Health Issues Should Be Private

 

Curt Schilling in a podcast announced that former Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield is suffering from an aggressive form of brain cancer.  Schilling made that announcement without permission from the Wakefield family.  That is a terrible indiscretion in my opinion since all medical matters should be confidential. Any information on the internet can become viral in a fleeting period.

I observe that some people are very open about health issues.  I have seen photographs on Facebook of people in hospital beds.  I certainly would never do that.  On Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and this journal I have never discussed medical problems of my own or of my family.

I wish Tim Wakefield all the best.

Boogaloo Down Broadway by The Fantastic Johnnie C - Random Oldie of the day

 

Soul Town is one of the many stations on Sirius/XM that I like.  It reminds me of the short-lived Jammin' 105 that was once on the NYC radio dial.  DJ Ken Web played Boogaloo Down Broadway this morning.

Boys by the Beatles and The Shirelles

 

The Beatles Sang Boys on Shindig in 1964

The Shirelles recorded the original version in 1960

Bob Dylan Makes Surprise Appearance at Farm Aid 2023 in Indiana

 

He appeared with The Heartbreakers and sang:

• Maggie's Farm
• Positively Fourth Street
• Ballad of a Thin Man

The video may also be seen at https://twitter.com/i/status/1705776824079274422

Random Thoughts of the Day September 23, 2023

• Since it is going to rain all day, it would be a good time to catch up on some of the game shows that I recorded on my DVR.
• The Mets have been officially eliminated from the playoffs.  It will be interesting to see what roster moves are made in the off-season so the team will be competitive in 2024
• For some strange reason, my post Mumbles was My Favorite Dick Tracy Villian gets so many hits.  I remember discussing the Dick Tracy cartoons with Joe at the NJIT Library.  Most of them are politically incorrect.
• 98.7 FM which has been airing ESPN radio for many years will be sold.  There is speculation on the radio message boards on who will buy the station and what format it will take.  I hope it will be anything but religious format.
• The Lion Sleeps Tonight has been requested on most Cousin Brucie radio shows.  Will it be requested tonight?

 

Let's Honor Cousin Bruce Morrow's Birthday by Donating to St. Jude's Childrens Research Hospital

 Several of Cousin Bruce's avid listeners including Leslie, Joseph, Brenda, Gregg, Dennis and myself have organized a campaign to honor Cousin Bruce Morrow on his 88th birthday;

 To show how much he means to us, celebrate seven decades of iconic radio, and to further his message of love and music, we have created a fundraiser in his honor!

We would love it if you could make a donation at https://fundraising.stjude.org/goto/CuzStJude, to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Your donation will help fund research for pediatric cancer and childhood diseases. No donation is too small, all donations are tax-deductible, and you can give until the end of 2023 for this particular fundraiser (however, if you donate before October 1st, we will include your name on our birthday card for The Cuz!).

To donate, when you go to the page, you will see several options of amounts you can give. Either click one of these buttons (or the one which reads "Other", to give another amount). If you have questions, leave them in the comments- please do not leave comments related to the fundraiser on The Cuz's official page.

Thanks so much, and check out our commercial for the fundraiser at https://youtu.be/bDY4IBzQE7o!

Why is WCBS-FM Having a Contest Giving Away Tickets to the Forthcoming Bob Dylan Concerts?

 

Back in the day WCBS-FM would play Bob Dylan hits including:

• Like a Rolling Stone
• Positively Fourth Street
• Rainy Day Women #12 and #35
• Knockin' on Heaven's Door

They would also play covers including:

• Blowin' in the Wind - Peter Paul and Mary
• Mr. Tambourine Man - The Byrds
• It Ain't Me Babe - The Turtles

The WCBS-FM of today plays hits of the 80's and 90's.  Once Dylan entered those decades, he was an album artist.  The station does not play songs of that era that may appeal to their desired audience,

I can understand Q-104.3 having such a contest but not a classic hits station.  I cannot understand why WCBS-FM would entice its listeners by having a contest giving away Dylan tickets.

Another Frustrating Experience in Reconnecting with People

 

I have complained in this journal about the failure to reconnect with former colleagues.  I  just had another frustrating experience with reconnecting with family.  Karen had twin nephews and a niece who grew up in northern New Jersey and later relocated to northern California.  I last spoke to them last December.  I always sent them gifts when their children were born.

I sent them an email wishing them a happy Jewish New Year, but none of the three responded. Can I just get a minute of their time to reciprocate my kind wishes? I hadn't seen them since 2010 and staying connected online is better than not at all.  I come to the conclusion that out of sight out of mind applies to family as well.

I Got Tickets for Bob Dylan at the Kings Theater in Brooklyn for November 14

 

In November 2021, I saw Bob Dylan last at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan. It was at the beginning of the Rough and Rowdy Tour that just maybe Dylan's last concert tour.  Since that time, he appeared in several cities in the United States, Europe, and Asia.  There were rumors that he would appear again this November at the Beacon.  Instead, he is giving two concerts at the Kings Theater in Brooklyn.

Today was the pre-sale.  I logged into the site at 9:45 and had to wait until 10:00 for the "doors to open".  I was #994 to get tickets.  At about 10:10 I was allowed to make a purchase.  Kings Theaters sells the tickets without relying on Ticketmaster or similar agencies.  The seat map had very small dots representing the individual seats available for purchase.  I clicked on one and it immediately sent me to checkout without asking if my order was complete.  I made the purchase and then got in again to buy a second ticket.  The rows were not shown so the second ticket was not adjacent to the first one.

At least I got two tickets, though Lee and I will have sit a row apart.

Mets 7 Diamondbacks 4 at Citi Field

 

Our 20-game plan gave us this Tuesday night game.  Thus, we saw four games in four stadiums in five days.  The starting pitchers were Jose Butto for the Mets and Ryne Nelson for the Diamondbacks.  The game featured home runs by Pete Alonso (his 44th of the season), Ronny Mauricio (his first MLB HR), and Francisco Alvarez.  Butto got his MLB victory while Adam Ottavino got his 10th save of the season.

Game Recap

Ultimate Weekend Day 3 - Atlanta Falcons 24 Carolina Panthers 10

 

Over the years I have seen very few NFL games live.  Almost all games for the Jets and Giants are sold out to season subscribers so it is hard to get tickets for single games.  Our last stop was at the beautiful Mercedes-Benz Stadium.   Our seats were in the lower level behind the end zone. The game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers was tied at 10 going to the fourth quarter.  The Falcons scored two touchdowns in the last period to win 24-10.

After the game ended at 4 p.m., we met the bus that took us to Centennial Park in downtown Atlanta.  We found a place to eat dinner and walked around the park.  We found a unique place that used liquid nitrogen to make ice cream.

Thankfully, we did not encounter any flight delays on the way home.

Ultimate Weekend Day 2 -Ball State vs Georgia Bulldogs in NCAA Football

 

College Football is not very big in the New York Metropolitan area.  Some years ago, we regularly went to games at Hofstra, but they dropped the program.  Once or twice a season we go to games at LIU Post which has a Division II program.  Thus, we welcomed the opportunity to see big-time college football.

The University of Georgia is about 80 miles from our hotel near the Atlanta airport.  This was our longest bus trip on this tour.  In previous Jay Buckley Baseball Tours, the trips from one game to the next could be a few hundred miles.  The University of Georgia has a large and beautiful campus for its 37,000+ students.  After our bus was parked, we had to take a campus bus to go to Stanford Stadium, the tenth-largest stadium in the NCAA.

It was very not in the open-air stadium on a bright and sunny day.  The game was one-sided as the Georgia Bulldogs beat the Ball State Cardinals 45-3.

Lee and I are wearing Georgia Bulldog baseball caps

Ultimate Weekend Day 1 - Atlanta Braves 8 Pittsburgh Pirates 2 at Truist Park

 

After the cab driver dropped us off, we walked through an area adjacent to Truist Park where there were several bars and eating places.  Hopefully, in a few years, there will be a similar area by Citi Field.  We found our group seated on the lower level between third base and left field.

Ronald Acuna Jr. was the hitting star for the Braves with three hits, two RBIs, and a walk.  Bryce Elder won his 12th game of the season pitching seven innings allowing two runs and four hits.  The victory moved the Braves one game closer to clinching a playoff spot and the NL East championship.

Box Score

I started My Vacation With a Five-Hour Flight Delay

A few months ago, I signed up for the Jay Buckley Baseball Tour featuring one baseball game and two football games in Atlanta.  The schedule stated that the bus would leave the hotel at 4 PM on Friday, September 8th for Truist Park.  Thus, I booked a flight that would leave LGA at 8:30 AM and arrive at the Atlanta airport at 11 AM which would give me five hours to get to the hotel to meet the tour.

When I arrived at the airport, I was informed that the flight was delayed until 11 AM which would give me enough time to meet the tour.  There was one delay after another while and finally, boarding began at 1:30 PM.  While I was still at LGA, I informed the tour escorts that I could be late.  The flight arrived in Atlanta at 3:50 PM.  I called the escorts who said they must leave for the ballpark at 4:15 at the latest.  Since I couldn't get there by that time, the tickets would be left for me at the hotel desk.  I finally arrived at the hotel at 5 PM when I took a cab to Truist Park.  I arrived at 6 PM which was over an hour before game time.

All's well that ends well, but it was a very anxious day for me.

 

Doo Wop Singer Larry Chance of the Earls Passes Away at Age 82

 

The Earls's biggest hit was Remember Then which peaked on the Billboard Chart at #24 in 1963.  It was a bigger hit in NYC as I remember hearing it played quite often back in the day on WABC and WMCA.  There is a line in the song "my mind wanders now and then" that hits close to home.

I have too many bad memories of relationships that didn't work out and I spend too much time remembering them.  I should live for today and let the past be the past.

Obituary of Larry Chance.

Musician Gary Wright Passes Away at 80

 

Gary Wright has passed away after battling Parkinson's disease and dementia.  He is best known for his hit Dream Weaver.  A biography may be found on Wikipedia.

Mazel Tov - The Mets Beat the Mariners 6-3 on Jewish Heritage Day at Citi Field

 

Over the course of a season, the Mets honor many groups.  Today was Jewish Heritage Day.  Some former Met players who are Jewish include Art Shamsky, Ike Davis, Josh Satin, and Shawn Green.  The first pitch was a Matzoh Ball through by a Jewish comedian whose name escapes me.  A choir from a temple on Long Island sang the National Anthem.  The funniest point of the game was when after two home runs by Pete Alonso and one by Jeff McNeil, there was a video of Mr. Met lifted in a chair while the others were doing the Hora around him.

Instead of giving a summary of the game, I am posting this video with highlights:

The Jimmy Buffet Bob Dylan Connection

 Today we got the terrible news that music icon Jimmy Buffett passed away at age 76.  Leave it me to find a connection of him to Bob Dylan.

Jimmy Buffett sings Blowin' in the Wind

Joan Baez and Bob Dylan perform Jimmy Buffett’s song “A Pirate Looks at Forty” during Peace Sunday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California in 1982.

No More Online Chatting "Relationships" For Me

In early July, a young lady asked to friend me on Facebook.  Even though I didn't know her I accepted her invitation.  We started to chat on Facebook Messenger and then moved to WhatsApp.  She said she was from West Virginia, 40 years old with a four-year-old son, and had lost her husband to cancer.  We had a common bond as we were both widowed with a son, albeit at different ages.  I could not date her since our ages differed and we lived hundreds of miles apart.

We chatted for several weeks by exchanging pleasantries and saying what we were doing.  All of a sudden, she asked me for a loan and promised she would pay me back.  I sent her a small amount via PayPal.  A few days later she asked me for more and I refused.

Online relationships differ from personal friendships which take time to develop. She said I was the only one who could help her.  On a few occasions in the past, a young lady asked me for money, and I had to end the relationship.  One woman I encountered on Twitter (now X) tried to sell me bitcoins.

No more of this. The person at the other end is not a real friend.

 

September Morn by Neil Diamond - Classic Hit of the Day

 

It is hard to believe that it is September 1 already.  Time really flies.  September Morn was a minor hit for Neil Diamond as it peaked at #17 on the Billboard chart in early 1980.