Is Mike Casiano Baseball's Biggest Fan?

 

Mike Casiano at Guaranteed Rate Field

In February 2018 I wrote about the passing of Fuzzy who was New York's greatest sports fan as he likely attended over 10,000 baseball, basketball, and hockey games.  Fuzzy would sit with his crew of diehards in the upper deck of Shea Stadium behind home plate.  One of the diehards is Mike Casiano seen above who regularly sits in Section 515 of Citi Field behind home plate.  Whenever a Met pitcher registers a strikeout he yells out at the top of his lungs "He struck him out."

I read in his Twitter feed (@KingcougarMike) that he just attended his 8,200th baseball game and his making a quest to be at 10,000 games in his lifetime.  I am certain that he attends all 81 games each year at Citi Field, but he also makes road trips to other stadiums.

I am not acquainted with Mike, but perhaps he knows by sight since he often passes by my seat in section 516.  When Mike hits 10,000 games there should be a seat in Citi Field named in his honor.

Four Terrific Female Bob Dylan Fans

In no particular order:

• Nancy Cobb - I had the pleasure of meeting her at a luncheon during Bob Dylan's residency at the Beacon Theater in November 2019.  She visited Duluth during Dylan's birthday celebration and from there visited Hibbing.  She is now on her way to Tulsa for the World of Bob Dylan 2023.
• SueMyAss - that is her Twitter handle.  I don't know her real name.  She is planning to go to every Dylan concert in June in Portugal, Spain, France and Italy
• Laura Tenschert- She has a podcast called Definitely Dylan and has spoken at several conferences.  She posts regularly on Instagram and Twitter about her favorite singer-songwriter
• Anne Margaret Daniel  - a professor at the New School for Social Research in NYC.  She teaches a course about Dylan there and has spoken at academic conferences about him.

 

It Ain't Me Babe - What Version is Your Favorite -Turtles, Johnny Cash or Bob Dylan?

 

I'm so Tired - Beatles Song of the Day

 

You can get tired by sitting and waiting.

For Bob Dylan's 82nd Birthday I am Playing Dear Landlord

 

Sometimes one must take Dylan's lyrics out of context to find words of personal significance

Please don’t put a price on my soul

My burden is heavy

My dreams are beyond control

When that steamboat whistle blows

I’m gonna give you all I got to give

And I do hope you receive it well

Dependin’ on the way you feel that you live

Dear landlord

Please heed these words that I speak

I know you’ve suffered much

But in this you are not so unique

All of us, at times, we might work too hard

To have it too fast and too much

And anyone can fill his life up

With things he can see but he just cannot touch

Dear landlord

Please don’t dismiss my case

I’m not about to argue

I’m not about to move to no other place

Now, each of us has his own special gift

And you know this was meant to be true

And if you don’t underestimate me

I won’t underestimate you

Copyright © 1968 by Dwarf Music; renewed 1996 by Dwarf Music

Mets Defeat Guardians 2-1 on Sunday Night

 

My 20-game plan called for games on Friday 5/19 and Sunday 5/21 scheduled as a night game.  The pitching matchup was between two former Cy Young winners, Justin Verlander, and Shane Bieber. Jose Ramirez hit a home run in the first inning to give the Guardians the early which stood until the sixth inning when Francisco Lindor homered against his former team.  Jeff McNeil hit a tie-breaking sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to put the Mets ahead.  Verlander pitched eight innings, the longest for any Met starter this season.  Brooks Raley came in for the ninth inning to get the save.  The Mets have now won five games in a row.  Can they go on a winning streak and get into contention for the NL East championship?

Game Highlights

Happy Recap - The Mets Beat the Cleveland Guardians 10-9 on a Walk off Hit by Francisco Lindor in the 10th Inning

 

Our 20-game Sunday plan includes last night's game against the Cleveland Guardians.  The game started out on a low now for the Mets as starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco returned from the IL but allowed five runs in his five innings as the Mets trailed 5-0.  The Mets got two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth inning.  To make it close at 5-3.  However, the Guardians scored twice in the top of the seventh to increase their lead to four runs.  In the bottom of the seventh, Pete Alonso hit a grand slam (see below) to tie the game at 7-7.

The game went into extra innings when Gabriel Arias hit a two-run home to put the Guardians ahead 9-7.  It looked bleak, but the Mets rallied in the bottom of the 10th to win the game topped off by Lindor's game-winning hit.

The Mets have now won three games in a row evening their record at 23-23,  Hopefully, they will go on a winning streak and be in contention for the National League East title.

Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me by Mac Davis - Oldie of the Day

 

This hit #1 in 1972

The Mets Will Recall Mark Vientos

 

The Mets are now 25% into the season and are 20-23 and slipping.  They did not do well against teams with poor records and are in a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays who have the best record in baseball.  The starting pitching has been plagued with injuries while Verlander and Scherzer have not pitched like Hall of Famers.  Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo are the only consistent hitters.

Sources say the Mets will recall Mark Vientos who has been hitting well at AAA Syracuse.  His statistics are 33/.416/.688 with 13 Home Runs, 37 RBIs, and 24 extra-base hits.  We always need to find out how he will perform at the major league level.  The speculation is that Tommy Pham may be released to make room on the roster.

Will Another Online Relationship End Abruptly?

 

Last November I reported on two online relationships that ended unexpectedly.  Yesterday, a young lady responded to an old Facebook post of mine about critically acclaimed movies not being shown at my local multiplex.  She said she really enjoyed reading my posts and wanted to be Facebook friends.  I don't really "know" most of my Facebook friends anyway, so I thought "What the heck."

 I must admire her for doing that.  She was comfortable with the difference in our ages. One of the things she said was:

I will appreciate our being good friends in sincerity, honesty, and trust. to share ideas and discuss more issues as we talk more about ourselves, what do you think?

I last heard from her this morning.  Let me see what happens.

It Ain't Over - An Excellent Documentary about Yogi Berra

 

I was fortunate to have lived through most of Yogi Berra's baseball career as I started following baseball in 1957 as an eight-year-old.  Younger baseball fans should see this documentary as it should help them develop an appreciation for the history of baseball. Yogi's granddaughter Lindsey Berra, executive producer, wants people to have a new appreciation for how good he was on and off the field. The film tells Yogi's story from humble beginnings in a working-class St. Louis neighborhood called "The Hill to his passing in 2015.  Some of the highlights are:

• Jackie Robinson called safe after a collision with Yogi in the 1955 World Series
• Yogi's refusing to set foot into Yankee Stadium after George Steinbrenner fired him as manager in 1985.
• His amusing quotes such as "If you see a fork in the road, take it"

Derek Jeter, Joe Torre, Mariano Rivera, Willie Randolph, Don Mattingly, Joe Girardi, Tony Kubek, Ron Guidry, and Nick Swisher were baseball greats interviewed for the film.  Baseball journalists including Suzyn Waldman, Joe Garagiola, Vin Scully, and Steve Somers appeared.

Review in the New York Times.

Trailer

Politics 1974 vs Today

 

In 1974 Richard Nixon was accused of covering up crimes that were committed during the Watergate scandal. When the House Judiciary Committee was meeting to consider impeachment, there were calls by Democrats and Republicans for Nixon to resign which he did.

Donald Trump was impeached twice and, in both cases, the vote to convict was done on party lines.  His actions on January 6, 2021, were disgraceful, to say the least.  Several people died that day as a result of his trying to reverse the results of an election.

I cannot understand why anyone would want him as president again, yet he is leading the polls against other possible candidates.

There is no bipartisanship in Congress today.  All issues are voted on party lines.  

Likewise, Congressman George Santos is accused of:

- 7 counts of wire fraud

- 3 counts of money laundering

- 1 count of theft of public funds

- 2 counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives

Also, he lied about his credentials when he ran for office.  Yet the Republican Speaker of the House refuses to bring a vote on his removal from office.

I cannot remember a time when there was more polarization in this country.

POLITICS SUCK!

I'll Be on My Way - Paul McCartney's First Song

 Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn reports that Paul McCartney wrote I'll be on my way in early 1959.  Below is the version recorded Live at the BBC.

It was also recorded by Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas

The Mets Fall to 17-18 as They Lose to the Colorado Rockies 13-6

 

The only good thing about today's game was the weather.  There are still 127 games to go, but so far Steve Cohen is not getting his money's worth as the Mets dropped to under .500.  At this point the Mets have lost eleven out of their last fourteen games, but what do they have to do to turn things around?  They are now 7 games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves.

The Mets were ahead 4-3 at the end of the fourth inning, but a two-run homer by Brenton Doyle highlighted a 7-run fifth inning by the Rockies that essentially put the game away.  I am not going to discuss any more details, but my readers can consult the game summary by ESPN.

The Mets commemorated fan favorite Bartolo Colon's "famous" home run on May 7, 2016.  He threw out the first ball.

Happy 92nd Birthday to Willie Mays

 

At age 92 Willie Mays is the oldest living baseball Hall of Famer.  All baseball fans whether or not they rooted for the New York or San Francisco Giants must thank Willie for his contributions to the sport.  There are several books and countless articles written about Willie.  I was only 5 years old at the time and was too young to follow baseball, but his catch in the 1954 World Series of Vic Wertz's fly ball must be a highlight of his phenomenal career.

Should We Panic about the Mets? - We are Now 20% into the Season

 

The Mets just lost a three-game series to the lowly Detroit Tigers.  A week ago they lost two of three to the Washington Nationals.  They lost 9 out of their last 11 games and stand at a mediocre 16-16 record.  Some of the problem can be attributed to injuries:

• Justin Verlander was out for one month and gave up 2 home runs in his first outing.
• Jose Quintana is expected to miss half the season
• Omar Narvaez was just placed on the 60-day injury list.  This gives Francisco Alvarez a chance to prove himself at the major league level.
• Carlos Carrasco has been out for a few weeks.

The hitting just has not come through.  Today they managed only three hits off the Detroit Tigers.

It is a long season, so hopefully the Amazins can turn things around soon.

The Bob Dylan - Gordon Lightfoot Connection

 It was announced today that Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot died at age 84 of natural causes in Toronto.  Leave it to me to find connections to Bob Dylan.

Dylan makes few public appearances, but in 1986 he inducted Gordon into

The Canadian Music Hall of Fame

According to the British magazine Far Out Dylan described Gordon as one of his mentors.

Bob Dylan with Gordon Lightfoot

Harry Belafonte Sings Bob Dylan

 I must say that Harry Belafonte has some voice.  I was only familiar with the Banana Boat Song and Matilda. I found out that he covered two Dylan songs:

• Tomorrow is a Long Time
• Forever Young