Liz Chaney put democracy over loyalty to her party and stood up for what is right for the country.  As a result, she lost her seat in the House of Representatives.  I certainly wish her well in her future endeavors either in government or the private sector.

Adam Sandler Chanukah Song

 

The audience is very enthusiastic about the Chanukah Song.  I wonder if LITE-FM plays this song.

I Donate to Several Charities and Non-Profit Organizations

 

Over the past year I have donated to several organizations including (in no particular order):

• American Cancer Society
• American Red Cross
• Salvation Army
• Lustgarten Foundation
• Pancreatic Cancer Network
• Masbia
• World Hunger Year
• Coalition for the Homeless
• Bowery Mission
• WFUV
• WBGO
• Paley Center for Media

  A foundation must spend money to make money, but I hope that all these organizations minimize their overhead.  Once I have donated to an organization, they constantly come back to me asking for more money.  A better strategy would be to seek out new donors.  In this "online era" I suggest that groups only make appeals through email and websites.  It costs money for printing and mailing fundraising appeals.

Scott Shannon's Retirement from WCBS-FM Does Not Affect Me

 

For at least 25 years I was an avid listener to WCBS-FM as they were America's premier oldies station with fantastic personalities including Harry Harrison, Ron Lundy, Bill Brown, Bobby Jay, Bob Shannon, and Max Kinkel among others.  I don't want to discuss the Jack fiasco, but WCBS-FM has used a strategy to attract younger listeners by playing hits from the 1980s and later.  As many of the DJs retired or passed away, they were succeeded by personalities who left WPLJ.  This is part of their strategy to attract younger listeners.

In 2014 Scott Shannon became the morning personality and brought the "Morning Zoo" style with him. At that point in time, I all but abandoned the station, since I prefer a music-intensive show in morning drive.  Also, 80s music is not my cup of tea.  WFUV, WABC (for Cousin Brucie) and WBGO are the only terrestrial stations I listen for music.  I listen to Pop Gold Radio and Rewound Radio for oldies.  I listen to several stations on SiriusXM.  I only listen to WCBS-FM on Sunday mornings for Scott Shannon's "America's Greatest Hits".

Scott says he will continue on the radio with his Sunday show and with his True Oldie Channel. There was an interview with Scott on Fox 5 this morning.  John Foxx will succeed him.  There is speculation about whether his leaving the morning gig at WCBS-FM was voluntary or not.  Audacy, the parent company of WCBS-FM is having financial problems and may have wanted to cut a large salary.

I wish Scott all the best in his future endeavors.

Random Oldie of the Day - Crackerbox Palace by George Harrison

 

I heard this last Sunday morning as I was listening to the Beatles Channel on SiriusXM.  The video is a little strange.

The Only Thing to Fear is Fear Itself

 

It is well-documented that crime in the New York City subway system is up.  It is most frightening to hear about random attacks. A few weeks ago, when we held the annual Oldies Meet and Greet a few women told me they were afraid to take public transportation to Manhattan.  There are steps taken to thwart crime as I have observed more police on the trains and platforms.

A famous quote from President Franklin Roosevelt is "The only thing to fear is fear itself."  I go about my business, as usual, not letting the increase in crime prevent me from pursuing activities that I enjoy. I just don't listen to music or read while I am riding the subway as I must always keep my eyes and ear open.  For example, yesterday I observed a suspicious-looking man on the platform at 8th Avenue and 14th Street.  I just walked away.  I will never confront anyone on the subway.  I documented numerous delays that I encountered on public transportation, but thankfully I have never been a victim of a crime.

I wrote this blog entry from a suggestion by Gregory Wolf, Dennis and Jean Bauman Professor in the Humanities; Professor of German; Director of Undergraduate Research and Prestigious Fellowships at North Central College in Illinois.  He is also a distinguished historian of baseball as he publishes extensively for the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR)

Edward Hopper's New York at the Whitney Museum

 

Self-Portrait of Edward Hopper

According to this journal, I last visited the Whitney Museum in May 2021 .  Today's featured exhibit was Edward Hopper's, New York.  Hopper (1882-1967) was an American realist painter and printmaker. While he is widely known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching.  New York City was his home for 60 of his 85 years thus this exhibit represented depictions of the city that showed utilitarian structures and out-of-the-way corners.   This exhibit was on the fifth floor and just as crowded as during the Andy Warhol exhibit in 2018.

Other exhibits we saw today included:

• Puerto Rican Art in the Wake of Hurricane Maria
• Early Twentieth-Century American Modernism
• Time Management Techniques

42 Years Ago, Today John Lennon was Murdered

 I have posted several John Lennon songs in this journal over the years.  My favorite was Beautiful Boy.  I found on YouTube a video of John talking to Bob Dylan in the back of a taxicab.  This video, which is 28 minutes long, was taken from the documentary Eat the Document.  I believe it includes outtakes.

The Film Hearts of Fire was Bob Dylan's Worst Performance in My Opinion

 

Many of my Bob Dylan fans, whether real or virtual, rave at everything he does.  He is certainly not infallible.  Hearts of Fire, a film released in 1987, is about a reclusive musician, played by Dylan, once a huge rock star, takes a young female protegee. While on a tour she meets a younger, more popular rocker and switches her loyalties.  It was released in theaters in the UK but was so bad that it was not shown in movie theaters in the USA.  I rented the VHS tape of it from Blockbuster Video, and it was terrible.  The soundtrack was not bad, but Dylan's acting was terrible.

I am Leaving a Discussion Group for Seniors

CPQ is an agency that runs numerous programs for people of all ages including older adults.  A few months ago, I started attending a discussion group at their Little Neck location publicized as a senior singles group.  I didn’t expect it to be a dating service, but I thought I should at least check it out.  I was never thrilled with it, but I felt it was better than sitting at home for a few hours each week.  I thought the discussion would be related to senior singles whether they were never married, divorced, or widowed.  The discussions were essentially small talk about mundane topics mostly of interest to women as about 80% of the participants were female. There were usually several people who dominated the conversation and thus it was difficult for me to get a word in edgewise.

A social worker from the agency is supposed to be a moderator, but she acted like one of the seniors.  I think the moderator at the beginning of each session should ask for a list of topics and give a time limit for each one and ensure that everyone has a chance to speak on the topic.  The sessions should not be a verbal free-for-all.  Another suggestion is to split it into smaller groups so the participants can get to know each other.  After attending several sessions, I feel the other seniors are still strangers.

What is the sense to go out of my way to attend a meeting and being bored and can’t wait till it ends?  I am most disappointed that I was ignored after I sent emails to two social workers whom I know to  suggest there be a men-only discussion group.  There is nothing to lose by trying.  There are more women in the senior population, but perhaps enough men would be interested.

A former boss of mine once told me “If you are happy, stay, if not leave.”  This applies here.

 

Queens Baseball Convention Today

 The annual Queens Baseball Convention, a fan fest for Mets enthusiasts, was held at the Sheraton Four Points which was within walking distance of my apartment.  So obviously, Lee and I had to go.  The first presentation was the State of the Mets panel hosted by Mark Healey.  The big topic of discussion was the signing of Jacob deGrom by the Texas Rangers and what the Mets do as a result.  The consensus was that giving Jacob a 5-year contract was just too risky considering his history of injuries.

The next speaker was R.A. Dickey who pitched for the Mets from 2010-2012.

Roger Clark of NY1 interviewed R. A.

He talked about the knuckleball, his three years with the Mets, and his ranch near Nashville.

Howard Johnson of the 1986 Mets was interviewed by Lori Rubinson of WFAN radio.

Jay Horwitz, the public relations, and alumni director of the Mets was presented with the Gil Hodges Unforgettable Fire Award.

The final player who was introduced to the audience was the popular pitcher, Bartolo Colon, also known as Big Sexy.  He pitched for 11 teams including the Mets in 2014-16.

Dwight Gooden was in the back signing autographs.  The three players mentioned above also signed autographs.  I was never an autograph hound, so I wasn't interested in getting signatures from the players.

SNY presented Mets Hot Stove featuring Gary Apple, Sal Licata and John Harper who also discussed the loss of Jacob deGrom and the 2023 Mets.

Lee with Sandy the Seagull, the mascot of the Brooklyn Cyclones

Last, but not least, Lee with Mr. Met

Time Will Tell if the Mets Made the Right Decision in Not Signing Jacob deGrom

Last night we received the news that Jacob deGrom signed with the Texas Rangers for five years and $185 Million.  It is certainly disappointing for all Met fans that he is jumping ship.  It shows that players do not show loyalty.  He certainly has an excellent record in his nine seasons with the Mets as he won two Cy Young Awards.

The drawback is that deGrom has been injury prone throughout his career.  In 2021-22 he missed 13 months as the Mets paid his salary of over $30 million for that period.  As any athlete ages, he/she becomes more prone to injuries.  deGrom will be 39 years old at the end of his contract.  Will he show the same effectiveness for the Rangers as he did for the Mets?  Will he spend substantial time on the injury list?  Only time will tell.

At least he didn't sign with the Yankees or a team in the NL East.  The Texas Rangers are scheduled to play at Citi Field at the end of August.  Will deGrom do what Syndergaard did in 2022 are conveniently be skipped in the rotation at that time? 

 

Fleetwood Mac Covers Dylan's Love Minus Zero/No Limit

 

Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac passed away yesterday.,   It is not necessary for me to post it on my Facebook page.  I  found Fleetwood Mac covering Dylan's Love Minus Zero/No Limit originally released in 1965 on the Bringing it All Back Home album.