Victor Lana

Joe Paterno - An American Tragedy

2012-01-26T04:05:00.000-08:00

Article first published as Joe Paterno - An American Tragedy on Blogcritics.

"The evil that men do lives after them,
The good is oft interred with their bones."
- Mark Antony in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

In Shakespeare's great play, the Roman emperor Julius Caesar is brought down by some of his former friends, including BFF Brutus. Of course, had Caesar only headed the warning from others around him, he would have been in his palace eating grapes instead of dead on the Senate floor, but then we wouldn't have the tragic story Shakespeare told so well.

I recall reading Theodore Dreiser's novel An American Tragedy back in college, and it seemed to me to be one of the most solemn works, the heft of which weighed on me long after I had read it. The quick summary could be something about the main character, Clyde Griffiths, coming from a modest family and working his way to the top, only to be brought crashing down by his own desire for wealth and success.

When we think of Joe Paterno now after the horrific Penn State scandal that brought him down, it is not as the winningest coach in college football history. Sadly, he has been vilified for (if nothing else) lacking the discernment to report Jerry Sandusky to the authorities after his efforts within the Penn State system brought no action. Of course, Paterno's famous line that he should have done more echoes ominously now, as he has passed on and left a fractured legacy in his wake.

What exactly is a tragedy? People regularly misuse the word, but if you look at Aristotle's definition of it, tragedy has to do with a fall that was inevitable. Tragic heroes are noble in some way, have great ability, and they are admirable for the great things they do, but one thing stops them along the way: they have a deadly (tragic) flaw.

People who study these kinds of things will tell you all about tragic heroes like Hamlet, who could not decide what to do until it was too late to do it. If procrastination got Joe Paterno, it was undoubtedly after the fact. Paterno did report the incident involving Sandusky and a young boy to university authorities, but this went nowhere. Years and years passed and then the truth finally came out. One can question what Paterno was thinking all that time, and either the incident was forgotten or conveniently put aside in his thought process.

We all know the rest of the story, and Paterno ended up getting fired even after he decided to quit, so much for a quiet life of retirement. Then we learned that Paterno had lung cancer, and three months or so later he is dead. Today a private funeral was held for the man, with a public memorial set for Thursday with thousands of people expected to attend. We can wonder if Paterno died more from a broken heart than from lung cancer, but there is no explaining the unexplainable.

So many of his former players have spoken about their love for "JoePa." We hear from them that Paterno was a good - even a great - man. To me he seems more like a King Lear type in a sense, perhaps more sinned against than sinning, another tragic figure who misjudges people and their intentions. He only understands the truth about good and evil too late; alas, this seems to be the case with Paterno as well.

We cannot debate with those who knew the good man Joe Paterno was, but it would be difficult to not see the other side of those abused boys or their family members, who view Paterno's inaction as a sort of evil. Now, those who knew Paterno loved him and probably will never see what he did (or didn't do) as evil, yet most of us would see sexually abusing children as something quite evil, and a failure to report that as being like an accessory to the crime.

How Joe Paterno will be seen in sports history is yet to be determined, for in sports the infamous and the legendary often stand side by side. Pete Rose is not in the Hall of Fame, but someone who was known as a racist (Ty Cobb) is in there. While I am not certain how "evil" gambling is (they play Bingo in churches all over the country don't they?), I am sure that racism is an ugly and evil thing, and yet plenty of people forget about the dark side of Cobb as the years go by.

Right now Joe Paterno can be seen as a tragic figure, and perhaps the best thing to come out of this mess is that college football has been changed forever by what happened at Penn State. People in colleges and universities all across the country must face what happened there and learn from it; otherwise, there is a good chance this could happen again somewhere. When even one child suffers unnecessarily, all children (and their parents) suffer as well. If we allow things like this to continue to happen, then we are not part of the solution but part of the problem, and that will indeed be an American tragedy.

Photo Credit - AP

The Prognosis Is Grim for Gary Carter

2012-01-22T06:31:00.000-08:00

Article first published as The Prognosis Is Grim for Gary Carter on Blogcritics.

Former Mets player and Hall of Famer Gary Carter has been battling brain cancer, and the news this week is not what baseball fans wanted to hear: a recent MRI has revealed new tumors and his doctors at Duke University are deciding whether or not to stop treating him. Carter, known as "The Kid" for his youthful effervescence and love of the game, has seen his condition worsen as he is undergoing treatments, not a good sign for him, his family, and his many fans.

If you go to the official Gary Carter web site, fans are instructed not to send items to be signed by The Kid due to his condition. Instead, fans are asked to send him good wishes or messages at this address:
The Gary Carter Foundation, 580 Village Blvd., Suite 315, West Palm Beach, FL 33409. Hopefully, he will be flooded with messages to cheer him during this difficult time.

Here in New York stories have run in the New York Daily News about Carter's worsening condition, and on sports radio talk shows the fans have been calling in with their thoughts about Carter. What is interesting to me as a Mets fan is to hear so many Yankees fans calling in and sending their best to Carter. I tip my hat to them and thank them, for I know I felt the same way when some of their great players were ill or passed on.

A player like Gary Carter transcends time and place. His enthusiasm for the game is appreciated and respected by all fans because he played the game the right way, and his personality was such that he was liked by everyone.

Mets fans certainly remember the trade that brought him to New York in 1985. Although third baseman Hubie Brooks (a fan favorite) and three other players were traded for Carter, it was immediately understood what his presence on the team meant. He solidified the team along with Keith Hernandez, Darryl Strawberry, and Doc Gooden. His clubhouse presence was as essential as was his play on the field.

Of course, young players like Lenny Dykstra, Strawberry, and Gooden did look up to him during the 1986 season, and I recall times when the camera would catch Carter in the dugout talking to them. It never seemed that he was lecturing them, rather it appeared to be mentoring, and you could tell by the expressions on the younger players' faces that they valued what they were hearing.

1986 seems a long way away now, and as a Mets fan I still recall the joy of watching Gary Carter play, of seeing him running out and grabbing Jesse Orosco and then watching them both get smothered by the rest of the team as they celebrated that last out of the 1986 World Series. It is something I will never forget, and Carter's infectious smile is burned into my mind. I think that's the way we all want to remember him.

So one of the good guys is down but not yet out. Let's pull for him every way we can in the days ahead, and by all means send him good wishes and anything else that can cheer him up. Gary Carter, you are forever young in our hearts and minds; hang in there, Kid.

Photo Credit - Daily News

Russians Look to Establish Permanent Moon Colony

2012-01-21T16:27:00.000-08:00

Article first published as Russians Look to Establish Permanent Moon Colony on Blogcritics.

The moon has always had a tug on us, whether it is causing our tides or filling the sky at night with luminous beauty. We have imagined the man on the moon, creatures large and small, and even it being made of cheese. The moon is our closest neighbor in space and occupies a place in literature and film, yet we have barely touched the surface after the historic landing of humans in 1969, and I have often wondered what it would take to get us back there.
So when I heard a report on Fox News that the Russians were planning to establish a moon base, my immediate thought was "What about us?" Had we abandoned the idea of ever returning to that celestial wonder, the place where an American flag stands in the stillness of a windless plane?

Vladimir Popovkin, the head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, revealed that he was in joint talks with NASA and the European Space Agency on a joint venture in this process. This would make more sense because NASA has not been able to orchestrate a return to the moon for many reasons, including the obvious financial burdens such a mission would entail. Hopefully, with these agencies working together, something tangible can happen to make this vision a reality.

Of course, President Obama is noted for saying that we should set our sights on Mars. I wrote about this in an article nearly two years ago, and I haven't heard much about it since. At the time I praised Obama's vision, but I think reality always rears its ugly head. Mars is a much more difficult mission and will no doubt take a much longer time to accomplish. The moon, on the other hand, can be more easily reached, and I even noted at the time that a base on the moon would make sense as a staging point for these missions to Mars.

Space has an allure for many of us, especially Star Trek and Star Wars fans, but also many others who have have turned their heads to ponder the universe. Whether you have looked at the moon on a sandy beach, from an airplane window, or through a telescope, the fascination is palable and the yearning for "infinity and beyond" is something more than a cartoon fantasy. If space is indeed the final frontier, then we must find ways to explore it, starting with baby steps that take us to the moon and then one day to planets beyond our solar system.

People living in 1869 had no idea that one hundred years later we would witness a man walking on the moon. In 1969 we could imagine many things after seeing Neil Armstrong take that amazing first step, but we had no idea that the communicators we saw in Captain Kirk's hand on Star Trek would be in our own hands when we grew up in the form of cellular phones. Now, if we could just get Scotty to beam us up to avoid that traffic jam, but that's for another story.

I think it is exciting to imagine what a moon base would be like, and 2020 certainly doesn't feel that far away. The question is would this open up an eventual opportunity for civilians to visit the moon? I would like to reserve a room in that first Marriot that goes up near the Sea of Tranquility. Ah, a room with a view!

Until then "Live long and prosper" to one and all!

Photo Credit - NASA

Golden Globes Reminiscent of the Drunken Golden Age of TV

2012-01-20T18:16:00.000-08:00

Article first published as Golden Globes Reminiscent of the Drunken Golden Age of TV on Blogcritics.

What stood out most for me during the 69th Golden Globe Awards Ceremony was not host Ricky Gervais and his brazen humor and wit, nor was it the wonderful gowns worn by the beautiful women or the acceptance speeches or the botched readings from the teleprompter by an array of presenters. What captured my attention most was that this is an awards show awash in booze, and no one associated with it has even a glimmer of embarrassment about it.

After Gervais gave his monologue, which was a bit disappointing in terms of its shock and awe, he introduced Johnny Depp as the first presenter with the line, "Please welcome the man who will wear literally anything Tim Burton tells him to." Depp sauntered on stage and sniffed Gervais's libation.

Obviously contented to discover it was pure booze, Depp turned and spoke, seemingly channeling his inner Captain Jack Sparrow (not to mention Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, and the Mad Hatter too). So the Golden Globe Awards were off to a well lubricated start.

Throughout the broadcast Mr. Gervais could be seen with glass in hand (he switched to wine at some point during the evening). As the director gave generous glimpses of the audience throughout the night, we saw images of the glittering Hollywood stars drinking, eating, kibitzing, and drinking some more. One shot revealed champagne being poured, others showed the glasses clinking and faces getting rosier than Santa's after too many cookies washed down with shots of whiskey.

While this may seem a bit shocking in 2012, it actually reminded me of the old days of television. I remember when I was very young and saw Jackie Gleason come out on stage after the show, knocking down the fourth wall with a cigarette in one hand and booze in the other as he talked with the audience. Legendary newsman Edward R. Murrow always was seen cigarette in hand, and I recall guests on The Tonight Show (and others of its kind) smoking and drinking as they talked with Johnny or the other hosts.

In fact, even characters in sitcoms and dramas would be seen drinking and smoking regularly. It was almost a given that you would see at least one light-up and one drink per episode. Standing out in my memory was a scene featuring the great Lucille Ball on I Love Lucy having her cigarette lit by guest star William Holden and having the flame burn the edge of her putty nose (part of a disguise she was wearing).

Somehow things all changed for television. I am not sure when and where it happened, but I think it may correspond with Disney taking over Times Square in New York City and ABC Television. The Disney version of life seemed so pervasive that it wiped out the dens on inequity in the center of the real world New York and the liberal use of smoking and drinking on the tube. It may not have been all Disney's fault, since the censors on all stations seemed to kick in, and everyone from the Huxtables on The Cosby Show to stars in serious dramas suddenly went cold turkey. No one smoked or drank, and it does seem like that is more or less still expected on TV today (unless you count Super Bowl commercials).

So last evening when I was watching the Golden Globes, I was reminded of those shows of my youth. A memory of Dean Martin on one of his celebrity roasts came to mind, and old Dino was hoisting a glass and smoking a cigarette throughout the proceedings. Last night no one was smoking at the Globes (at least that we could see), but they were certainly drinking copiously. Mr. Gervais summed it up best by comparing the broadcast to the Oscars, saying that the Globes show is "a bit louder, a bit trashier, a bit drunker, and more easily bought." I am not sure about that last part.

Somewhere up there Gleason, Carson, Martin, and the rest were no doubt hoisting a few and enjoying the show. It is something of an anomaly in the world of entertainment to see stars loosen up like that, reminding us of a time long ago when it was common. This doesn't mean we won't watch the Academy Awards broadcast, because we will, but that mostly dry affair is a little bit more stodgy than it should be, and maybe the open bar has something to do with it.

Photo Credit- Getty Images

Why Not Let Iran Close the Strait of Hormuz?

2012-01-15T14:04:00.000-08:00

Article first published as Why Not Let Iran Close the Strait of Hormuz? on Blogcritics.

Listening to all the pundits on talk radio here in New York this week, I got a feeling that I do not like. It was that same feeling I had right before we invaded Iraq (the second time around). Everyone seems to be beating a drum for a confrontation with the Iranians, and it probably has more to do with Iran's nuclear program than with its threat to close the Strait of Hormuz; still everyone is acting like this is the most important 34-mile wide waterway in the world. Quite frankly, it is not, and threatening a war over it is American saber rattling of the most incredulous kind.

Depending on who is speaking, about twenty to thirty percent of the world's oil supply goes through the strait each day. More importantly, it is the Iranians themselves who depend on this shipping lane to get their oil out to the world. If they close the strait, and no one does anything to stop it, then the Iranians are going to impact themselves just as much, if not more, than anyone else. Hungry for the money that oil brings and being economically crushed by sanctions, the Iranians are going to feel the pain that action brings and that will be all of their own doing.

America should not be the world's police force in this (or quite frankly any other) matter. Many other countries will be affected by this closure, but there are alternatives for oil from Saudi Arabia and other nations, and it is perhaps a timely lesson to make big consumers of oil like China, Japan, and Europe start thinking about this for the long haul. It also wouldn't hurt for oil producing countries in the gulf to look toward other means of getting oil out to the world, like pipelines to the Mediterranean, the Gulf of Oman, and the Red Sea.

The most important thing to take away from this is that America should not try to stop Iran if it takes this action. The world will see Iran as an aggressor, similar to Hitler attacking Poland or Saddam Hussein invading Kuwait. Once the action is taken, then it should be up to the United Nations to formulate a plan that includes many nations and not just one.

It is time for America to take a step back, especially during this presidential year. Any saber rattling, and make no mistake there is plenty going on involving everyone from presidential hopefuls to the guy on the street, is going to defeat the purpose of stopping an emboldened Iran from essentially blockading itself from the world. We should welcome rather than inhibit this action, for it will no doubt hasten the demise of the regime in Tehran faster than any American military maneuvers that will only stoke the flames of another war that we are unable to win.

Scientists Determine The Shroud of Turin is Not a Fake

2012-01-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

Article first published as Scientists Determine The Shroud of Turin is Not a Fake on Blogcritics.

Recently I read a story about The Shroud of Turin that got my attention. After a five year study, Italian scientists have confirmed that the Shroud is not some product of trickery, created during the Middle Ages by someone who wanted to fool the public. After five years of testing and experiments, they have said that the Shroud is an authentic artifact. But they have gone even further, claiming that "The implications are… that the image was formed by a burst of UV energy so intense it could only have been supernatural."
This is a stunning announcement given that it is coming from people of science. They went on to note that with our modern technology (using present day linen and lasers) the image was impossible to recreate because the "degree of power cannot be reproduced by any normal UV source built to date."

Little of what we think about in life is based on belief; we tend to want most things to be based on fact. Sports fans tend to gravitate toward statistics, assuming that numbers do not lie; however, sometimes great teams on paper never function on the field. The late great Tug McGraw of the New York Mets coined the term "Ya gotta believe," and that worked well for fans of the struggling team over the years, even when they impossibly challenged some of the best teams on paper for an inconceivable shot at the championship. The Mets should not have been in the 1973 World Series, but they were.

In John's Gospel we read about Doubting Thomas, the Apostle who had to see the risen Jesus for himself before he could believe. The story goes that when Jesus appeared to Thomas that he made the doubtful man put his fingers in the wounds on his body suffered during his crucifixion in order for Thomas to feel the truth. Thomas then professes his faith, but Christ tells him that the most blessed are the ones who have not seen for themselves but still believe.

Many of us were aware of the Shroud and probably have been skeptical about it. As a Catholic, I have always been fascinated by it but have remained uncertain because of conflicting reports of the authenticity of the artifact. I am sure that even with this report there will still be some people who view it as questionable, but I feel more convinced by this finding and think about it as a court case where new evidence has been submitted and changes everything.

Think about how many people have been cleared in recent years by DNA evidence. This is something that did not exist years ago, and many innocent people ended up in jail for years because of it. Of course, skeptics may have questioned the legitimacy of the DNA results at first, but now they offer the most highly respected way to determine paternity, criminal guilt, and identity. No one in the first century could have ever imagined such technology, just as they could not have possibly known or understood the UV energy necessary to create the image on the Shroud.

For those who may still be skeptical, a different piece of "evidence" may shake things up a bit. The image on the Shroud actually has precedence in the story of Jesus' crucifixion. As Jesus struggles to drag the heavy cross to Golgotha where he will be crucified, a woman named Veronica stops to wipe his face with a towel, and she discovers that Christ has left an imprint of his face on the cloth. This amazing little anecdote from the Passion of Christ should no longer be viewed as an anomaly, but rather as a foreshadowing of the larger image to be left on the Shroud.

For some this will be seen as part of a concocted story and perhaps all the evidence in the world will not be enough, and I respect these people and their opinions. Still, as I view this new report and think about my faith, the realization of things unseen but believed and then those hard forensic findings coalesce and strengthen my belief. If the image is supernatural as the scientists noted, it is because it comes from an evanescent nature of things that has not been able to be explained before this moment.

The case for the authenticity of the Shroud seems stronger than ever now, but I know some will be like Doubting Thomas. Even if they see the evidence, they still may never believe. This is understandable and perhaps is even an integral part of the mystery the Shroud itself, making even scientific findings doubted, yet for some people the story corroborates what they already know. For them this story takes the tenuous belief and elucidates a new reality that is unshakable. Ya gotta believe indeed!

Photo: National Geographic.com

As Gang Green Turns: Sanchez Throws Season Away in 19-17 Loss to Miami

2012-01-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: Sanchez Throws Season Away in 19-17 Loss to Miami on Blogcritics.

Three more interceptions this week and the situation starts to look pretty bad for QB Mark Sanchez, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, and head coach Rex Ryan. We Jets fans have run out of excuses for these three, and even Schottenheimer's apparent benching of Santonio Holmes in the final minutes of the game seems meaningless. Giving Holmes a time out for bad behavior does nothing to save Schottenheimer; in fact, his lack of leadership becomes even more apparent when you analyze things.
The first person who needs to go is the big guy on top. I have often jokingly referred to Ryan as Humpty Dumpty, but after this game the reference has never been more obvious or fitting. Rex had a big fall this season, and you have to wonder about him lying in pieces outside MetLife Stadium. My bet is the players will collect their things and walk by indifferently instead of rallying the horses and men to try to put Rex back together. Honestly, it is his own fault and his fate is deserved.

Schottenheimer has been under fire all season, and he has more than anything mishandled the line and the receivers. It also seems like he has had Sanchez on auto pilot. Sanchez has fallen apart as much as King Rex, with his trigger-finger being so itchy that he just throws the ball without seemingly any thought process or plan. Without proper pass protection, and with receivers being covered and out maneuvered, Sanchez has been under the gun and shooting blanks. It is not a pretty picture at all.

The benching of Holmes at the end of the game was the salt in the wounds. On an offensive drive that mattered most, Holmes should have been in there, but not in Schottenheimer's world. He allowed whatever altercation happened between Holmes and a teammate to override good sense, so we have Holmes sitting on the sidelines looking like a kid in the corner in school. Unfortunately, the dunce cap goes on Schottenheimer for this final straw. If he isn't sent packing, something is rotten in the state of Jets country.

Of course, we Jets fans are bitter now, but we have to face facts and so does owner Woody Johnson. This team cannot be seen as a legitimate playoff contender; perhaps, it never should have been in the three years Ryan has been here. All his hot air made the perception that the team was more than the sum of its parts. It's kind of like dropping a Cadillac shell around an old Yugo. No matter how nice it may look, you will never get the performance you expect, and eventually the shell will break away, as it did for Rex this year.

If we learn anything from this 8-8 season, it is that we can only hope things get changed for the better. Jets fans shouldn't be thinking about how Oakland, Denver, and Cincinnati lost. Remember that Tennessee won. Besides, even if all the stars aligned and the Jets won, they no doubt would have been eliminated in the first round.

Next year we need to see a major change for the Jets. Sanchez should be thought of as a back-up QB for now, or trade him and get the right guy. The Jets should make a full court press to obtain Peyton Manning, and Schottenheimer should be shown the door. Finally, Johnson should take a long hard look at Ryan and decide whether his baggage is worth it. After three years of empty promises, the bubble has burst. It could be Ryan is shown the door too, and that may be necessary in order to purge what is wrong with this team.

It will be a long and lonely time for Jets fans in the months ahead, but maybe we should bite the bullet and watch the Giants. They have a solid head coach in Tom Coughlin, and Eli Manning is starting to look like he is in his brother's shadow no more. Jets fans may not like admitting it, but Big Blue has much of what the Jets lack. If we are honest with ourselves, we will know it is true and then we only have to hope that Woody Johnson realizes it as well and makes appropriate changes.

For now, the soap opera known As Gang Green Turns goes on hiatus. As in the TV world, that is never a good thing, and reruns just don't cut it because we know how it all turns out. Hang in there until next year, Jets fans.

Photo Credits: Humpty Dumpty - lyricsdog.eu/ Holmes - nydailynews

John Lennon's "Happy Christmas/War Is Over" - Sung by Angels on New Year's Day

2012-01-02T05:23:00.000-08:00

Article first published as John Lennon's "Happy Christmas/War Is Over" - Sung by Angels on New Year's Day on Blogcritics.

As I lay in bed this morning a persistent dream kept me sleeping on the edge of awake. I do not recall the dream specifically, but there was something keeping me in there, not wanting to move the blanket to bring me out on the other side. I was aware in the dream - new day, new year, and I felt enormous contentment. Then I heard it: a hymn seemingly sung by angels on high. It was John Lennon's song "Happy Christmas/War Is Over," and it was being sung by my children.

I pushed myself out of the reverie of sleep into wakefulness, motivated as a sleepwalker might be to move forward, undo latches and locks, and escape into the dark cold of night. As I came down the stairs I saw them sitting there (no wings or halos present to be sure), but their little voices had captured the nuances so well, the words rolling out and into the cosmos as they left their throats, no doubt delighting my mother in heaven (and Mr. Lennon, if he was not too busy listening to a million others singing the song elsewhere in the world).

My kids saw me and kept the verse going. My daughter had an impish smile, my son singing delightfully off key. They had heard the song many times leading up to Christmas, but their familiarity is with a newer version sung by Sarah McLachlan, a singer who is associated with having quite an angelic voice.

I sat on the chair until they finished singing, clapped my hands, and felt I couldn't have asked for a better way to start a new year. My son is too young to understand the meaning of the song, but my ten-year-old daughter loves the song and what she perceives as the message: world peace is within our grasp, but we have to want it.

I think Lennon's song has never been more timely than right now. I started thinking about the last American troops that have rolled into Kuwait, leaving behind years of war in Iraq. When the song first came out, the war in question was Vietnam (and there were certainly no signs of it abating then). Happily, Iraq is concluded, but Afghanistan and wars elsewhere still loom large, so the question is as poignant as ever: "war is over" but do we want it? Of course, in a child's mind the answer is "How can we not?"

Yes, I want to think peace is possible, but after opening up this morning's paper, I saw too many reasons to think it won't happen. Number one reason is the threat by the Iranians to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, which in essence will stop oil shipments to many parts of the world. Of course, America has to rattle its saber and say that it cannot allow that to happen, so more fears of an escalation of hostilities rather than a move towards peace seem to be the reality.

I know many people think Lennon's song is just a pipe dream, but I kind of hope every year that it is more of a peace pipe dream. If people all over the world can celebrate the birth of Jesus, if they can sing the song "Silent Night" and those lovely words "Sleep in heavenly peace," then that would go for not just the Baby Jesus but every baby in the world. We adults surely must know that the most important thing we can do for our children is to make certain those words can become a reality.

So when my daughter said she loved Sarah McLachlan's song, I stopped myself from going into the details about John Lennon. Besides, a great singer can make a song his own (think Nat King Cole and "The Christmas Song" or Frank Sinatra and "My Way"), and Sarah certainly makes that song hers when she sings it. There will be time for my daughter to know all about John Lennon, but for now I will let her sing that song and dream of peace and hope that sooner or later the adults of this world will get the message too.

As Gang Green Turns: The Party Is Over for Rex and His Men

2011-12-30T19:58:00.000-08:00

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: The Party Is Over for Rex and His Men on Blogcritics.

It really matters very little what happens against Miami next week; the party is over for head coach Rex Ryan and his minions. His kingdom is fractured, and if he hasn't fallen off the wall yet it's only because he's holding on for dear life. My advice is "Let go, Rex." It'll makes things easier in the long run, and then all your horses and men can scatter to the far corners after next week's game instead of worrying about putting you back together again.

Ryan is his own worst enemy. He is reminiscent of Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden character in spirit and in person. While Rex never seems at a loss for words or embarrassed by what comes out of his mouth, Kramden often recognized that his got him into lots of trouble, hence the famous "I've got a BIG mouth" line from The Honeymooners. We can only wish Ryan had such awareness.

The Jets were playing what could ostensibly be called a mini-Super Bowl against the Giants at MetLife Stadium. It had the aura of it building up the week before, with Rex shooting his mouth off, saying the Jets were a better team, and the rest of his blather. Compared to Ryan, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin comes off like a Harvard professor. All week the buzz in New York was that Coughlin needed the win against the Jets or would lose his job. Perhaps the talk should have been about Ryan losing his, and after that debacle on Christmas Eve against the Giants, it seems reasonable to me to indeed bring that possibility into discussion.

Ryan has made nothing but promises (empty ones it seems for the most part) for the last three years. He is supposed to be a master of defense, but the team seems shaky in that department, especially this year. To make matters worse, the offense is sputtering like a Model-T Ford of late. Sanchez is always under the gun, seemingly without more than a few seconds before he has to throw the ball. When he does throw, the competition licks its lips because chances are pretty good for an interception.

I don't need to see next week's game (I predict the Jets will lose 21-14 by the way) to say that I think Rex's big mouth has taken a toll on this team. He needs to either learn to shut up and take some notes from guys like Coughlin, or maybe it is time for him to go. As for Sanchez, it has been a three year experiment that seems to have fizzled: no smoke and mirrors are going to make him a better QB. He is looking more and more like a back-up quarterback to me, but I am sure he will not want that and will go elsewhere.

Yes, we Jets fans are bitter after that loss on December 24. It ruined our Christmas worse than a stocking full of coal. We have to blame Ryan and Sanchez, and even a partridge in a pear tree would do nothing to make us feel better. So please, Jets fans, don't start thinking about if the Bengals lose or if this team or that wins, because it is over.

Deflate the blow-up Jets player on your lawn, throw all those green cups and plates into a bag, and hang up your Jets jerseys and hats in a dark closet. Tom Coughlin and the Giants taught us all a terrible lesson on Saturday, but Ryan may be the only one who learned nothing from it.

There will be no playoffs this year and a long time before next season. Hopefully, Ryan will take some classes on public speaking, start rethinking his offense and defense, and maybe owner Woody Johnson will do what needs to be done and offer as much money as possible to a new QB who can really lead this team. Can anyone say "Peyton Manning" without picturing him wearing a green uniform? Now THAT would be a great belated Christmas present for Jets fans.

Photo Credits: Gleason - hark.com; Ryan - Daily News

Bobby Valentine Hates the Yankees - Join the Club

2011-12-08T14:29:00.000-08:00

Article first published as Bobby Valentine Hates the Yankees - Join the Club on Blogcritics.

Bobby Valentine, the new manager of the Boston Red Sox, is already making headlines with his "I hate the Yankees" quotation. As if the winter meetings in Dallas haven't been exciting enough, you can always count on Bobby V to get things interesting. If Reggie Jackson was the straw that stirred the drink, consider Valentine to be the ladle that pours out the gravy.

Like him or not, Valentine is someone who has an energy that makes things happen. When he was manager of the Mets you could always count on him for some kind of quip or reaction that would make over the top seem low. Once, when he had been thrown out of the game by an umpire, he sat in the corner of the dugout wearing a disguise (sunglasses and a mustache) and was caught by the cameras. It is an unforgettable moment and I can still laugh about it.

Of course, there is a serious side to Valentine, and this was never more evident than after September 11, 2001. Valentine honored the families of the victims and handled himself well as the Mets played the first professional sports game held in the city after the attacks. Whatever else people think about him, at that time he and his players gave New York just what it needed most. It too is unforgettable and I will always respect Valentine for the way he spoke and acted at that time.

Now, of course, he wears a different uniform and manages the Boston Red Sox. People calling into the sports shows on talk radio here in New York were getting crazy today. It was kind of like "How dare Valentine say that about our Yankees?"

These people have to be kidding themselves. I have no illusions; Yankees fans hate the Red Sox just as much if not more. They broke the Curse of the Bambino and things haven't been the same ever since in the American League East. Yankees fans know it and everyone else does too.

Beside, unless you are a Yankees fan, you probably hate the Yankees. Valentine was being honest (a rarity in sports these days) and saying what most fans of other teams think: we all hate the Yankees. As a Mets fan I can say I like Bobby V even better today than I did before. That will last until the Mets are facing the Red Sox in the World Series again, and the way the Mets are going, that probably won't be until sometime after 2020.

So this Mets fan wishes Bobby Valentine well in Beantown. I hope the Red Sox and their fans will appreciate the man for his many talents, and forgive him when he says the wrong thing. Like Rex Ryan, that probably will be more often than not, but Valentine is entertaining and knows how to run a baseball team. You can bet Joe Girardi and his players are a little worried about that.

Photo Credit: bleacherreport.com

Mets Mess: Loss of Reyes Worse Than Tom Seaver Trade

2011-12-06T17:55:00.000-08:00

Article first published as Mets Mess: Loss of Reyes Worse Than Tom Seaver Trade on Blogcritics.

I, no doubt like most fans of the New York Mets, am still not able to process the loss of superstar short stop Jose Reyes to the Miami Marlins. Yes, I know it has occurred, but I am still hoping that something will make me snap out of it and realize this is only a dream.

Actually, it is like some terrible nightmare. In my mind this is right up there with the worst trade in Mets history - Tom Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds, but it is in fact a more insidious and devastating move that will affect this team and its fans for years to come.

The loss of Seaver in a deadline trade in 1977 sent away the player, dubbed The Franchise by New York sports writers, who embodied the heart and soul of the Mets. It didn't matter that the Mets were a losing team when Tom Terrific was pitching. People went to see him, to watch his mastery on the mound, to enjoy his personality and his true connection to fans and team.

Now flash forward to 2011. Reyes may not have been "the franchise," but he surely was the most popular, effervescent, and talented player on the Mets in recent years. Coming off his best year ever, including a .337 average that gave him the National League batting crown, Reyes was (just like Seaver) a reason to come to the ballpark. Watching him hit a triple was like sitting back and listening to Yo-Yo Ma playing the cello. It became an ethereal experience, making for a majestic and surreal moment when all seemed right in the Mets' universe.

Sadly, Reyes takes his wonderful smile, his exuberant spirit, and his many talents to Miami. Yes, there are those who say Reyes is too injury prone. His legs are going to go on him. Whatever the reason the Mets did not make a serious offer, it leaves Mets fans cold. Many of us feel that GM Sandy Alderson should have done whatever it took to get Reyes back to Citi Field. Now he will return with the visiting Marlins on April 14, 2012, and how much do you want to bet that there will not only be a capacity crowd but that they will give him a standing ovation?

Now on talk radio there are the rumbles about trading David Wright because Reyes is gone. Alderson is no doubt fueling these rumors with talk about using the cash that would have gone to Reyes for "rebuilding." Now, don't go get visions of sugarplums and C.J. Wilson dancing in your heads, because it is more than likely that Alderson is settling his brain for a long winter's nap.

Let's face the ugly facts: the Mets are going nowhere in 2012. We can call this the "Season of If" : if Ike Davis can return in top shape, if Johan Santana can return and pitch like he used to do, if Ruben Tejada can be a full-time shortstop, if Mike Pelfrey can ever shake the bats out of his belfry, if Lucas Duda really has thirty homers in that bat, if Angel Pagan can return from last year's disappearing act, if Jason Bay can be the guy he used to be in Boston. The "if" list can go on and on.

In the end this loss of Reyes is worse than the Seaver trade. The loss of Seaver destroyed the team and it took years (seven actually) for the Mets to start to show signs of resurgence (ironically, after Seaver again was lost to the Chicago White Sox and a young pitcher named Dwight Gooden came into the picture). Losing Reyes now is a firm and clear commitment by Mets management to giving up on 2012 before it even commences. At least Seaver was traded during a lost season; this time it is clear the season is already lost!

Now, it has been eleven years and counting since the Mets were in the World Series. Let's say with great confidence that this will the twelfth year without any shot at it. Many more lost years may be on the horizon if Alderson lets Wright go and basically waits for the Phillies players to start needing canes and walkers. With Miami poised to become the new powerhouse in the NL East, there probably will be no joy in Metville for a long time to come.

Photo Credits: reyes - espn.com; Seaver - bleacherreport.com

Occupy Wall Street: Wild Bill Says The Thrill Is Gone

2011-11-21T16:21:00.000-08:00

Article first published as Occupy Wall Street: Wild Bill Says The Thrill Is Gone on Blogcritics.

Every neighborhood has its characters in New York City, and in my father's Queens location there is a guy I know as Wild Bill. I do not know his real name, nor do I feel compelled to find out, but WB (as some of the local kids call him) is an eccentric, slightly scary, and infinitely funny old coot who walks around in a trench coat even in the summer. I am sure he is not homeless because he is never unclean, but I have no idea where he lives. He has been spotted getting on and off a city bus with a cup of Starbucks coffee, so I figure he has some source of income to keep him in grande cappuccinos and Metro Cards.

After not seeing him for a rather long time, I ran into him yesterday and noticed the copy of the New York Times under his arm wrapped in the iconic blue plastic. I started thinking maybe he swiped it off a lawn somewhere, but the cup of java in his other hand made me think not. The best way to describe WB is that he looks kind of like Nick Nolte when he got arrested that time for drunk driving. His eyes dart back and forth over the aviator sunglasses he wears on the end of his nose, a cigarette is always in his mouth, and it seems as if he is always nervous and wants to keep moving.

On this beautiful day WB was very animated as he told me that he quit Zuccotti Park. I asked him why and he said, "Man, the pigs ruined the party for me, took away my tent, but some people are going to stay until the frost is on the pumpkin and Santa comes out of the ice and snow and brings them nothing but coal."

Okay, WB is a little creative but he is honest as far as I know. He went on to say that he had some friends there and ate very well for a long time. He didn't say whether he was committed to the OWS cause or that he just wanted free eats, but then he has told me about his "hippie past" spent in San Francisco where he protested all the time, mostly against the war in Vietnam. Later, he came here to New York "to protest everything from A to Z."

He says that he knew Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman, and Tom Hayden and admits to getting arrested more times than he can remember. He also says "My brain is more fried than an egg on a Manhattan sidewalk in July." I do recall many years ago seeing him walking around with a black T-shirt with LSD on it in big white letters; therefore, I think WB is ostensibly telling the truth, or at least the way he remembers things.

I asked him if he felt that the protesters would really stick it out over the winter, and he said, "The core will, man. They are committed. They don't care if the pigs come in there with a tank; they're going down fighting."
We talked a little while longer and, as our conversation was ending, I asked WB if he was going back to Zuccotti Park any time soon, and he said, "No man, the thrill is gone."

I asked where he was going, and he looked around and then pointed up to the sky, and I started thinking the worst until he opened his trench coat and revealed a Hawaiian shirt. Now, looking more like Nolte in that picture than ever before, he said, "Don't worry, brother, I'm taking a flight to paradise. See you in the funny papers." Off WB went in the brilliant sunshine, sipping coffee and carrying that New York Times. In that instance I suddenly understood that WB was summer soldier and a sunshine patriot, and he seemed not to have a problem with that; neither did I.

If Zuccotti Park is still occupied come the spring, maybe WB will return to the fold, or perhaps he will join Occupy Honolulu or something like that. No matter, the neighborhood will be less colorful without him in the days ahead.

Happy trails, WB. Happy trails.

Photo Credit: smokinggun.com

As Gang Green Turns: The Ryan Express Continues to Derail

2011-11-20T07:16:00.000-08:00

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: The Ryan Express Continues to Derail on Blogcritics.

The once hallowed Jets defense, head coach Rex Ryan's version of The Maginot Line, is looking more and more like Swiss cheese. How did Tim Tebow lead a 95-yard drive (and carry the ball for a 20-yard touchdown run)? The answer is the same as how the Germans overcame that supposedly impregnable French barrier in World War II: they simply went around it.

Ryan has made many promises to the fans and his players, but now it seems he just has miles to go before he sleeps - the promises have already been unkept. The 5-5 Jets are in no position to take the division and probably have very little chance of making the playoffs.

Yes, the defense didn't do its job on Thursday night against the Denver Broncos (5-5), but the more important story is Mark Sanchez and the offense. Sanchez still seems like he is treading water out there, while Tebow is doing his best Fran Tarkenton impersonation and making his fans believers. In fact, when Sanchez starts looking around for someone to catch his pass, the opponents are probably happier than the Jets' wide receivers. Chances are just as good for Sanchez to throw a ball that will be intercepted rather than a completed pass. It is starting to get that bad.

A great quarterback can be a game changer. Look at Indianapolis this season. They are 0-10 without the services of Peyton Manning. No one can underestimate how important that great quarterback is, for if he were playing in full health that team would no doubt be 8-2 now. It goes without saying that Manning is that terrific; however, the Jets with Sanchez are 5-5, and at this point it would be hard for us to say they would be doing much worse without him.

Yes, the Jets' offensive line has been taking a lot of blame for this Sanchez meltdown, but most Jets fans should see the truth by now. Sanchez is no great quarterback and struggles to be even moderately good. Ryan always gives him support and that is all well and good, but when does the coach finally face the fact that Sanchez still doesn't seem to have his head in the game? Maybe when he is sitting home watching the playoffs.

The great Ryan defense, the supposedly unstoppable express train to the Super Bowl, has been derailing this season. Ryan's offense is not much better, and the truth is that this train is probably not making it into the station. So for all Rex's promises and all his bluster, we face the reality of what will probably end as an 8-8 (or worse?) season.

If this happens again, Jets fans are going to be grumbling all the way through the playoffs. We then have to face the facts and perhaps Ryan will too: maybe Mark Sanchez never becomes the next Joe Namath, and then we have to start thinking about who is QB in 2012? Chances are that the Colts will not sign Manning and he will be a free agent? If Woody Johnson's deep pockets can pull out thirty or so million dollars, the Jets may indeed have a great quarterback again, a game changer, who could finally lead them past the Patriots to take the division. Wouldn't that be a great way to get the Ryan Express back on track?

Photo Credits: Ryan & Sanchez - Daily News; Peyton Manning - ESPN.com

Joe Paterno Fired - Sound and Fury Signifying Nothing

2011-11-12T13:01:00.000-08:00

Article first published as Joe Paterno Fired - Sound and Fury Signifying Nothing on Blogcritics.

There is an old saying: "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" This can lead to many discussions, as would "The sound of one hand clapping." But this is not a philosophical discussion, but rather a look at the fall of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno. He fell from grace and there were plenty of people around to say "Timber!" That is all fine and good enough, but the chopping down of this man and his legacy is all bluster if something much more significant does not follow.

I think many of us were shocked when we heard students were protesting the removal of Paterno as coach by the Board of Trustees at Penn State. Was this because Paterno is the most successful coach in Division I history? Was it because of his relationship with his players and the fans? Whatever the case, the students who engaged in turning over a news fan, smashing car windows, and clashing with police are misguided in their efforts. Make no mistake, they are no Occupy Wall Streeters who have a social agenda - they are there to defend a man who allowed something sinister to pass his way and did nothing substantial to stop it.

Of course, most of these students are probably not parents. If they were they wouldn't have mustered a word of support for this man. The questions are abundant and the answers meager in terms of why Paterno did not do more than to report to university officials about alleged sexual assaults by former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky. Paterno's supporters say he did what he was supposed to do by notifying superiors, but that should not have sufficed because the coach had to realize that nothing was being done about it.

If you compare this scandal with the sexual abuse cases concerning Catholic priests, you can see some similarities. In many cases a pastor may have reported a case of suspected sexual abuse against a minor, but usually that stayed within the realm of the diocese where it took place, with superiors moving the offender to another parish where he was likely to commit the same crime again. This kind of internal handling of these things doesn't work and is incongruous to wanting to handle the larger problem at hand: stopping and punishing the deviants who abuse children.

Despite its history of covering up its dirty laundry, the Catholic Church saw the light thanks to an awakening that may have come through divine intervention, but most likely arose because of millions of dollars in lawsuits. Here in the United States the church has started the Virtus Program to "protect God's children." This is a substantial effort by the church to train and educate adults in order to protect the most vulnerable among us.

The firing of Joe Paterno is a good first step for Penn State, but that has to be the start of something much more substantial. Besides getting their house in order (calming down students, finding out how many college officials knew about this case, etc.), their efforts to stop this disgraceful behavior from ever happening again have to continue long after the press and public stop rattling their cage.

Penn State has to take the lead here. They must set high standards for all employees, students, and teams. Something like Virtus must be initiated that will provide continuing education that allows all parties to recognize situations and individuals who may be predators. This effort must go beyond the firing of employees to putting the fire of knowledge and understanding into them. They have to be infused with the awareness that something like this can never, ever happen again, but if it does, that genuine protocols will be in place to handle the situation immediately.

A once mighty star has fallen at Penn State, and there will be those who do not get it and never will, but they cannot be allowed to dictate how this situation is handled. At this point Joe Paterno and his legacy mean nothing. He now becomes an enabler, someone who will not be remembered for winning games and anything else he has done. Now he is at best a bystander who was no innocent. He knew what was happening and did nothing substantial to stop it, like a captain of a ship who doesn't notify his passengers that it is going down.

Unfortunately, that puts him and Sandusky in the same sinking boat, and all the life preservers in the world cannot rescue them. Whoever joins them in that vessel (and there will no doubt be more revelations to come) is going down too. Drowning is a terrible way to die, but that is nothing compared to what Sandusky's victims had to endure and have to continue to live with for the rest of their lives. As Joe goes down after his last breath he will eventually be remembered not for what he has done but what he failed to do. That is a fitting legacy to be sure.

Photo Credits: Penn State students - AP; Joe Paterno - NY Daily News

Protesters in Zuccotti Park - Will This Be Their Valley Forge

2011-10-31T18:56:00.000-07:00

Article first published in Blogcritics

I know lots of people who said the protesters in Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan wouldn't last beyond Columbus Day, but they are as wrong as those people who once said that the Beatles were just a fad and would be forgotten in a few months. Now, after the first snowfall of the season and close to freezing temperatures, the protesters are still encamped in the park, even after the FDNY took away their generators because of "safety" precautions.

Pretty soon we are going to start thinking of these people as a new breed of protesters. Perhaps they are not even protesters anymore, but revolutionaries, freedom fighters in every sense of the word similar to Washington and his men at Valley Forge. If they can last the winter there it will be amazing, and then who knows what kind of long term change can come out of this?

Of course, life for the Occupy Wall Street gang is not all land of milk and honey stuff. I hear from people who work down there that the encampment is actually split into two distinct groups: the original protesters who are hunkered down for the long haul, and the drop-in variety of hangers-on who got the notion to get in on a good thing, grab some free food, and crash the party. The committed group is on the East side of the park, and those with little interest in the cause (and some of them committing crimes) are on the West side.

Of course, this is to be expected. Hundreds of people are living in a small space, and as the temperature drops things are going to get harder. Still, those whose voices have shaken not just this city but the world are in position not to be taken for granted. Too many people have shrugged off the notion of the 99%, but celebrities and politicians have shown their support, and the truth is that the 1% folks better face the reality that this protest has brought into focus: these people are mad as hell and clearly not going to take it anymore.

I think that the protesters in lower Manhattan are evolving, and the more committed they are to their cause the stronger they will become. All over the country and all over the world they have inspired others to do the same thing. These tent cities filled with people who are raging against the machine are not an aberration, so maybe those fat cats on Wall Street and on all those other streets where the wealthy look down on the people in the streets from their ivory skyscrapers, will not take them seriously, like those who mocked the Beatles by wearing the mop-top wigs. However, something that started as a protest has become a movement, something that the 1% cannot fathom or appreciate, at least not yet.

In the end, and yes, the Zuccotti Park gang will eventually disperse, it is not how long that they are camped out but the fact that they did it at all, and Mayor Bloomberg and all his 1% pals could do nothing about it. The Zuccotti Gang are there until they choose to leave, and then it will be on their own terms. Whenever that happens is not the point, and the truth is that change is coming. Long ago those men who were freezing at Valley Forge knew it, and the Zuccotti Park crew know it too. Before King George knew what hit him, America was lost; perhaps the 1% will be in for a similar awakening.

Photo Credits: Valley Forge - archives.com; Zuccotti Park - Reuters

As Gang Green Turns: Humpty Dumpty Rex Teetering On the Wall

2011-10-16T07:46:00.000-07:00

Article first appeared on Blogcritics.

Rex Ryan, Jets head coach and intimidating master of his domain, seems ready for a big fall. It isn't enough that he has negotiated his path with his foot in and out of his mouth going on three seasons, but now all the king's men are not loyal to his service, so even if the big guy falls off the wall, it is unlikely they will all rush to put him together again.

"Controversial" seems to be a word that is always connected with Ryan. He brags about his team, sometimes without thinking, and oftentimes even if he has time to think he still blabbers about things that are potentially damaging to the team. He is like a parent who keeps telling his kid that he is a prodigy, but the kid can barely play the piano and hits all the wrong keys. Then he goes on bragging to the other parents about how great his son plays and puts him in the spotlight, only to see the child fall apart on stage. Incongruously, he learns little or nothing from this and continues to push the child without ever doing the most sensible thing - teach him how to play the piano the right way.

This turmoil on the Jets is nothing new. Ryan seems to enjoy it, even if it is a subconscious pleasure, and manifests situations which continually mix things up. Unfortunately, the big guy is not just a straw that stirs the drink, but rather a blender that has the cover off. But if Rex doesn't like the heat, why does he keep putting himself in the kitchen you may ask. The answer is not because he is looking for a gargantuan snack, but more likely that he is unable to stop himself, sort of like the shark that eats its own intestines after you slit open its belly.

If the things I hear on talk radio on sports stations here in New York are even half accurate, the Jets locker room has more protesters than can be found in lower Manhattan in Zuccotti Park. Many people see this unrest as a key to the team's terrible start (2-3), but the problem is inherent in the culture that Rex has established in the team. Anyone who watched the HBO show Hard Knocks last season can tell you that Rex wants his guys to win and aspire to be a bad boy bunch as they mow down the competition. Sometimes this has worked for him, but now his methodology seems to be imploding.

When questions have been rightly raised about quarterback Mark Sanchez and his throwing problems, suddenly the focus shifts and it's the offensive line that is to blame, or even more specifically offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. Derrick Mason complains about the line, and before you can say Gang Green, Mason is traded to the Texans. This goes a long way to qualifying King Rex's rule over his kingdom, as obviously he is ready to banish those who do not show loyalty to him or his minions.

Now we have Santonio Holmes complaining about the offensive line. Apparently Plaxico Burress has also complained, and right guard Brandon Moore is accusing Holmes of being "disrespectful" and causing dissension on the team. Center Nick Mangold has indicated that he has no problems with Holmes, but one wonders how true that can be. Clearly, the writing is on the wall and Rex, not that light on his feet to begin with, is walking a shaky path on top of it.

Rex can say that none of this matters, that his offensive line has "skin like an armadillo," but there is a fear for this Jets fan that this season is on the brink of being lost. I am not at all certain that you can blame the linemen for Sanchez's performance thus far, and perhaps it is legitimate to blame Schottenheimer (but he is not the guy throwing the ball), who says "The team's a family and all families have disagreements." Is Schottenheimer pretending not to notice the jeers of the fans? They and some of the players think it best if he goes, but Rex is standing by his man (at least for now).

So the chicken or the egg question this week is this: is it just that Sanchez is not throwing the ball well, or is it because the line is not giving him enough time to throw it even if he were? The painful process of watching the last three games seems to clarify things for me: poor blocking, the lack of Schottenheimer's "pound and ground" game of running the ball, and no success putting the ball in the air either because of Sanchez throwing poorly or receivers not catching the ball.

In the next episode of the ongoing soap opera that is As Gang Green Turns, the guest star this week is the Miami Dolphins (0-4), coming into the New Meadowlands Stadium for the big Monday night game. The Jets are coming off three losses in a row, and there should be no doubt about the outcome of this one, but right now there is nothing but uncertainty. If the Jets should lose this game, Rex may indeed have that big fall from the wall, and all his horses and all his men are going to run in different directions. If that is the case, Rex will lie there in the hot sun for a long time, and the season may well be over after six games. How do you pick up the pieces after that?

Photo Credits: Ryan - New York Daily News; Sanchez - New York Post

Mets Mess: Reyes Wins Batting Title As Another Disappointing Season Ends

2011-09-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

This article first appeared on Blogcritics.

No New York Mets player ever won a batting title before. No Mets pitcher has ever thrown a no-hitter. No Mets player has ever been the league's Most Valuable Player. Okay, you get the idea. In a less than thrilling season, the notion that one of our guys would capture the batting crown was something to keep fans going. It even brought fans to Citi Field on the last day of the season.

They wanted to see Jose Reyes compete against Milwaukee's Ryan Braun for the batting title. Some people brought their kids because they wanted them to remember the moment. Others, thinking this could be Reyes' last game as a Met, wanted to be there to appreciate his talents for one last time. All that mattered little when Reyes led off the bottom of the first inning, bunted for a base hit, and then was pulled for a pinch runner.

Did Reyes pull his hamstring? Did something happen to him? The crowd didn't wait to find out and started booing. We found out later that Reyes pulled himself from the game, with the hit guaranteeing him a .337 average and making it almost impossible for Braun to catch him unless Braun went 3 for 4 that evening. Braun actually went 0-4, so it now this stands out as poor sportsmanship for Reyes to have backed into the title that way.

Fans booed Reyes during what is possibly his last game at Citi Field. Long-time Mets fans were annoyed with Reyes' selfish attitude, putting his personal record ahead of the good of the team. Although manager Terry Collins supported Reyes and the decision, it is clear that such a move is at best tacky and at worst emblematic of Reyes' disrespect for Mets fans and the organization that he has called home for the last nine years.

After the game when asked about the unhappy fans, Reyes said, "I don't care what people think. A lot of people told me, 'Don't play today.'"

Okay, so Jose doesn't care what the fans think. That will go over in New York as well as instant pizza and frozen bagels. We Mets fans are passionate about our team and our city. We support our players and respect them, but we want the same from them. It has always seemed the Reyes is a total player. His uniform is always dirty after a game. He throws himself completely into a game, and we have come to appreciate that dedication, so I guess when we saw this completely unexpected cop-out we were more hurt than angry, although many expressed themselves vehemently when they booed.

Some have argued that the 77-85 Mets had nothing on the line in this game. They were just playing out the schedule, and that made it okay for Reyes to take an early shower. Things would be different if this were a game deciding a playoff spot. This would matter more if this game mattered more.

I am sorry, but every game (every inning) counts. It is not about the contest having meaning because the game is more important than anything else. You know the old saying, "It's not if you win or lose but how you play the game." Well, that is applicable here. Jose made a tremendous mistake and manager Terry Collins should have told him "No!" He should have said, "The hell with the batting title. Get out there and play your nine innings and give these fans what they paid for."

Unfortunately, this was not to be. Once again, Mets fans, stung by the Bernie Madoff scandal and injuries galore, had to endure yet another slap to the face. In the old days that might have sparked a duel, but the way we Mets fans are feeling now, we are better off just turning the other cheek and walking away.

Jose Reyes won a batting title; so what? Truthfully, I'd rather he hit .235 and see the Mets were going into the Wild Card series. The batting title is little comfort for a horrible year that has followed other horrible ones. Reyes will no doubt take the money and run - all the way to another team as far as he can go.
So Mets fans, we can once again say, "Wait until next year." It seems that is what we always say. Now we can languish in our winter of discontent, watching other teams make bold moves, and we can be secure in the notion that the Mets are going to cut payroll. GM Sandy Alderson is giving Mets fans about as much hope as those people who jumped off the Titanic without life vests. Wait until next year? What's the point when all we can hope for is another lost season?

Though my blood still runs orange and blue, I am exhausted after this season. I feel depleted; I feel like all Mets fans are the equivalent of the Biblical Job. How much more can we take until we break?

Photo Credits - Daily News

The House That Truth Built: Girardi Reveals Yanks Need Home-field Advantage in Playoffs

2011-09-25T16:32:00.000-07:00

This article first appeared in Blogcritics.

The words said by New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi seemed as if they came in a private conversation; however, they were uttered during a post-game interview. As a New York Mets fan listening to the radio, I immediately noticed that this revealed truth is salient and yet seems to be lost on most Yankees fans, and thinking about it I see this as either being the Yankees' greatest strength or ending up to be their Achilles' heel.

What did Girardi say? He spoke candidly about what the team needed to do to have success in the post-season. "We still need to win some games because we want to have home-field advantage." After a follow-up question, Girardi reiterated the obvious: "It's (home-field advantage) real important. I really believe that we were built around this ballpark."

"Aha!" I thought, how true this is because the Yankees have always been built around that ballpark. When the first Yankee Stadium opened with Babe Ruth as the star, a convenient right field "porch" made it possible for the Sultan of Swat to bang lots of homers. Of course, we can argue that Ruth could hit homers in any park, but playing half of his games in Yankee Stadium certainly didn't hurt him. This is also true for Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Reggie Jackson, and current players like Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira.

Girardi's revelation may not be a surprise to many, but I think it is crucial to understanding the Yankees' success story. When he says that the team is "built around this ballpark" we can understand that he means that Granderson and Teixeira need the dimensions (314 feet down the right field line and 318 feet down the left field line), as do the other players, to succeed. We can only guess about how many championships might have never been if the Yankees played in a different stadium.

Take my suffering New York Mets and their home ballpark. Citi Field is like the Grand Canyon of baseball parks compared to the home run friendly Yankee Stadium. How many homers are lost in the field that Citi helped build will never be known, but just take a look at David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Jason Bay, and others whose power has diminished while playing there.

Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks coined the phrase "the friendly confines" when referring to Wrigley Field. We can well understand his liking the park where he had so much success (512 career home runs), but imagine someone like Willie Mays who went from the Polo Grounds in New York to a place like Candlestick Park in San Francisco, where he lost so many homers in the wind. How many homers would Mays have hit if he had played in a more homer friendly arena? In my humble opinion he would have had more than Hank Aaron, who for many years played in a very homer-friendly Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta.

So Joe Girardi revealed a truth which may or may not be ugly, depending on your point of view. Yankees fans will no doubt scoff at the notion that their team's history of success is based on the dimensions of Yankee Stadium, but most everyone else knows the truth: the House that Ruth Built was designed to have Ruth and other Yankees players hit lots of homers.

Certainly, opposing players might be seen to have the same advantage, but I beg to differ. I think that many great opposing players came into Yankee Stadium salivating for the chance to chip the ball into the short right field porch, but the execution of that is not so easy as it is for those Yanks who play eighty-one games a year there. Trying to pull the ball many hitters came up short, just as many guys who tried to poke one over the Green Monster in Boston's Fenway Park found out.

By the way, Girardi got his wish. By sweeping the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and with the Boston Red Sox losing to the lowly Baltimore Orioles, the Yankees have clinched the division. It seems Girardi is going to get what he wants: to have the home-field advantage during the playoffs. Now we have to see if that will be a deciding factor in the Yankees going all the way. Girardi got what he wanted; for the rest of us, it seems that is the reason why they are known as those Damn Yankees!

Photo Credits: NY Daily News

A Fashion Dilemma: Is White the New Black?

2011-09-18T11:12:00.000-07:00

This article first appeared in Blogcritics.

Let me qualify things right away here: I know as much about fashion as I know about quantum physics - virtually nothing. Still, I do think of myself as a pretty good observer of things. As a writer, I always find myself not just seeing things but actually studying them. Over the years I have watched and listened to people and stored their voices, idiosyncrasies, and faces in my mental toolbox. This is just something I always do.

So now I feel like I have been observing a trend (at least here in New York) that I find a bit surprising and slightly unsettling: white seems to be the new black. What I mean by that is that white seems to have become the color (or is that the un-color?) of cool. People are wearing all sorts of white vests, shorts, pants, skirts, shoes, and hats (even in these days after Labor Day). These people are both young and old and of all different backgrounds, so there is no question that it seems to be a trend, and they are looking cool wearing white despite the fact that the football season has already started.

My perception of white probably stems from my old uncle who in the summer months always wore a white ship captain's hat, a white belt, and white shoes. I thought of him as Captain Ahab minus the big whale, and although he thought he looked great he looked kind of strange to me. The funny thing was lots of other older Italian guys wore the same thing during the summer. It looked like they were all going yachting instead of down to the park to play bocce in the heat.

In my youth I never wore white. Yes, I heard of the rule that white should only be worn between Memorial Day and Labor Day, but I much preferred wearing black like Johnny Cash or Roy Orbison or the bad guys in cowboy movies. Black was cool. Extremely cool, even when it was hot outside. I liked going out in a black shirt, black pants, and black shoes. It felt good and seemed right to me. I still like black now and wear other darker colors too, but white just doesn't seem right, at least for me.

During Fashion Week here in New York, people were wearing white. This picture of the Kardashians at one of the runway events shows them clearly enjoying the color. Now I am wondering if I was wrong all along. Maybe white is the color to wear. P. Diddy even throws an annual "White Party" (guests may only wear white clothing), so that certainly makes it clear that white is the new cool color.

It's not even warm here in New York anymore, but I am seeing people wearing white. It is on people who look very fashionable and seem to know what they are wearing. They spice it up with flashes of color: the women with scarves, hats, belts, and shoes; the men with hats and socks, but it seems like white is all right for them and who am I to question that?

So is white the new black? Should I break my own tradition and venture out wearing white? I think I'm afraid that I might be mistaken for an ice cream man or the guy looking for escapees from the funny farm if I dare to wear all white.

Autumn officially comes into town this week, and I want to see if the white trend continues. Either way I am not going to start wearing white until I get older and can wear the belt, the shoes, and the captain's hat. Then I can go to the local park and play bocce with the other old guys like me. Until then I can admire those wearing white from a distance. They are the ones who embrace an eternal summer, and maybe that is a good thing for the body and the mind.

Besides, if white is not the new black then maybe it is just the new white, and that seems to make it okay for anytime of the year, so those of you out there wearing white can keep at it right through Christmas and into the new year. Enjoy!

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Ten Years After 9-11-01: Still A Day That Will Live in Infamy

2011-09-11T04:39:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Ten Years After 9-11-01: Still A Day That Will Live in Infamy on Blogcritics.

I walk into Windows on the World; my eyes are drawn to the skyline. The sun is brilliant this day; everything inside the restaurant is glowing preternaturally. I don't detect the odor of the fine breakfast food, but I see the waiters and they are gimping along with their trays. The people are all at the tables eating, but there seems to be nothing on their plates.

I sit at my table and lift my copy of the New York Times. A bus boy pours some water in my glass, but his hand is shaking and the ice and water run all over the table. I look up at him and he is like a holograph; I can see the skyline right through him.

I look at the newspaper and see the date: September 11, 2011. The headlines are illegible, as is the text of the stories. There are pictures on the front page that are all blurry. I look at my watch and note that it is 8:45. I think I have a meeting or something that I must get to; I start trying to signal the waiters, but they turn their backs on me and stare out the windows.

I open the paper to the next page and I can make out some of the letters. "Tenth Anniversary..." and the rest is a blur. I hear a familiar voice and look up. My grandfather is standing over the table with a cigar in his mouth. "Hey, Pop," I say, as if twenty seven years haven't passed since he died. "Want some breakfast?"

Pop shakes his head and points to the exit door. "You have to get out of here."

I fold the paper and look up again and he is gone, but at the same time the building starts rumbling like an earthquake is hitting the city. The table shakes, my glass topples over, and the floor beneath my feet is turning into gelatin. I look at the exit door and run as Pop suggested. I throw open the door and step out into the sunshine and the blue sky is all around me. I start falling and look back, but there is no building at all. I am falling toward the earth, and I see a crowd of people below me. I see them all standing there dressed in black, and I notice the footprints of the towers. I want to scream but I cannot, and I continue to fall towards the earth, but then, as is always the case with this dream, I wake up.

After all this time and space between then and now, I am still haunted, still hurting, and still looking for answers. People have moved ahead and on with their lives, and their ability to do so is admirable. Many people who lost loved ones have remarried, or gotten divorced, or moved away from New York City, and some have died. Out of necessity and despite things beyond their control, these people have dealt with 9-11, but many of us still have not found peace and perhaps never will.

I still mourn the loss in my family, of old friends, and the devastation of my city that I love. I cannot look at the skyline and not think about what happened. I see an airplane overhead (a sight that once used to make me think of travel to exotic places) and I get agitated and nervous. In the street I find myself looking up, watching the buildings and wondering and waiting if they too will fall. On the subway or bus every package or backpack seems sinister; the passengers could be terrorists. There is a feeling of unease, of things falling apart, and I have no sense of equilibrium or any hope that it will get better.

I hear the naysayers all the time. "You have to get over it," is frequently said. "There hasn't been an attack in ten years; what are you worried about?" This is another good one. "Snap out of it!" is yet another, said more vehemently than when Cher spoke that line in Moonstruck. Perhaps a smack on the face should follow those words. None of this matters though. If you are a New Yorker you have been scarred, and all the time in the world won't hide the evidence, but we can take great pains to cover up and conceal this from others, which only makes the hurting get more intense.

I have much for which to be thankful, and I never forget that, but 9-11 is omnipresent for me in this city. Maybe if I could pull myself away, perhaps live in Fiji or Bali or someplace like that, I would be able to move on. I do fear that out of sight will not be out of mind, and I could go to the ends of the earth, but I would still have my dreams and nightmares, and there would be no denying that it happened and changed my city and my life forever.

We mark the tenth anniversary collectively. There are ceremonies, prayer services, and gatherings to commemorate the day. All this is well and good, but it is also hard to ignore. The media pounds the message home day after day, so to escape the onslaught is nearly impossible. I believe it is good to do all those things because we never want to forget what happened, but it is also painful to remember for many of us. We are the ones caught in a constant struggle; we wish to honor the memories of those lost, but in doing so we lose a little piece of ourselves each time.

I want my children to remember the day and to understand what happened, so I try to confront it as best as I can. When my daughter asks, "Why did we lose Uncle Steve that day?" it is an incredibly more difficult question than "Where do babies come from?" or "Why is the sky blue?" I can talk to her about it, and in doing so it helps me cope, but it still doesn't stop the pain or the tears.

So this year is the same as last year but infinitely more difficult; ten years of my life and your life and everyone's lives have been spent in the shadow of 9-11. Some pretend it never happened, but then they could find themselves like I am in my dream: up in the air and ready for a big fall. In this case I know I am like Humpty Dumpty; nothing can put me back together again and make me the same person I was on September 10, 2001. I have to live with that, accept that, and try to move on.

September 11 will always mean something to people. To those who wanted to hurt us, it is a holiday. To New Yorkers it is a day of infamy, right up there with December 7, 1941 or November 22, 1963. We who lived through that day know where we were when we heard about it; we will never forget how that day started and how it ended.

As the years go by there will be less people who can say they lived through 9-11. It is our sacred duty to carry the torch, to tell young people about it, and make sure that no one ever forgets. There is a beautiful memorial that will open to the public in New York City, and that will always be a reminder, even after we are gone. Those of us who knew and loved those who died will one day die too, and the voices who tell the stories will change, but the stories will remain for all the generations to come.

Ten years have gone and many people will gather for the ceremony, and many more people will watch the proceedings on television, but the most important audience will be those lost. They are watching and listening, so we had better never falter and never stop marking the day, because if nothing else they have a right to know they are remembered now and until the end of time.

New York Teams Observe the Tenth Anniversary of 9-11

2011-09-11T04:38:00.000-07:00

Article first published as New York Teams Observe the Tenth Anniversary of 9-11 on Blogcritics.

For those who may remember September 21, 2001, the first professional sports game after 9-11 took place at Shea Stadium between the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves. Ten days after the attacks that brought down the Twin Towers, the city was looking for any reason to feel something good again. Mike Piazza stepped in and socked a a two-run homer against the Atlanta Braves. I'll never forget that homer, and Piazza still recalls the moment fondly as the roar of the crowd shook the old stadium. The Mets went on to beat the Braves in that game, and so New Yorkers had something to cheer about again.

All these years later the city still needs things to help it get through the tenth anniversary of the attacks. It is very comforting to see our sports heroes take the time to recognize the day in tangible ways. I remember seeing the Mets wearing those FDNY and NYPD caps ten years ago, and it still gives me chills. Now the New York Mets will hold a ceremony before their home game against the Cubs on September 11, and the New York Jets will also be observing the tenth anniversary at the Meadowlands.

In truth this is more than just the right thing to do, and both organizations seem honored to have the opportunity to be playing home games on September 11. Last week the New York Yankees also had a ceremony to commemorate the anniversary. It is notable that the teams have opened their arms to the city in an effort to assuage what are still significantly deep wounds even after all this time.

These "remembrance ceremonies" are substantial moments in sports history. Chilling as Lou Gehrig's farewell speech at Yankee Stadium, these events become part of our collective memories, and reflect sports at its very best.

The Mets and Jets will be honoring the first responders, those lost, the rescue workers, and their families. The Mets will specifically involve families from Tuesday's Children (who lost parents on 9-11). We will watch and feel the tugs on our hearts and the tears on our cheeks, all the while knowing that this is not only marking the importance of this day but the integral relationship of our sports teams with the city and the fans.

This will be a long and emotional day for most of us. By the time former American Idol star Pia Toscano sings "God Bless America" tonight at Citi Field, we are all going to be exhausted but exhilarated too. Hopefully the Mets and Jets will win these games, but that really doesn't matter as much as what is happening on the field before play begins.

This is an example of sports at its very best. It is also a reflection of our city, though bruised and battered as it has been, New York has risen from the ashes of 9-11. The world will be watching today, and we are ready to show our best at the World Trade Center site in the morning and in our ballparks tonight. This is what New York City is all about, and we can thank our teams for doing their part to make the Big Apple shine brightly on this day and all the rest of the days of this season and many seasons to come.

Photo Credit - AP

New Kids on the Mets Just Having Some Fun

2011-09-09T16:36:00.000-07:00

Article first published as New Kids on the Mets Just Having Some Fun on Blogcritics.

When I see Lucas Duda hitting another long home run, or Justin Turner playing second base like he was in the seventh game of the World Series, or Dillon Gee on the mound making me think of a young Tom Seaver, I realize that 2011 is not another lost year at all: it is more like 1968 all over again. For those of you too young to remember that, it was a turning point for the Mets organization. I believe this year is pretty much the same thing.
Like the 1968 Mets, the team got a new manager. It is interesting to compare Terry Collins with Gil Hodges, whose managerial styles seem similar. In fact, Hodges took over a dismal team and made the players think they could win; Collins has done pretty much the same thing this year.

The 1968 Mets were 73-89 for the season, but this was an internship for most of the young players and, just like the 2011 Mets, there were quite a few of them on the team. The elder statesman in '68 was Ed Charles (35), but the rest of the players like Cleon Jones, Tommie Agee, and Ed Kranepool were in their mid-twenties. Seaver was 23 and clocking in with a 16-12 season. Gee will probably end with a better winning percentage this year, but the similarities are striking.

There was also the most salient aspect of life for the 1968 season: Hodges wanted those kids to go out and have fun. In the process they were learning, sort of on the job training, and the same thing is happening with the 2011 Mets. The current team is 67-69 and may just end with a better record than their 1968 counterparts, but the foundation is being established by Collins for next year, just as Hodges did in 1968.

The 1969 Mets would be what legendary announcer Lindsey Nelson would describe as "a new breed of Mets." The team would post a 100-62 record, take the division, and then the pennant from the Hank Aaron led Atlanta Braves, and then impossibly take on the legendary Baltimore Orioles and defeat them in the World Series.

I am not saying that the 2012 Mets will accomplish this, but the groundwork is being done for next year's team to be really big. If you watch the fireworks going off on the field, you will see the energy level this team is bringing out of the dugout. While the players could get comfortable and just play out the remaining games, Collins has them pushing hard and playing like it matters, and in a way it does matter, even more so than if the team were locked in a pennant race.

This is a win-win for the team and its fans. The games at Citi Field are exciting because the players are going out, having fun, and winning some games and losing some, but all the while the fundamentals are present and Collins is responsible for this culture of positivity. The team definitely thinks it can win any game against any opponent, and that will go a long way with the fans for the rest of this year.

Next year the Mets will be stronger; perhaps they will add a big bopper (just as the 1969 Mets added Don Clendenon) who can get that three run homer when they need it most. All the ingredients are coming together now thanks to the way Collins has churned the pot. Don't be surprised if next year the Mets will have the recipe for success, and we will have master chef Collins to thank for it.

Photo Credits:
Terry Collins - AP
Gil Hodges - centerfieldmaz.com

Labor Day Is No Holiday for the Unemployed

2011-09-03T06:05:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Labor Day Is No Holiday for the Unemployed on Blogcritics.

I have always viewed Labor Day as an important holiday to celebrate. As Mother's Day and Father's Day make us take notice of those unsung heroes of our families, Labor Day is meant to recognize all those who labor, and across America those people who are in blue collar, white collar, and no collar jobs deserve this day set aside as a "thank you" from Uncle Sam for all the effort all year long.

If you find yourself unemployed on Labor Day, the day takes on a different significance. I have heard an unemployed friend say, "You have the day off? I wish I was working today. I would work every holiday and every weekend. I just wish I had a job." I am sure many people without jobs feel the same way, especially if they are long-term unemployed (out of work for more than twenty-seven weeks).

Right now we still have an unemployment rate of 9.1 percent. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics that means fourteen million Americans are out of work, and this figure is unchanged since April. So I do keep hearing this sector and that sector are adding jobs, but other jobs are being lost and that means there is no tangible improvement at this point.

I know Congress and President Obama are not playing nice these days. I guess expecting them to work in a non-partisan way to benefit the American people is too much to ask. I mean, it is summer after all and why should our senators, representatives, and President deprive themselves of vacations (to places we can only dream of going)? That budget problem was heavy lifting for these guys, so I guess tackling unemployment is not a priority, at least while they work on their tans, golf swings, or are rocking in a hammock somewhere.

So we may hear some politicians talking about Labor Day; some will march in parades, and others will take adds out in newspapers saluting the American worker. That is all very nice, but that does nothing to change that 9.1% unemployment rate.

We should collectively think about what can be done to get people back to work. If you own a business, is there a way to hire more workers? We can write to our local and national leaders and tell them "Make unemployment the thing you tackle first when you come back from your extended vacations." If enough people raise their voices, at least we will be heard.

As you celebrate Labor Day and throw hot dogs, burgers, and another shrimp on the barbie, remember how fortunate you are to have a job. Quit complaining about the small stuff, and recognize that you wouldn't want to be one of those 9.1%.

We are lucky to have our jobs, and some of us even have two in order to make ends meet, but there are those out there who need a break in order to get back to work and lower that unemployment rate. We Americans owe it to those people and future generations to fix this situation, now if only Congress and the President could get with the program.

Perhaps, if they don't deal with this issue, we voters can make a difference and put some of these people out of office. Then they will be out of work too and know the feeling, and maybe that unemployment rate will mean something more to them than just numbers. Come on, Washington, the clock is ticking!

Some New Yorkers React Predictably to Hurricane Irene Response

2011-08-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Some New Yorkers React Predictably to Hurricane Irene Response on Blogcritics.

New Yorkers were in a real funk over this past weekend, mostly because Mayor Michael Bloomberg had the nerve to react proactively to the arrival of Hurricane Irene. I have lived in New York all my life, and I never remember the mass transit system being completely shut down. Yes, blizzards have a way of doing that after the fact, but this is the first time I can recall subways, buses, and commuter railways being shut down prior to an event. New Yorkers were predictably lost especially without their lifeline beneath the ground, and everything closed including Broadway shows, fancy restaurants, and sporting events.

Once Irene passed over us inflicting much less damage than expected, the armchair quarterbacks were quick to complain about Bloomberg's "over reaction" to the hurricane. I guess if people didn't wake up and see the torch from the Statue of Liberty sticking out of a skyscraper and the Brooklyn Bridge broken into chunks floating in the water, they felt they were robbed of a Saturday night in the city unnecessarily.

Well, I applaud Bloomberg and Governor Andrew Cuomo's handling of the event. Let it suffice to say that they learned from President George W. Bush's debacle with Hurricane Katrina, and yes that was a much more powerful Category 5 storm, but the same fears of flooding and devastation came with Irene too. Bloomberg and Cuomo really took the steps that were necessary, and the evacuations of low lying areas, the cancellations of transit service, and the closing of bridges and tunnels created a virtual lock down of the city that no doubt saved many lives.

I guess it should be expected that people would complain about this, but the bottom line is that the eight million plus residents of the Big Apple survived relatively unscathed. Yes, about 900,000 people lost power in the five boroughs, in Westchester, and Long Island, but only one person lost his life (a City Islander who fell into the water as he was trying to secure his boat), and credit has to be given to the mayor and governor and all those cops, firefighters, and transit workers who made the operation a success.

So, thank you, Mr. Bloomberg and Mr. Cuomo. New York survived and your leadership made certain most of the populace survived as well. To quote GWB, "you did a heckuva job" but in this case the praise is well deserved.

Hurricane Irene Is A Spoiled Sport

2011-08-28T05:18:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Hurricane Irene Is A Spoiled Sport on Blogcritics.

Well, if you spent your hard earned money to visit New York City this week, you probably are grumbling right about now. It's not bad enough that you had to experience our earthquake, but now we are throwing a hurricane your way. What's a tourist to do but stay in the hotel room and watch CNN, at least until the power goes out?

This weekend is especially bad news for local sports fans. The New York Mets have cancelled today and tomorrow's games against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field, so if you came into town for this and have to be back at work on Monday, you are out of luck.

The Yankees did not escape Irene's wrath even though they are out of town. Their doubleheader against Baltimore is postponed today, and the games will definitely not be rescheduled in any way that is good for the Yankees since they will lose one of their two remaining days off to make them up.

Irene also postponed the New York Giants and Jets showdown at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. This game was perfectly scheduled for 7 PM tonight, but now it will be played on Monday night. Too many viewing parties were disrupted because of this, and if the power goes out, all those six-foot heroes and other party snacks are not going to last until Monday. Many dejected hosts and hostesses will no doubt have their knives and forks working overtime this weekend to take care of that.

Irene has also disrupted the action at the Barclays at the Plainfield Country Club in Edison, New Jersey. It seems like Sunday's final round will be washed out, and conditions are not likely to improve enough to do anything on Monday.

Other sports events that have been canceled or postponed include the Red Bulls game against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday, The Staten Island Yankees Sunday home game, the Brooklyn Cyclones Sunday home game, and racing at Monmouth Park and Yonkers Raceway.

Finally, and probably the saddest thing to report is from the US Open, where Arthur Ashe's Kids' Day had to be cancelled. This includes all activities and the stadium show. This is a great day that promotes the sport and also gives children opportunities to meet the players and see some of their favorite musical artists perform.

Hurricane Irene is turning millions of people's lives upside down this weekend, and she has obliterated the sports schedule. Oh, and don't think you're going to be able to sit down and watch games being played out of Irene's reach, because in all likelihood Irene is going to knock down trees and cut out power.

I have already planned to do what good old Abe Lincoln used to do: read some good books by candlelight. Hey, I wanted to catch up on my reading anyway.

Photo Credits-
Harrison Frazar - AP
Arthur Ashe Kids' Day - Getty Images

Hope Springs Eternal for Old Brooklyn Dodgers Fans

2011-08-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Hope Springs Eternal for Old Brooklyn Dodgers Fans on Blogcritics.

For old Brooklyn Dodgers fans, 1957 is not long ago and far away; it is like yesterday. That is when their team packed up and went to Los Angeles. To them these last fifty-four years have been sort of a long hiatus. Some became NY Mets fans in 1962, and others chose to pull up stakes and follow their Dodgers to California, but there still are those who cling to the mystique of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who believe that a new field could spring up somewhere in the borough and that their Dodgers will be coming home.

Admittedly, they will tell you it is a long shot, but they still keep dreaming of that day. Recently, with the financial troubles of Dodger owner Frank McCourt in the news, these fans have something to stoke the flames of their kindled dream. They hear rumors of Major League Baseball taking over the Dodgers, and some will come out and tell you that is the beginning of the Dodgers coming home to Brooklyn.

While I don't take much stock in these fantasies, I have learned that these Dodgers fans are sometimes so earnest and determined that perhaps anything is possible. They talk about the Dodgers building a new field on the spot where Ebbets Field used to be. The existing housing on the site is not seen as an impediment; they are certain eminent domain can be used to get that new stadium built.

Others think the Dodgers could share Citi Field with the Mets. "Why not?" they ask. The New York Mets and The New York Yankees once shared Shea Stadium for two seasons while the old Yankee Stadium was being rebuilt, so anything is possible. They see the fact that Citi Field was built to resemble Ebbets Field as an omen, yet another reason why the Dodgers will be coming home.

Even if MLB does take over the Dodgers, I doubt that Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig would ever condone having three teams in one town. A long time ago New York had three teams, but these days I don't imagine that would work for most people. New Yorkers might be pleased, but there are many other towns looking for a MLB franchise.

It does break my heart to listen to these old Dodgers fans talking. In between hearing them mention names like Branca, Hodges, Reese, and Robinson, they will discuss the "what ifs" they have been discussing since 1957. They know what happened but still can't believe it. As a Mets fan, I kind of understand their hopes and dreams and know what it is like to be kicked in the teeth again and again by the team you love.

So for the record, Brooklyn Dodgers fans, your team is not coming home. It is staying in LA for now and I am sure for many years to come. Hold on to the dream if it makes you happy. I still keep thinking about the Mets being in contention this year, so I know all about impossible causes.

If it makes you feel any better, there is the one thing we Mets fans and Brooklyn Dodgers fans have in common: the hope of next year. Mets fans can dream of an injury free season and a chance for the play-offs; Brooklyn Dodgers fans can keep hoping for that miracle of a return engagement. It probably will never happen, but back in 1955 after Brooklyn beat the Yankees in the World Series, did anyone ever think their team was moving to LA?

Keep dreaming, old Dodgers fans, and hang in there!

Photo Credits:
Ebbetts Field - nyc.gov.
Citi Field - NY Daily News

What About Art for Art's Sake? NYC Board of Education Plans to Test the Arts

2011-08-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

Article first published as What About Art for Art's Sake? NYC Board of Education Plans to Test the Arts on Blogcritics.

As a parent and as an educator, I am annoyed by the assessments that are thrown at public school students here in New York. The students are tested across the board every year in math and English (and science in fourth and eighth grades). They also must endure standardized testing during the course of the year, and in some cases still also have to take midterms and final exams.

Now the NYC Board of Education has made it known that, starting this October, some eighty public schools in New York City will begin testing fifth and eighth graders in the arts (dance, music, theater, and visual arts).
The French term l’art pour l’art comes to mind here. This term, coined by French art critic Théophile Gautier, was meant to free art from any purpose that was not about the art itself. In other words, the art is not for pleasing the public or earning awards or for any reason than the art itself: art for art's sake.

That makes sense to me. As a writer I more or less feel the freedom to write whatever I please on topics that interest me. The same should hold true for artists in all areas. More importantly, students should experience fine arts in the same spirit. I wouldn't want my child to think that every picture drawn, every song sung, every composition played on the piano, or every play that she participates in will be subject to an assessment. It is not only bizarre but it is also counter-productive to the nature of the arts in the first place.

As an educator I have seen how students who may be struggling academically can flourish in the arts. Much of this has to do with nascent talent, and the right teachers then come along and help these kids bloom. So yes, talent has a lot to do with it, but it is not about finding the next Mozart or Picasso here. Even the kids who just draw stick figures or sing off key experience a release, a feeling of freedom, that only the arts can offer. Now, if we start categorizing and assessing these things as if they were just like work done in any other class, then it may as well be just that. I fear the arts will no longer offer students the unbridled sense of freedom of expression that they have enjoyed in these classes. Sadly, teaching to the test will no doubt rear its ugly head and that is truly a pity.

By 2014 the BOE plans to assess all students in all schools to determine whether they are receiving a quality education in the arts. I understand that they believe this to be a way to improve instruction, but this is also a thinly veiled attempt to work toward a place and time when they will be able to remove teachers whose students perform poorly on the arts assessments (as they want to do with teachers in academic areas). Besides this reality, the simple fact is that teachers and students do not need yet another set of assessments to worry about.

The problems with assessments already in place are clear: they are time consuming, they require training for teachers (which means they are pulled from classrooms for it), and they also need to be graded (once again pulling teachers from classrooms). The loss of valuable instruction time is obvious, and the more insidious aspect is making children feel that every facet of their scholastic experience is now under scrutiny.

With this plan in place, a dance or theater or art class will be assessed. Will this include the painting a child draws or the sculpture made from clay? Or will it be even more invasive, asking a child to decide whether he or she can understand a work of art? One student can look at Van Gogh's Starry Night and see something different than the next, as it should be. But now we are moving into a very gray area, with it quite possibly being that the assessments will qualify the arts and force students to all see the same thing.

Art and music history can be taught, of course, but what are we going to start expecting them to be tested on: Impressionists and great composers? Are we going to take art and music appreciation to a level that will actually lessen that appreciation. Truthfully, I have seen students turned off to literature because of being over tested on it, so the danger is real and worrisome.

One thing I have learned over my years as an educator is that you can't fight City Hall, so in essence this is no doubt a done deal now. I fear the impact it will have on instruction in theater, dance, music, and art. More importantly, it could be a case of losing something that has always been an outlet for those less than academically gifted students who shine in the arts. If this happens, it will be just another case of ignorance on the part of those who think they know better or want to improve something at the cost of ruining or
destroying it. What a sad day that will be for New York City public schools and the children they serve.

Photo Credits:
Picasso- biographyonline.net
Starry Night- vangoghgallery.com

Tiger Tanks at the PGA

2011-08-14T07:21:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Tiger Tanks at the PGA on Blogcritics.

You could ask who was afraid of Tiger Woods at the PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club? The answer is only the fish in the ponds, as Woods was looking as lost as those balls he was driving into the drink.

Woods was seven-over par during the first round on Thursday, and he shot three-over-par on Friday; the once dominating Woods finished ten-over and missed the cut by six strokes. This is not what he must have expected as he came in to try to regain his standing in the golf world after a tough year of physical and emotional disappointments.
With Woods out at the PGA, it is a fair question to ask what is actually wrong with him? Is it that at thirty-five that his body is just not bouncing back from the injuries as he would have hoped? Or is it something more insidious, like something akin to writer's block for a once prolific author?

Obviously, there are some people who may be enjoying this situation a little too much, but what can we expect after what has happened to Tiger Woods these last two years? With the scandal that cost him his marriage behind him now, and with long-time caddie Steve Williams out of the picture, Woods may have thought he was embarking on a fresh new voyage into success, but he is looking more like a lost kid in a department store out there now.

I am not sure if I feel sorry for Woods, or I just think that his fall from grace and poor performance are lamentable because of the greatness he once displayed. Most fans of any sport enjoy seeing a master at work, and an inevitable part of every game is that eventually even the best grow older and their powers fade.

There is no question that there is time for Tiger to get back on track, if not this year then maybe in 2012; still the PGA is less thrilling without him at the top of his game. It is sad to see Tiger gone so soon, but perhaps he can use this extra time he now has to get himself straightened out for his own sake and, more importantly, for golf's sake. He owes it to the fans and most of all to the game that he loves.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

A Nation Still at Risk: Real Education Reform Needed Now

2011-08-07T09:23:00.000-07:00

This article first appeared in The Apple on July 18, 2011.

In 1983 the landmark publication of the report A Nation at Risk seemed to shake our nation from its slumber regarding the scary truth about education in America. It detailed how there were serious problems in schools in this country and recommended fixes for what ailed schools. Unfortunately, twenty-eight years later there are still many things that are wrong in education, despite George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind program and President Barack Obama's drive to improve our nation's schools.

Recently Mr. Obama said, "In the 21st century, it's not enough to leave no child behind. We need to help every child get ahead. We need to get every child on a path to academic excellence." Of course, that is a terrific sound bite, but we have to wonder if it has teeth. We have to see real proactive measures taking place here and now, not in some nebulous and undefined future place.

The problem now is that there are too many schools seen as "failing" schools. This number continues to rise. Here in New York City, there have been schools closed because of failing grades. New ones (especially Mayor Michael Bloomberg's darling charter schools) have risen to take their place, but students are still struggling. Statistics are not conclusive about the effects of smaller schools (like charters), but the reality is that more schools than ever before are seen as failing here in New York (and across the country). As the state looks to make evaluation of teachers more stringent, and with the new Common Core Standards looming, it is likely that more than ever before we will be faced with schools that are seen as lacking or failing.

What is actually wrong with our schools? An easy out is for one to look to the classrooms and blame teachers. For me, this is what is wrong with what has been happening for years. Instead of addressing many other larger and more important concerns, the easy fix has always been to target the teacher and look for ways to replace him or her. Things like "merit pay" or tying teacher evaluations to standardized test scores only exacerbate this problem.

"Our Nation is at risk. Our once unchallenged preeminence in commerce, industry, science, and technological innovation is being overtaken by competitors throughout the world." Sound familiar? These are the opening words of the 1983 report. It is worth noting that this was a time before the Internet connected world of today; the time of the Soviet Union and other supposedly nefarious countries and people wanting to destroy us. This was pre-September 11th and all the concerns of terrorism that haunt us now. If I didn't know those words were written in 1983, I'd wager they were composed yesterday about our current state of education and place in the world.

And things are not getting better. A Nation at Risk cited some very mind-numbing statistics, including 23 million functionally illiterate adults, 13 percent functionally illiterate 17 year olds, 17 year olds lacking "higher order" thinking skills, and American students many times placing last amongst the nations of the world in achievement (based on data from other industrialized nations). Today about 45 million adults are functionally illiterate, so despite an increase in the nation's overall population, it is apparent that the warnings of this Reagan-era report were not in any ways tangibly effective, nor has No Child Left Behind and the current efforts of President Obama's administration.

Why is this happening? If standards are increasingly more stringent, shouldn't we have an upturn in achievement? Where is the smoking gun in the death of what once was the finest education system in the world? The answer is that American education has been undone by endless bureaucratic minutiae, the drive for testing without a concern for other meaningful instruction, and a feeling like the baby has already been thrown out with the bath water, so why not just give up on the baby?

The most terrifying thing about No Child Left Behind wasn't that it didn't work very well, but rather that it worked at all. While it seems Bush's mandate on the surface should have been a good thing (who can argue with an "all children can learn" philosophy?), the problem is that while all children should learn, many of them learn differently. The core problem is that differentiated instruction is not at the heart of many of these initiatives, and the only way that all kids are going to learn is via it.

The reality is that now students are not reading, writing, listening, or speaking any more than they did in school back in 1983; in fact, with the Internet, video games, i-Pods, cell phones, and a host of other electronic distractions, they are probably doing much less of this. Reading a story? Reading a poem? Reading a complete book? The harsh reality - and I have asked students about this - is that many students have not read a book from cover to cover by the time they are in eighth grade. This slap in the face may be news to some of you, but couple that with less time for homework due to more time needed for texting and video horseplay, and you can get an idea of how high the deck is stacked against us.

Some teachers are definitely the problem too. Many are not comfortable with reading long selections (let alone writing long responses). I have spoken to English teachers who have never taught writing because they are intimidated (or too afraid to mark the papers because they themselves are not sure about grammar). That is indicative of the greater problem: teacher preparation is not what it should be in this country, and because of that prospective teachers, students, and current teachers continue to suffer.

Since we are still indeed a nation at risk in terms of education, what can we do to turn things around? There are no easy answers, but someone has to be honest here. It is one thing to say a child is going to learn; it is another thing to get him or her to do it. Overwhelming teachers with standardized tests that are unrealistic, poorly constructed, and yield terrible results is one of the biggest issues. Making teachers drop their normal curriculum to teach to the test is another. Of course, in a world ruled by the test makers, the exception is becoming the rule: teaching to the test has become a normal part of the day in many classrooms.

Teachers want to keep their jobs, so they understand the game, but there is much more at stake than districts being able to gush about their high test scores. High test scores are nothing more than window dressing. You can very likely dig under them and find nothing of substance beneath. This is because in teaching to the test teachers are training students to take that instrument and succeed. This has nothing to do with higher order thinking, with true understanding of concepts, or a lifelong affinity for the learning process. When a teacher is done grinding the students into standardized test robots for one year, they are not going to retain much of anything for next year, which means the rote process of teaching to the specific test has to start all over again. In that type of scenario, when does the real teaching ever get accomplished?

If so many adults are functionally illiterate, there must be a way to stop things and say, "This is criminal and this system is corrupt." Of course, I am not expecting that to happen today or tomorrow, or maybe even when all the agreements with standardized testing companies expire for these districts. But someone has got to stop the express train to disaster that we are all riding on right now. We will never stop being a nation at risk until people like the president and many others shake the education system to its core.

The best thing we can do is try to find time to teach instead of trying to find time to test. We need to stop beating teachers into becoming slaves to the test scores, and we need students to be opened up to a wide range of possibilities beyond assessments. As a teacher I always loved teaching the subject; I never enjoyed sitting there and watching students take tests. We need to move away from that testing obsession and move toward multiple types of assessment that extend over weeks, months, or even whole semesters. We need to get back to grammar, punctuation, and spelling. We need to teach phonics and math and art and music and science, and then after all that the kids need to get on their gym clothes and run and play and compete on the field.

I have so much hope for American education because I know at the heart of this whole thing are the good teachers, the ones who want to make a difference. That's why any of us went into teaching in the first place. It was because we cared and we thought that the way to help the bigger picture was to smart small, in the classroom, one child at a time. In fact, that should be the name of Mr. Obama's new education initiative: One Child at a Time. In that way no one is left behind, everyone will be taught based on individual needs, differentiated instruction will be dynamic and meaningful, and we can move away from worrying about test scores.

Maybe we can one day say, "We are no longer a nation a nation at risk," but until that time we must do something meaningful about education and it has to be done now, not tomorrow or next month or next year. Now is the time, and the proverbial clock is ticking.

NFL Free Agency, MLB Trading Deadline, and Tiger Back in the Saddle: It's Christmas in July for Sports Fans

2011-07-29T14:58:00.000-07:00

Article first published as NFL Free Agency, MLB Trading Deadline, and Tiger Back in the Saddle: It's Christmas in July for Sports Fans on Blogcritics.

As I was watching Sports Center on ESPN today I felt like my head was spinning. Not only am I trying to keep an eye on the "Bottom Line" for everything up to the minute, but I am also watching the action concerning NFL free agents, MLB trades, and the news about Tiger Woods coming back after three months on the shelf with a bad leg. I couldn't help thinking this was like Christmas in July for sports fans.
Yes, so much is happening and it is sometimes tough to process it all at once. For me as a New York Mets and Jets fan, I am watching what the Mets did with the Beltran trade, how he is doing in San Francisco, when pitcher Zack Wheeler is heading to Port St. Lucie, and how the Mets keep winning despite losing their best hitter.

In the world of Gang Green, we have the signing of Santonio Holmes to a new five year deal. This makes lots of sense to me, and as Mark Sanchez continues to develop and get better at the passing game, Holmes is without a doubt going to be his go-to guy. There is also the exciting prospect of the Jets obtaining Nnamdi Asomugha, but as they were courting him the valuable Brad Smith, who will be greatly missed as a wide receiver and kick returner, was signed by the Bills.

The Jets had better do something more because the New England Patriots picked up Albert Haynesworth and Chad Ochocinco (which is like saying Donald Trump got more money playing Lotto). The Jets need to get moving on Asomugha and fast, considering they have also lost Braylon Edwards and Kellen Clemens and are looking to restrucure deals with other players.

We also get the news that Tiger Woods (now 21 in world rankings) will participate in Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio, next week. Tiger is even tweeting about it, saying he is "Excited to get back out there!" This is good news for golf fans who have missed his presence. This is Tiger's time to rise above the personal problems and the injuries and rebuild his career and image.

Besides all this happening, we are hearing about Plaxico Burress and Tiki Barber trying to get back into action. It would be amazing to see what would happen if they both got offers from a team (maybe the NY Giants?). We also have Rory McIlroy getting his Irish up at the Irish Open in Killarney, telling a commentator "Your opinion means nothing." And what about NBA stars getting offers from foreign countries like Japan, Germany, and Russia? You would think what happened with NFL would have shaken things up a bit, but if guys like Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony start signing contracts, you know it's going to be a long winter for basketball fans.

With all that is going on right now, these are indeed exciting days for sports fans; it's sort of like Christmas in July if you like surprises and finding presents under your barbecue grill. The Jets could make many fans happy by wrapping up Asomugha with a big red bow and getting him to sign on the dotted line. So kids, mail out those letters to Rex Ryan (I mean Santa) ASAP and let him know how you feel.

Photo Credits:
Nnamdi Asomugha - raidersgab.com
Tiger Woods - Getty Images

Mets Mess: Beltran Goes to SF Giants for Pitcher Zach Wheeler

2011-07-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Mets Mess: Beltran Goes to SF Giants for Pitcher Zach Wheeler on Blogcritics.

The long awaited trade of outfielder Carlos Beltran came to fruition on Wednesday, July 27, with the New York Mets sending him and cash to the San Francisco Giants for minor league pitcher Zach Wheeler. In doing so the team's general manager Sandy Alderson kept his promise to get something substantial in return for Beltran before the July 31st trading deadline. It will be interesting to see if Wheeler develops as expected or becomes another member of the Mets Hall of Lame.

The writing has been on the wall for the past week or so regarding Beltran. He recently spoke in public about how much he loves the Mets, his teammates, and the city. In fact, we heard more from Beltran in the last seven days than we did in the seven years he has been a Met. It's a pity he became talkative now, kind of like a girl you bring home on a first date after you've decided not to call her again.

Once the trade was announced, the Mets clubhouse became a cheering section to let everyone know how much Beltran will be missed. According to the chatter, Beltran was a mentor, a great friend, a confidant, and a true leader. It's too late for any of that to matter now, but it would have been nice to know about all this behind the scenes stuff sooner. I don't know if it would have changed the outcome of things, but now Beltran is off to greener pastures.

The trade bodes well for a number of reasons. First, it shows that Alderson can make the deal that needs to be made. Second, the Mets didn't back down and accept a lesser offer (which was apparently coming in from the Phillies, the Braves, and Texas Rangers). The most important thing is that Alderson got an arm. The Mets need pitching like the Titanic needed lifeboats, so this is definitely great news.

Zach Wheeler was the sixth pick in the first round of the 2009 First-Year player draft. The Giants were apparently quite high on this fellow, and the Mets did a good job of scouting him. Will Wheeler eventually make his way to Citi Field and become a member of the starting rotation? You can bet that Alderson believes that and we will have to wait and see if we Mets fans can become believers too!

Photo Credits:

Beltran - Daily News, Wheeler - bleacherreport.com

NFL Lockout Over: Now the Fun Begins

2011-07-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

Article first published as NFL Lockout Over: Now the Fun Begins on Blogcritics.

I am sure if you're a big fan of the NFL, you are happy that the lockout is over and the season is saved. Now all of you who were wondering what to do with your Sundays in September without football can breathe a sigh of relief. And, as for those football widows and widowers, at least you will know where your significant others will be on Sundays. Why not grab a bag of pretzels and join in the fun?

That was a long 136 days of lockout, and I really didn't think that the players and owners would get their acts together in time for the season to start on time. With yesterday's agreement, training camps everywhere are throwing open their doors and welcoming the players with open arms.

After the deal was announced, NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith said that either side didn't get everything it wanted, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said, "Football is back, and that's great news for everybody." Amen to that one!

As a Jets fan I was happy to hear head coach Rex Ryan shooting his mouth off again. Always boastful and kind of like the captain of a ship stuck in a terrible storm, Ryan has the knack for talking about good seas ahead even when he is throwing a life preserver overboard. Now he is telling the press "We got better" (during the off season). No one even broke a sweat at training camp yet, but Rex is ready to be the mouth that roared. I guess we fans of Gang Green wouldn't have it any other way.

So now that the lockout is over, what was all the fuss about? It seems some of the best things accomplished were unrestricted free agency after four years, 47 - 48.5% of all revenue (down from previous years but the owners can't skim one billion off the top as they always did), a salary cap set at $120.375 million, and a $620 million Legacy Fund to be paid to former players. The big one though seems to me to be that a rookie like super quarterback Cam Newton (first pick in the draft this year) can earn the big bucks with a four-year contract with an option for fifth-year cub option. To get a more detailed idea of what is going on, fans should check out the NFL web site for all aspects of the NFL collective bargaining agreement.

So football fans can get ready for some football. Get out the team jerseys and all the other paraphernalia. Watch the training camps and enjoy the frenzy of free agency. Things just got going and the excitement is already palpable. No other sport generates this kind of interest and excitement, and most fans do not really care what each side got or didn't get. We were just waiting for a regular season and now we've got it. Great news for everybody indeed.

Photo Credit: AP

Mets Mess: Team Should Trade Reyes Now!

2011-07-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Mets Mess: Team Should Trade Reyes Now! on Blogcritics.

The New York Mets are now 50-50 this season, and the only place they are going is like those cruises to nowhere from New York City. They will circle around and around but achieve nothing, except giving people a good view of the city while they drink and eat. That is basically the same proposition at Citi Field this season.
I know this will be an unpopular point of view, but I think the Mets need to trade Jose Reyes as soon as possible. Yes, I too am going to miss his trademark smile that lights up the dugout, but we have to think about the future here. We also have to be realistic about investing in Reyes for the long haul.

Make no mistake, Reyes is having his career year. At twenty-eight years old, he is at the height of his powers. He is exciting to watch, and I have never seen any player bust it from home to third base like when Reyes hits a triple. That alone is worth the price of admission.

No matter how much we like what Reyes does on the field, we have to be honest
with ourselves, Mets fans. Reyes is fragile, extremely so. He is like a baseball version of a Faberge egg: he is very nice to look at, has something great inside of him, but heaven forbid if you drop him.

Reyes has been on the disabled list this year and many times in other years. His legs, the bread and butter of his act, are always subject to injury. He plays hard all the time; his hundred and fifty percent attitude is very admirable, but it is exactly this kind of play that puts him in harm's way.

Every Mets fan and Jose's teammates are holding their breaths every time he runs the bases. At any moment he can pull up to a base, hold the back of his leg, and cause blood pressure to rise collectively around the park.

There is absolutely no better player on the Mets, and his stock is rising each day, so that is why he must be traded. A long-term deal with Reyes will be a disaster. Say you give him a seven year deal; you know he is very possibly going to be on the disabled list at some point in any of those seasons; sometimes even for a long haul. So if the Mets are thinking of giving him a Carl Crawford type contract (7 yrs/$142M), they should realize what they are getting because Reyes has been their employee since 2003.

Sandy Alderson, although new to the Mets, has been around the block a few times. He has to know that Reyes is like the stock market, so he should follow the "buy low; sell high" philosophy. Reyes will never have this great of return again in his career, so this is the time to shop him and get a great deal.

I am a big Mets fan but I am also a realist. We have no chance of the catching the Phillies and even less of a chance of being the wild card team, so why not secure the future now? Alderson should get as much as possible for Jose Reyes (especially pitching prospects). He should turn around and trade Carlos Beltran too before the deadline for top outfield prospects. Any team trying to make low-ball offers should be rejected.
It will kill me to see Reyes in another uniform, but I can live with Beltran going elsewhere. Still, I can accept Reyes going if we get something really good in return, something that will make 2012 the year we make a run for it all.

Sandy Alderson, you have one week to make the best deals possible, so go out and come back with some really good stuff in your shopping bag, or the good will we've been seeing at Citi Field this year is going to run out very quickly. You know what you have to do, so get it done by July 31st. We're waiting!

Photo Credits: Reyes - Daily News
Faberge Egg - pbs.org

Mets Mess: Beltran Gets Standing Ovation Before Last at Bat

2011-07-23T06:35:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Mets Mess: Beltran Gets Standing Ovation Before Last at Bat on Blogcritics.

Carlos Beltran is most certainly going off to see the wizard; his teammates know it, the fans know it, and most importantly, he knows it. It was actually a fitting moment at Citi Field on Thursday, July 21, when Beltran came to bat in the ninth inning of what is no doubt his last home game as a New York Met.

You may ask: what were the fans cheering about? Beltran came to the team as a much anticipated Superman, but we got more of Clark Kent than anything else. Many times over the years it seemed like Beltran wasn't even in the lineup. Of course, that was true during his extended stays on the DL, but even when he was in the lineup, it was like he wasn't there.

I, like most Mets fans, probably can never forgive or forget that called third strike from Adam Wainwright in the NLCS in 2006 that sent the Mets home. It was one of those moments etched in memory, indelible as say Bill Buckner's mishandling of Mookie Wilson's grounder in the 1986 World Series. Red Sox fans would never forget that either.

I was surprised by the applause and the standing ovation. For a second there, it seemed like the audience of Jersey Boys after they sing "Who Loves You" and the people stand and keep applauding for actors who are not Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It's an incongruous moment, and Beltran walks out the door and into New York Mets history. I truly doubt he will be remembered as fondly as Ed Kranepool, Cleon Jones, Mike Piazza, and Tom Seaver. He is probably stuck somewhere between Carlos Delgado and Bobby Bonilla; in other words, he goes into the limbo section where he will be mostly forgotten.

Beltran always seemed likable and pleasant with reporters and fans. He just never clicked in New York. Let it suffice to say that the best playing he has done for the team has been these last few months. Now he is a leader, playing with effort and gusto, and looking like the guy he should have been the last seven years. What a shame it took so long. How sad for the fans, the players, and for Beltran most of all.

Now he will be in a new uniform the next time he comes to New York. There are a number of teams still in contention that want his services. What will the Mets get back for him? Can you say Jim Fregosi or Pat Zachary without wincing? Hopefully GM Sandy Alderson will realize he is holding all the cards and make certain that he gets a good return on the deal, nothing like those meaningless "players to be named later" he got from Milwaukee for K-Rod.

We bid adieu to Carlos Beltran. Carlos, we hardly knew you, and that is probably the saddest part of all.

Photo Credit: Daily News

Tiger Woods Fires Longtime Caddie

2011-07-22T04:48:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Tiger Woods Fires Longtime Caddie on Blogcritics.

Imagine the world of Tiger Woods since the break-up with his wife Elin Nordegren. He has been injured, has lost endorsements, and missed major tournaments (including the US and British Opens). This is a world that even Rod Serling would have had trouble explaining on The Twilight Zone. Now we get word that Woods has fired his caddie and close pal Steve Williams.

Williams (47) has worked for Woods since 1999 and seemed to be a steady influence on Tiger during this recent turbulent period in his life. Williams revealed the situation on his web site saying "I'm no longer caddying for Tiger after he informed me that he needed to make a change."

Woods also noted the move on his own web site saying, "Stevie is an outstanding caddie and a friend and has been instrumental in many of my accomplishments." Whether Tiger is just taking the high road here or not, the truth is he issued the guy a pink slip, so Woods definitely wanted Williams out of the picture. This does seem to come at a strange time, especially with Woods nursing his injuries and hoping to get back into action later this month at the WGC Bridgestone Invitational.

Williams was more than a caddie to Woods: he was a friend, protector, and confidant. In a world turned upside down by scandal, it was Williams who provided Woods with a strong shoulder to cry on. Now, strangely initiated by Woods, that support is gone.

Perhaps Woods is just looking to start anew in his career and his personal life. Maybe Williams knew a little too much, and Tiger now wants to get away from the past and concentrate on this next phase of his career. It will be interesting to see who eventually gets to carry the bag for Woods, for Tiger comes with lots of baggage besides his clubs.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

New York City Going Green: 70 Chevy Volts Purchased

2011-07-21T05:04:00.000-07:00

Article first published as New York City Going Green: 70 Chevy Volts Purchased on Blogcritics.

If you have nothing better to do, you may wonder what gets New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to Queens? The occasional NY Mets game he attends? A flight out of JFK to one of his secret vacation spots? The answer would be yes to both of these, but he also came to Queens recently to advertise the city's 70 newly purchased Chevy Volts.
Standing in the Sanitation Department's Maspeth repair depot, Bloomberg was beaming with pride as he spoke about the green machines the city has purchased. The vehicles will be used by several agencies and will be strictly for non-emergencies only, so don't expect to come to New York and see cops pursuing suspects in their Chevy Volts.

The interesting thing about this purchase is Bloomberg's assertion that it will save the taxpayers money. Most people know the Volt is an expensive investment, with a cost of around $40,000 per vehicle; however, Bloomberg noted that the federal government has subsidized most of the vehicles, and ten of them will be leased for $1 a year for two years.

Well, that deal is not available for us regular folks, but those who wish to purchase one can get federal tax savings up to $7,500. That still makes the car pretty dear at around $32,000. Add to that that you are limited to how far you can drive these cars under exclusive electric power, and that is why Bloomberg said that none of them will be used for more than thirty-five miles a day.

While many New Yorkers like myself want to see the city go green, we have to wonder how this will truly impact our lives. Bloomberg claims each car will save the city 4,000 gallons of gas over the years, coming to about $15,000 in savings for each one. They will not add to air or noise pollution either.

What is the ulterior motive here? Well, besides giving Chevrolet and GM and enormous advertising opportunity, the Mayor does hope that citizens will take a chance on getting an electric vehicle too. The city has even launched a green web page (Drive Electric NYC) that will give people information and resources about the cars purchased and other ways to go green.

Obviously, Bloomberg's ultimate goal is to have all city vehicles eventually be electric, and this includes buses. He has also hinted that the single biggest source of traffic problems in NYC (yellow taxis) would eventually need to be an all electric fleet. Imagine the possibilities! Now if they could just do something about those pedicabs and horse drawn carriages.

Photo Credit: City of New York

Mets Mess: Reality Rears Its Ugly Head

2011-07-20T05:02:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Mets Mess: Reality Rears Its Ugly Head on Blogcritics.

Okay, Mets fans, let's be honest. The party is over. Yes, there were a few exciting moments, and manager Terry Collins and his players had us thinking it was 1973 all over again, but those Mets had Yogi Berra as a skipper, and now the deja vu part is not about winning but about accepting one's fate.

The Mets lost 4-1 to the Florida Marlins in an ugly game. "Ugly" is the operating word because the Mets are getting closer to the cellar in the National League East, which means we're moving back into Basement Bertha territory again. The Marlins are a hot last place team; the Mets are as cold as ice and sinking faster each game. If you are looking to the return of Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran to end the madness, don't get too comfortable because they're probably not going to be around much longer.

There have been rumors about trading Beltran since spring training. Now as the July 31st
trading deadline approaches, and as the Mets continue struggle and lose games, it is only a matter of time that Beltran will be put in a lifeboat and row safely to a contending team: good for him; bad for us.

Jose Reyes played a game with the Brooklyn Cyclones last night. David Wright is going to get his rehab games in too before coming back. Johan Santana may be back sometime in August. Ike Davis remains in Met limbo, and now super sub Scott Hairston came out of the game hurt. With all these injuries, the Mets should start call their clubhouse the Hurt Locker.

No matter who comes back, who gets traded, and who stays on the DL all season, the Mets and their fans just have to face reality. There's not enough season left for miracles. Collins has done a great job, but you need all the right ingredients to conjure up a recipe for a winning season and playoff run, and Collins is like a baker trying to make a cake without any eggs or flour.

So it pains me to say it Mets fans, but it is all over. Beltran will be gone soon, and Reyes may follow. The AAA boys of Tejada, Turner, Pridie, and Thole will continue to play hard, and they may be able to finish at .500 this year, but don't go holding your breath now. It's more likely we'll be spending the rest of season downstairs with Basement Bertha. We'd better get used to it.

Photo Credits: NY Daily News

Don't Drink the Water: 8 Glasses a Day Theory Questioned

2011-07-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Don't Drink the Water: 8 Glasses a Day Theory Questioned on Blogcritics.

According to a report in the British Medical Journal, it is not necessary to drink 8 glasses of water a day for good health. Scottish doctor Mary McCartney calls this recommendation "nonsense" and cites that there are no clear studies or convincing evidence to support this claim made by the organization Hydration for Health.

I don't know about you, but I drink more than eight glasses of water a day, especially in the summer. Of course, in the back of my mind I have that "eight glasses a day" thing, but I also find water to be the best thirst quencher. I also prefer to drink water with my meals rather than soda, juice, or coffee. This is a personal preference, but I know as I drink water I always think it is a healthier practice than imbibing drinks loaded with sugar or caffeine.

McCartney points to the motives behind Hydration for Health's call to drink water and notes that they are supported by the French company Danone, which just so happens to own Evian, Volvic, and Badoit water bottlers. Obviously, it is no coincidence that this group promotes good health through water.

I am sure if Pepsi and Coca-Cola supported some group to tout the benefits of drinking soda, we would all see it as a sham, but since water equals healthy in most people's minds, we don't think twice about it.
Dr. McCartney is not suggesting we stop drinking water, and she does note that drinking more water can be a good thing for patients who have a need for it, like "those with current kidney stones or polycystic kidney disease." She also notes that the eight glasses theory doesn't make sense for everyone; children and the elderly certainly will not need to drink as much as adults and so on.

Another thing that stands out for me is the bottles. There are millions of plastic water bottles being tossed away every year, many of which never make it to recycling. That has to bother people as much as the fact that some water companies even admit that they bottle tap water. Why pay for something that you have coming into your home that is much cheaper?

I must say that I use some pre-packaged bottled water when I have no other options, but for the most part I use tap water that has been filtered. I make four half gallon bottles a day and use most of it up. I have also picked up reusable water bottles (available in many stores) and take them to the park and beach.

In the end it will be an individual choice to drink water or other beverages. There is no question that I push water on my kids because there is so much sugar in juice and soda. It is a rare treat when they get to have soda, and juice is only allowed once a day at breakfast. Milk is in the mix too, but on these hot summer days they have been asking for water much more than anything else.

Do you drink 8 glasses of water a day? Will you continue doing so? I know that I feel healthier drinking water, so I am not changing anything. In fact, I am enjoying a glass of cold water right now. Cheers!

Tom Watson Sinks Hole-in-One at British Open

2011-07-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Tom Watson Sinks Hole-in-One at British Open on Blogcritics.

If you think there is nothing exciting going on at the British Open this year because Tiger Woods is not in the tournament, you should see 61-year old Tom Watson sinking a hole-in-one in the second round yesterday. It is an exciting sports moment mostly because it is so rare.
Watson has had only one other hole-in-one in a major (the U.S. Open in 1980) and fifteen in his entire career, so that should tell you something. Watson said he didn't see it go in but caught it on the replay. He joked, "But it was lucky. They're all lucky when they go in."

The shot came in the second round with Watson using a 4-iron and hitting into the wind. The ball made one high bounce and then popped right into the hole. Watson's ace enabled him to go on to finish an even par-70, which helped him make the cut.

Darren Clarke and Lucas Glover currently share the lead at the British Open in Sandwich, England. Rory McIlroy, winner of the U.S. Open was six shots out of the lead.

Judge Declares a Mistrial in Clemens Perjury Case - Rocket's Red Glare?

2011-07-16T04:48:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Judge Declares a Mistrial in Clemens Perjury Case - Rocket's Red Glare? on Blogcritics.

As soon as Judge Reggie Walton declared a mistrial due to prosecutorial misconduct in the Roger Clemens' perjury case on Thursday, I pictured the headlines that it would create. There would also be pictures of Clemens outside the Washington courthouse looking like a free man. Of course, all of this came to be as Clemens looked relieved if not jumping for joy. Actually, he should be ecstatic because he is "free" for now, but the case will probably be tried again.

Prosecutors mishandled the case. The judge chided them that the errors made wouldn't be committed by law students. It is mind-boggling that after so much time to prepare that the prosecutors could make such obvious mistakes. They showed jurors a video of Laura Posado (wife of Yankees catcher Jorge) and they weren't supposed to do that. "Mr. Clemens has to get a fair trial," Walton said. "In my view, he can't get it now."

So Clemens walked outside with lawyer Rusty Hardin, signed some baseballs, said nothing better than Sgt. Schultz on Hogan's Heroes, and looked like a guy who just removed a two-ton albatross from around his neck. Of course, Clemens cannot shoot rockets in the air and have a party just yet, since it is very likely that the prosecution will get its act together by September 2, when Judge Walton will have to decide if there should be a retrial.

Some of you may be shaking your heads; some of you are probably happy Rocket got to walk, but it's not a funny thing happening here. we're talking about perjury and Congress and justice; this is a serious issue, and maybe Clemens will still face a trial and get jail time. We'll have to wait and see, but as with the Casey Anthony case, we can't always get what we want or even what we need.

Happy trials (or is that trails?), Roger.

Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated

NFL Lockout: Harrison's Rants Don't Speed Up the Process

2011-07-15T05:13:00.000-07:00

Article first published as NFL Lockout: Harrison's Rants Don't Speed Up the Process on Blogcritics.

As the NFL lockout continues, and the owner's deadline of July 21 gets closer and closer, things do not look good for a resolution any time soon. Add to that the recent rant by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison, and we get to see how this thing could get ugly and drag on and on. This is not good news for the owners, the players, and certainly not the fans.

Harrison, in an interview with Men's Journal, said negative things about some of this teammates, but reserved his most incendiary comments for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, whom he calls a "crook," "devil" and someone he "will never respect." Harrison's words are a far cry from someone like New Orleans Saints' quarterback Drew Brees, who seems to be trying to be a real negotiator in this mess.

NFL Players Association chief DeMaurice Smith has been anything but hopeful, and Goodell has had nothing positive to say about the negotiations. Of course, they are ongoing (mostly between the lawyers for both sides) but the writing may be on the wall. I guess this Jets fan is going to have to rethink how to spend Sundays this fall, which probably wouldn't bother my family one bit.

It does seem that neither side wants to give anything here, and it just doesn't make sense to me how the players or owners would want to risk losing the 2011-2012 season. Football, the most lucrative sport in the universe, should have enough money for everyone to go around, but issues like rookie contracts, signing bonuses, and free agency seem to still be the big problems here.

I do not know about you and your team merchandise, but I am not breaking out any of my Jets material until I know there is going to be a season. If the lockout does manage to derail the season, I am going to think long and hard about how much I need NFL games.

I mean, if I can survive one season without football (and anyone else with season tickets or just their team colors running in their blood can too), maybe it is time for a transfusion and a new winter sport to spend my hard earned money on getting crazy about. Now, if those NY Islanders could just get their act together, I'll get out to those games, and at least they are actually played in New York!

Photo Credits: espn.com

Mets Mess: K-Rod Goes to Brewers With Lots of Baggage

2011-07-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Mets Mess: K-Rod Goes to Brewers With Lots of Baggage on Blogcritics.

Right after the end of last night's All-Star Game, The New York Mets traded "slugging" relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez to the Milwaukee Brewers for cash and two players to be named later. It could have been two turtle doves and a partridge in a pair tree as far as Mets fans are concerned; good-bye and good riddance to TKO Rod. Let's hope he took all his baggage with him on the way out the door.

The importance of the K-Rod trade is not just the fact that the team cut out a toxic element in the clubhouse, or saved lots of money on the payroll; it also says something about where GM Sandy Alderson thinks his 46-45 team is headed in the NL East: nowhere! That bodes well for impending trades of Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes by the July 31 trading deadline.

Now yes, by all accounts, K-Rod was trying to be a model citizen this year, and Beltran has never looked so thrilled to be in Flushing as he has in 2011. Also, even though now injured, Reyes was a lightning rod and had the team and its fans channeling Tug McGraw's "You Gotta Believe" as they made their way to Citi Field. I'd hate to see his beaming smile gone from the Mets dugout, but that appears more likely now.

Alas Mets fans, reality has reared its ugly head. No matter how much little General Terry Collins has sparked this team, and no matter how well the AAA boys of Turner, Pridie, Evans, and company have played, the truth is it is going to be another "wait until next year" for the boys in blue and orange.

Sad for the team and sad for the fans, but this trade signals that mentality. Maybe now we can just sit back and enjoy the show, but there should be no illusions of a run for the wild card or even more bizarre delusions of catching the the Phillies. This trade put an end to all that.

Good bye to K-Rod and the 2011 season. Ah, just another day in the never ending Mets mess.

Photo Credit: AP

Commissioner Bud Selig Talks About Expanding Play-offs and Realignment

2011-07-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Commissioner Bud Selig Talks About Expanding Play-offs and Realignment on Blogcritics.

The National League beat the American League 5-1, courtesy of a Prince Fielder homer. Now that we got that out of the way, wasn't the game less than thrilling? I stopped watching after Carlos Beltran got his two at bats, but that's because I am a NY Mets fan and my interest ended there. Perhaps you tuned in longer depending on which players were on the field, and that makes sense for most people who watch the game.

The bigger and more interesting news occurred off the field. Commissioner Bud Selig indicated that there would be an expansion of the play-offs, probably including an extra Wild Card team per league. How that will look, and whether or not that will entail a best of five series or even a one game play-off is not known at this time, but it does make things intriguing. As it is we are playing the World Series as kids are coming home from trick-o-treating on Halloween, so I guess we can start thinking about the postseason extending well into November. That will be a bit harsh if the Minnesota Twins get in there. Get your shovels ready.

Also, Selig indicated that realignment is on the table. Again, what that entails is not well defined, but it could mean a team shifting from the National League over to the American to create a fifteen team-fifteen team balance. There was no indication of an alteration of divisions, but that certainly could be a possibility.

So there we have it, folks. The off field news is actually bigger than the on field news at the All-Star Game. That should come as no surprise to anyone, except maybe Selig.

Photo Credit: Reuters

All-Star Home Run Derby More Fun Than The Game

2011-07-13T04:32:00.000-07:00

Article first published as All-Star Home Run Derby More Fun Than The Game on Blogcritics.

I've been thinking this every year for a number of years now: the All-Star Home Run Derby held the night before the All-Star Game is actually more fun — and probably more meaningful — than the game itself. That might not sit too well with MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, who wanted to make this game matter so much that he decreed that the winning side could host the World Series, but the truth is the truth.

Last night's home run hitters came in all shapes and sizes, from a svelte Matt Kemp of the L.A. Dodgers to a Babe Ruthian Prince Fielder (the son of slugger Cecil Fielder), but it was Robinson Cano of the Yankees who managed to come out on top. This was a feel good moment as his father Jose (a former major league player with the Houston Astros) served as pitcher. The crowd enjoyed it, seemed genuinely enthusiastic, and the other players on the sidelines offered support for the sluggers in the contest.

All of this going on at Chase Field in Arizona seemed like so much fun, the Christmas Eve being almost better than Christmas Day kind of thing. The truth is that today's All-Star Game will be a letdown. It always is, and all of Selig's horses and all of his men can't put back together a game that has lost its significance — even when King Bud has tried to enhance that by making the game "count" in deciding home field advantage in the World Series.

I guess I will be like you and watch some of the All-Star Game tonight, but I probably won't get beyond the third inning. I never do. It is too long, and being a NY Mets fan, I'll tune in just to see Carlos Beltran in the starting lineup; otherwise, I will be waiting to change the channel and watch Curb Your Enthusiasm, which I will have no trouble doing after watching the tepid baseball game previously.

Let's face it. Many stars don't even want to go to the game even when they are voted in. Derek Jeter — Mr. 3000 — is blowing it off, and a number of others are too. Why? Because they know that the game doesn't matter anymore. King Bud, are you listening?

Photo Credit: AP

The Fresh Beat Band - Unexplained Cast Changes Keep Annoying TV Tradition Going

2011-07-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

Article first published as The Fresh Beat Band - Unexplained Cast Changes Keep Annoying TV Tradition Going on Blogcritics.

If you are of a certain age (10 years old and under) Nickelodeon's The Fresh Beat Band is probably part of your world. The show is now starting its third season, and in keeping with a very odd TV tradition, unexplained cast changes stand out as an incongruity that - whether TV executives like it or not - kids do notice and do not appreciate.

The Fresh Beat Band revolves around four likeable teenagers (Twist, Shout, Kiki, and Marina) who go to music school, dance and sing a lot, and seemingly have nothing else to do but have a good time. For the first two seasons these characters were played by Jon Beavers, Thomas Hobson, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, and Shayna Rose, but now in the third season Marina is being played by Tara (no relation to Katy) Perry.

It actually stands out in a significant way, and both of my kids noticed it immediately. No explanation has been given as to the change in appearance of the character, and so kids are expected to be as resilient as Bewitched fans seeing Dick Sargent become Darrin (replacing Dick York) without any explanation.

Unfortunately, this is part of a TV tradition that I find slightly irritating and a bit condescending. Do writers and producers have so little respect for their viewers as to think they will not notice such cast changes? The Fresh Beat Band has already undergone cast changes, with the character Reed being played by Hadley Fraser in season one and replaced by Patrick Levis in season two (again, no explanation), and now they have dropped Melody (owner of the Groovy Smoothie) played by Dioni Michelle Collins. My kids really liked her and are wondering where she has gone. I don’t have the heart to tell them she has joined many others in that big lost character pool kept somewhere in a Hollywood warehouse.

Such cast changes are not without precedent in the TV world. If you are of a certain age (40 years old and over) you will recall that Richie Cunningham's brother Chuck disappeared after season one of Happy Days (again no explanation). On Dallas Miss Ellie went from being played by Barbara Bel Geddes to Donna Reed and then, after one season, back to Bel Geddes (again without explanation).

Some shows have tried to get it right. M*A*S*H writers went through great pains to say goodbye to Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson), but then dropped the ball when the popular Wayne Rogers (Trapper John) left without much explanation. When Frank Burns (Larry Linville) was canned, they did a little better job - but not much. And first season character Spearchucker Jones (Timothy Brown) disappeared from the show (again, without explanation).

NYPD Blue bid adieu to a number of characters, but no departure in television history was more acrimonious than David Caruso's Detective John Kelly who walked out the precinct door and was never mentioned again. Blue lost quite a few more characters over the years, and I think it took a toll on me because I stopped watching (some time after Jimmy Smits left the show).

Back on Nickelodeon, Blue’s Clues had a huge cast change to deal with when Steve (Steven Burns) left the show and was replaced by his brother Joe (Donovan Patton). Though there was a two-episode "goodbye" to Steve, my daughter never recovered from it (she still only likes to watch the show when Steve is on). My son seems slightly confused when Nick Jr. runs an hour of Blue’s Clues with the first episode featuring Steve and Joe in the next one.

There was Diane (Shelly Long) on Cheers, who was replaced by Kirstie Alley, and to this day many people do not like Ms. Alley simply because she replaced Long. There is certainly a different tone to Cheers after Long's departure. Cheers also suffered the loss of the beloved Coach character (Nicholas Colasanto died) who was replaced by clueless but loveable Woody (Woody Harrelson). That worked out well enough for the show and Harrelson became very popular.

I suppose we can view TV like real life: people come and go, but sometimes it is harder to part with someone we have grown to know and love. I don't know why TV shows don't get it and respect the viewers (even if they are kids) and try to explain the changes. Although, even when it is done in what can be seen as the right way (as in the case of Blue's Clues), it still doesn't always satisfy everyone.

As we were watching a new episode of The Fresh Beat Band (with the new Marina) the other day, my two-year old son said, "I don't like Ah-rina." I just nodded, but I think that best sums up how we feel about these cast changes over the years. We don’t like them and no doubt ever will, but they will probably keep on coming and there’s nothing we can do about it.

Now, if someone could please tell me what happened to Chuck Cunningham.

Photo Credits- The Fresh Beat Band - Nickelodeon.com

M*A*S*H - chargerbulletin.com

Running of the Bulls in Pamplona - A Tradition That Keeps on Goring

2011-07-08T18:59:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Running of the Bulls in Pamplona - A Tradition That Keeps on Goring on Blogcritics.

If you are a fan of Ernest Hemingway's novel The Sun Also Rises, you probably know very well about the "Running of the Bulls" tradition in Pamplona, Spain. If you have not read the book or have no idea what I am talking about, the bulls get a chance to run amok through streets filled with tourists who purposely put themselves in the paths of the bulls. Now doesn't that sound like the perfect vacation activity for you and the family?

This tradition connected with the San Fermin Festival that occurs in early July every year was well documented in Hemingway's famous book. Now people still put on the red scarves and let themselves in on all the fun of getting close to a seething two thousand pound animal with horns that are ready to perforate limbs and other parts of the anatomy (they seem to somehow know how to find a male's private parts too).

I visited Pamplona in July of 1989, and I can honestly say that I went nowhere near the bulls. I stayed a good distance from the action and sat in a cafe as several people I knew went out to meet their "destiny with the bulls." One acquaintance of mine from Australia had knocked back a few beers and turned to me saying, "Bulls have no balls," quoting Mike Campbell from Hemingway's book. About two hours later he came back to the table a mess of sweat and blood with torn clothing. I asked if a bull got him and he said, "No, it's the people - they're all mad!"

We were only there two days and then left for Madrid, but I saw enough of the insanity that went on in that town. The restaurants and bars were overflowing with people, there were parades of saints, concerts in the squares, and people living la vida loca everywhere I turned. It certainly was a great time, and we saw guys all over the place with red badges of courage wrapped around their arms, legs, and heads (certainly some of these "gored" fellows were probably not hurt by any of the bulls).

I remember riding on the train down to Madrid and meeting a fellow named Carlos who wore a white suit, hat, and skinny black tie. My Australian friend complained to him that Pamplona wasn't as great as in Hemingway's book, and Carlos nodded and said nothing. When my friend fell asleep he looked at me and said, "That book didn't get it right."

I said, "Well, I don't know; that was a long time ago." It was 1923 to be exact when Hemingway visited the place.

Carlos nodded, folded his hands on his lap, and stared out the window. "I still say the book didn't get it right. It's much better and much worse than Hemingway told it."

He closed his eyes and our conversation ended there. All these years later I remembered what Carlos said as I saw the bulls running in those streets again on CNN. After all this time I am not sure if Hemingway got it right or if Carlos was right, but the people are still flocking to that small town in the Basque country and running with those bulls. Blame it on Hemingway, or San Fermin, whatever or whomever else, but it still does not make sense to me. What would make perfectly healthy and sane people stand in the way of a two thousand pound bull?

Maybe it is just the thrill or the legend or the honor of being able to say "I did it." I'm sure wherever Hemingway is now he is wearing a red scarf, drinking some wine, and watching all the action with a smile on his face. I can't be sure, but isn't it pretty to think so?

Photo Credit: AP

Justice and the Casey Anthony Verdict

2011-07-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Justice and the Casey Anthony Verdict on Blogcritics.

If you are unhappy about the verdict in the Casey Anthony trial, you are obviously not alone. TV personality (I use this word kindly) Nancy Grace and probably millions of others are angry that Anthony was found "not guilty" of the most serious charges involving the death of her daughter Caylee. While Grace and all the rest are entitled to their opinions (and I too feel that the woman was guilty), the idea of "injustice" that seems to permeate the media in regards to this case seems out of hand.

What we have here is a public that is unhappy with the system: in this case a trial by jury. Part of our inalienable rights is trial with a jury of our peers, and in this case that means Florida residents. As with the O.J. Simpson case, the jury found a person that the public and media found guilty from the start not guilty. How dare they?

I believe we cannot like the system only when it works in our favor - the Scott Peterson trial for instance. The truth is that no one knows what is going on in the minds of jurors during a trial. Something as insidious as "if it doesn't fit you must acquit" may just sway them, and celebrity can play a part as well - just don't tell that to Phil Spector.

If the public is unhappy with a jury system that could explain why "terrorist combatants" are pushed into military tribunals. Can you imagine a 9-11 conspirator standing trial in New York City and being acquitted by a jury? Well, I am sure everyone in the government realizes what that would do and the pandemonium that would ensue in the streets of New York.

I don't think we want to reach a point in this country when trial by jury is dissolved because of unpopular verdicts. Yes, we can all moan about Casey Anthony going free, but that is always a possibility and our system allows that. O.J. Simpson now rots in jail (on an unrelated charge), but that is also how the system works. Maybe justice takes time and maybe the system is not perfect, but as far as I know there are no Jury 101 classes in schools, and perhaps that would endanger the system further depending on the intent of instructors and the curriculum.

My fear is we could reach a point where there are no more juries, where tribunals or judges would rule on their own, where maybe even a trial itself was eliminated and the "swift justice" of the past becomes an angry lynch mob dragging people off for their appointments with a tree limb (think Atticus Finch standing in the way of the mob in To Kill a Mockingbird).

So, we may feel the Casey Anthony verdict was wrong, but that doesn't mean the system is. Trial by jury still is an important freedom in this country, and we should cherish it because many other places wish they had it in place. Let's hope we always have the right to a jury of our peers because even if it is a flawed system it is better than having the alternative.

NY Mets on the Road - To Live and Cry in LA

2011-07-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

Article first published as NY Mets on the Road - To Live and Cry in LA on Blogcritics.

There is no doubt about it (or as beloved NY Mets announcer Ralph Kiner used to say "No bout a doubt it") the New York Mets are Amazin’s once again - at least on the road.

The Mets look lost at Citi Field, and I can admit I do feel that way myself sometimes. It seemed like I knew every nook and cranny of good old dilapidated Shea Stadium, and I remembered where Cleon squeezed that last ball in 1969 or Rusty hit the outfield wall in 1973 or where Mookie hit the ball between Buckner's legs in 1986. These were great Mets memories, not to mention the Beatles trying to out scream the fans on a stage out near second base. Those were the days.

But Mets fans have tried to warm up to Citi Field, and it is designed way better than Shea right down to more plentiful - and clean - bathrooms. The food courts are wonderful and plentiful space is available to drink, eat, and be merry.

Still the team struggles at Citi as it did in the last home series against the Yankees, although that last game when the Mets beat Mariano Rivera was pure gold. You could bottle that and Mets fans would buy it again and again. The Mets beat Rivera - what a moment!

Now out on the road they are warriors again, taking the first two in LA. Last night Mike Pelfrey seemed like an ace who never lost a case - no, that's Perry Mason, another LA story - but I digress.
There is a good deal to be happy about right now as manager Terry Collins has his team believing in themselves as much as he does. They have lots of guts and determination as they strike out on this last road trip before the All-Star break without Reyes and Santana and Davis and Wright.

In another universe we would be crying out there on the West Coast, where many Mets teams went 0 for 9 and came home whipped. This team seems different and they keep finding ways to win. That will definitely keep Mets fans watching and wanting to go to the ballpark. Now, if the team could just find a way to win more games at home, but that's another story.

Photo Credit: NY Daily News

Subway Series Part II: This Time It's Personal

2011-07-03T10:22:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Subway Series Part II: This Time It's Personal on Blogcritics.

Okay, I'll admit that I was kind of down on the Subway Series the last time around, but that is not the case now. Why is that? Because back then the Mets were playing like they were in the Pee-Wee Herman League and the New York Yankees were doing their best Incredible Hulk impersonation in the American League East. Since then the Mets have incredulously bounced back from adveristy (even with key players on the disabled list) - with Jose Reyes taking the part of The Flash while his teammates, even the AAA Buffalo contingency, are looking like superheroes in training. So now it is at least interesting enough for this old Mets fan to put on his blue cap with the orange NY and brave the Number 7 train to get out to Citi Field.

Make no mistake - the Yankees have to be favored today. They just steamrolled over Milwaukee, but these are the Brewers and not the Boston Red Sox or the Philadelphia Phillies. When you put the pitching poor Yankees up against those types of teams, they wilt and that is what they will have to face once again in the playoffs this year. Of course, at least they can say they have the playoffs in their future, but that is still a reality for Yankees fans; too bad Sabathia can't pitch every day.

The Mets led by Reyes and much lesser names like Turner, Murphy, and Hairston, are definitely going to be David going up against Goliath in the Subway Series, but we all know how that turned out. Truth be told, the Mets are playing like the Mets of old - most notably the 1973 version - and that team was the little engine that could, knocking out the Big Red Machine of Cincinnati and taking the Oakland A's to the seventh game of the World Series.

I'm not saying anything like that can happen this year, but there is hope in Flushing and the Mets fans can invoke the old Tug McGraw mantra of "Ya Gotta Believe" again, so in that way it becomes very personal for me (and most Mets fans). And don't forget, these are the dreaded Yankees, the minions of Darth Steinbrenner who once circled the city in his Death Star thinking he could rule the baseball galaxy.

So break out your old copies of Return of the Jedi if you need inspiration, Mets fans, and "you gotta believe" the force is with these young Met padawans. Jose Reyes is wielding that bat like a light saber, and maybe, just maybe, some Yankee heads will roll this weekend. So yeah, it's personal this time, and Mets fans have to get out there and cheer this underdog team for no other reason than they are New Yorkers who are not Yankees' fans.

Let's go Mets!

Photo Credit: NY Daily News

Derek Jeter, Tiger Woods, and Roger Federer: Time Is Not On Their Side

2011-06-30T18:49:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Derek Jeter, Tiger Woods, and Roger Federer: Time Is Not On Their Side on Blogcritics.

In sports, the emphasis is always on youth. Great players are shooting stars across the sky of their respective sports. Alas, like those shooting stars their path is all too brief, and then they flame out and disappear from view.

Today Roger Federer won the first two sets at Wimbledon in London in the quarterfinals. Anytime he has done this before in his career - 178 times to be exact - Federer has won the match. Today was a different story. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga came back and won the next three sets. There is no question that the Federer of the past is no longer out there on the court. Tsonga (26) simply overcame Federer (29) with power and resilience and broke his serves the way it would not have happened a few years ago. Federer has to face the facts about his game, just as all the tennis greats like Boris Becker, Andre Agassi, and Pete Sampras have had to do.

Last week Tiger Woods (35) announced that he would not compete in the AT&T National. In golf older men have had much success, but one has to remain healthy and in shape. There is no question that Woods has always been into training, but his body is not "healthy" enough to compete. Again, as with Federer, reality rears its ugly head. Tiger is feeling all too human these days, and even with that sex scandal behind him and a lucrative endorsement for a Japanese company announced, Woods is realizing he is only human.

And then there is Derek Jeter, the perennial All Star shortstop for the New York Yankees. Jeter (37) has struggled this season (as he did last year), and now he is on the disabled list. The Yankee captain has been a great player for many years, but his body is starting to send signals to him that he may not want to receive. His hitting and fielding have been substantially compromised by the calendar, and whether or not the fans want to accept it, Jeter has to know that he better not turn around, because Father Time is gaining on him.

These three great sports figures have given fans many years of excellence, but the truth is that no one can expect to see their stars play forever. In each of these cases, we must appreciate their contributions to their respective sports but also know that attrition hits everyone. Even Jeter's teammate, the great closer Mariano Rivera, will someday see his powers diminish. It is just a fact of life.

The question one can ask is when do these guys throw in the proverbial towel? How long do they continue to push themselves to perform? While we expect that they must obviously see that their production is diminishing, perhaps they overestimate their contribution to the game. Whatever the case, don't expect any of these gentlemen to retire any time soon.

Maybe they should leave when they can still make that decision, or perhaps there will come a time when each one of these guys will face the inevitable after failing. Today Roger Federer had to see the truth in what Tsonga did to him. We television viewers certainly saw it and everyone in that stadium did too. Tiger has put himself on the shelf, and Jeter is on the disabled list. It's obvious that time is not on their side; in fact, it's not on anyone's side whether he or she is a player or a fan in the stands. Perhaps that's the toughest truth of all.

photo credit- BBC sports

Goodbye to Good Neighbor Carl

2011-06-26T16:29:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Goodbye to Good Neighbor Carl on Blogcritics.

In his amazing poem “Mending Wall,” Robert Frost wrote “Good fences make good neighbors.” The whole poem is about how the narrator and his neighbor walk along the length of their adjoining properties, fixing the wall between them as they go along. The narrator wonders why the wall is necessary and even sees his neighbor as “an old-stone savage armed” as the neighbor brings new rocks to support the wall. It is a delightful poem and captures all the nuances of that most odd and sometimes difficult of relationships – being neighbors.
We don’t get to choose neighbors the way we do friends or spouses. They are more or less inherited when we move in or when they move in, sort of like siblings and cousins from Poughkeepsie that you are happy never come down to the city. Still, being a good neighbor or being neighborly all connote a pleasant and rather collegial existence. This calls to mind the great movie Good Neighbor Sam starring Jack Lemmon who plays Sam, a neighbor who goes above and beyond expectations to help out the person next door with hilarious results.

I am thinking about this now as my neighbor Carl has all the boxes out on the front lawn and the moving truck in front of his house. I don’t recall how many years Carl has been here, but I do remember his son being in Kindergarten (I believe) when they moved in, and I think Jack just finished 8th grade now, so the years have gone by for sure.

Early this morning we spoke briefly, and Carl revealed that he has been reading my stuff and plans to continue doing so. I was sort of surprised that he even knew I wrote anything, and then I felt great joy in that he would even have interest in my work. After we said goodbye and I went inside, I felt motivated to write about Carl and his time spent as my neighbor.

Carl has certainly been a good neighbor in many ways. He has always been friendly, outgoing, willing to assist with his snowplow during a blizzard or helping to put up a tent for the annual block party. Carl is a very social person and has friends times ten, which is wonderful because people are drawn to his gregarious personality. His wife and he had many parties, but never anything that ever caused a disturbance. They are well liked and will be greatly missed.

I admire Carl very much for his outgoing personality and also because he was a member of the local volunteer fire department. You have to give credit to a person who works all day and then spends evenings running to the fire house for emergency calls. I give my donation every year to what I know is a good cause, but Carl went above and beyond by getting on those trucks and doing a job most people cannot or will not do.

His wife used to organize the annual block party, and with them leaving there will be no block party this year. My daughter wants us to get involved, but my wife and I are just too busy with everything. In fact, we say that all the time. Carl and his wife worked too but seemed to find the time for these things. Again, that is a credit to them and this year the block will be very quiet and lonely especially during the last weekend in July when the party used to take place.

As it is in life we always wish we had done things differently. I do wish I had been able to make more time to get to know Carl better, but that is nothing I can change. I have been busy and he was busy in his way. I blame myself for not extending an offer to do something or to just hang out, have a beer, and talk, but such is the nature of modern life.

We do indeed have a fence between our properties, and Carl’s kids would lose balls on our side often enough. They were always respectful of the fence, as was their dog Molly (a black Lab). Molly used to bark when they let her outside and reminded me of my old Lab who died earlier this year. I used to always reach over that fence and pet Molly, who greeted me like I was her long lost master. I am going to miss that dog.

I also want to say that Carl taught me something about being a good father – one of the best lessons I could ever learn. Carl was a huge Yankees fan when I first met him. He bled pinstripes like I did Mets orange and blue. We would have genial talks about the teams and, of course, his team was a good deal more successful than mine. When his son got older and became a Mets fan, Carl did what I think is the most amazing thing ever – he became a Mets fan for his son. I was so impressed by this and (though I have never told him in person) I admire that so much. Carl is not just a good man but a great father and person because his love is obviously unconditional to give up the team for Jack.

To be honest, I must say that I am not certain that I can live up to that with my son. If he should grow up and start loving the Yankees, I don’t think I could be as big a guy as Carl and drop the Mets. I think I would be devastated personally, and Carl didn’t let that happen. He just turned around and started wearing a Mets cap and supported his son. I am hoping my boy will love the Mets, but if he doesn’t, I am going to try to follow Carl’s lead but it will be difficult.

The last of the boxes is getting put on the truck as I look out the window. Soon it will rumble down the block and the family car will follow it with Molly sticking her head out the window. They are off to a new life elsewhere, and we will continue to live ours here and wait to see who will move in. I doubt the new tenants will ever be such good neighbors, so after Carl is gone I will frequently walk the fence along the property line and make sure all is secure. As Frost wrote, “Something there is that doesn't love a wall” and I understand it more than ever on this day.

So, goodbye, good neighbor Carl. You will be missed. Thanks most of all for the lesson you taught me about being a good father. Now excuse me while I go put a Mets cap on my son’s head and hope for the best.

Photo Credit: newyorktimes.com

Just One More Thing: Remembering Peter Falk's Columbo

2011-06-25T07:49:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Just One More Thing: Remembering Peter Falk's Columbo on Blogcritics.

When I heard that Peter Falk passed away, I couldn’t help but remember him as Columbo, the indelible character he portrayed on the hit television show Columbo during the 1970s. The disheveled, disoriented, and seemingly insipid detective stumbled his way through every episode, appearing lost in thought about his dog, mother-in-law, wife, or some illness that plagued him. This was always a ruse that made the killer think he was going to walk, but at the end of every episode Columbo revealed his true genius and caught the antagonist much to his or her chagrin.

I was introduced to Columbo by my Aunt Margie (who passed away in 2006). She would watch every episode faithfully with a little smirk on her face. She loved Agatha Christie books, Perry Mason, and most police shows, but Columbo seemed to be her favorite. I think she liked the premise of the show most of all because it pleased her to see a pompous (and usually very wealthy) killer taken down by a rumpled everyman like Columbo.

The show was not the standard procedural but rather what I call a "how done it," unlike the usual murder mystery known as a "who done it." At the beginning of every episode the viewer got the exposition of the killer and his intended victim, got to see the actual killing, and then the "brilliant" cover-up that would supposedly leave the police baffled.

Of course then into the mansion would stagger Columbo. Sometimes peeling an egg for breakfast, or coughing with a cold, or seemingly obsessing over a lost item, Columbo would encounter the killer and immediately send the signal that he was an incompetent buffoon. The fun of each episode was the unraveling of the facade, as Columbo became either friendly or more annoying to the culprit, a sort of reverse of cat and mouse that was a joy to watch because many of the killers were played by such fine actors - Ruth Gordon, Leonard Nimoy, Jack Cassidy, Robert Culp, Vera Miles and many, many more.

Columbo was such a fish out of water. A New Yorker who once admitted he came from the Lower East Side and ran around the streets barefoot through Chinatown. This poor New York kid somehow ends up in Los Angeles, rubbing elbows with the wealthiest people as he tries to solve the crime. Wearing an old worn raincoat (even in warm weather when everyone else is running around in shorts and polo shirts), smoking a half-chewed stogie, his hair looking spiked and matted as if he just rolled out of bed, Columbo was truly an anti-hero anyone could relate to.

So now the great Peter Falk is gone. He has left behind one of the greatest characters in television history. I imagine that when he passed on and appeared at the entrance to heaven, he may have started through the Pearly Gates, stopped, and turned to St. Peter and said, "Just one more thing...." as his character often did to disarm his intended target. I am sure Falk got as a big a laugh up there as he got down here. I just hope he doesn't run into my aunt because she is going to want an autograph.

Photo Credit: peterfalk.com

Interleague Play Should End This Year

2011-06-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Interleague Play Should End This Year on Blogcritics.

I don't know about you, but I am tired of interleague ballgames in Major League Baseball. As the Mets play the Los Angeles Angels this weekend at Citi Field, I feel no compulsion to go to a game. Even a matchup against the Oakland A's (long ago opponents in the 1973 World Series) does little to attract my attention. There is simply no reason for me to want to see these games and I think many people feel the same way.

Yes, I can see that regional rivalries could attract interest - St. Louis and Kansas City, Cleveland and Cincinnati and so on - but this would be limited at best to one three-game series a year. Here in New York City the luster of Mets-Yankees games has long worn off, making me long for the old Mayor's Trophy Game that was played once a year.

Let's look at the reality of it: American League teams are asked to lose the DH in a National League park and have their pitchers hit. This really highlights the incongruity of the two leagues (and reasons why people want to get rid of the DH). Conversely, National League teams have to find a guy to DH - which may be easier, but it is unnatural in the scheme of things for those teams.

In general, I think interleague play should be reserved for when it really counts - the World Series. Otherwise, let's get back to baseball the way it used to be played within the leagues for more games that really matter during the season. That is what puts this fan (and I'd say many more) in a seat at the park, and that should be what is most important to MLB rather than games that have as much appeal as hot chocolate during a heat wave.

Photo Credit: Daily News

Before Titanic There Was the General Slocum

2011-06-19T04:32:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Before Titanic There Was the General Slocum on Blogcritics.

There is something about a ship sinking that truly frightens people. It is the equivalent of a plane crash or a disaster like 9/11. This is because mostly ordinary people know they don't want to be caught in an extraordinary situation, and due to things beyond their control they would be thrust into danger and confronted with the possibility of dying. Whether it is on an ocean liner sinking into the icy deep or a plane falling from the sky, most of us don't want to think about it, but when we do it is a thing of nightmares.

When I used to fly before 9/11 (which was frequently and now not at all), I still always worried about a plane crash. While other people brushed off the safety demonstrations by the flight attendants, I was pulling the card from my seat pocket and watching and listening carefully to the directions. I never took it for granted that the flight would be safe, though I know now that if the plane went down there would probably be little or no chance of surviving.

Still, people are lulled into a sense of security in these moments. The Titanic was touted as "virtually unsinkable," but we know how that turned out. Still, eight years before the famous ship sank a lesser known one took roughly a thousand people to a watery grave - that ship was the General Slocum.

The Slocum left lower Manhattan on a beautiful hot June day in 1904, bound for the pastoral shores of northern Long Island where a day long picnic was planned for a group from St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Greenwich Village (an area known as Little Germany at the time). Mostly women and children boarded the vessel which proceeded north along the East River where it caught fire in an area appropriately named Hell's Gate.

Things quickly spiraled out of control. Whatever life saving equipment was available was minimal, and the life vests were so old and useless that apparently people who wore them and jumped into the water actually sank faster than if they jumped in without them. Also, since so many children were aboard, mothers frantically tried to save the children from the fire by throwing them overboard, only to have them sink before they could jump in to save them. Unfortunately, another factor was that many of the people had no idea how to swim and drowned.

Today a lovely tribute exists in All Faiths Cemetery in Middle Village, Queens, where sixty-one unidentified victims are buried. I remember visiting the Slocum Memorial as a boy and being struck by the engraving of the doomed ship on the tombstone, as well as the idea that so many were lost so close to shore, especially children. That thought still makes me shiver as I think of those poor little ones floundering in the river.

Going back today to visit the memorial I was pleased that it was as I remembered it. The surrounding community was mostly of German descent back in the early 1900s, and those victims found a permanent resting place in the heart of the neighborhood where restaurants like Niederstein's and Zum Stammisch served the German inhabitants.

1904 is a long time ago, and those people lost and even those few (361) who survived are mostly long forgotten now, but as I stood there I wondered about the senseless loss of life. While it is legendary that the Titanic disaster caused major changes in sea travel, no one seemed to learn much from what happened on the Slocum. Perhaps had this disaster been taken seriously, something like the Titanic would have never happened. Unfortunately, it was seen as a local tragedy and its impact did little or nothing to change the way people traveled on ships. That would sadly come eight years later when a mythical ship struck an iceberg and became the stuff of legends.

If you are ever able to make a visit to All Faiths Cemetery, the memorial is a place to stop and think about the fragility of life and how mothers and children going to a picnic could have their worlds turned upside down forever. The memorial is a stark reminder of a sad moment but also a beautiful and lasting tribute to those lost and the people who cared enough to remember them.

Photo Credit: Slocum - archives.gov

Teacher Accountability Does Not Equal Evaluations Tied to Test Scores

2011-06-13T03:41:00.000-07:00

First appeared as Teacher Accountability Does Not Equal Evaluations Tied to Test Scores in The Apple.

Here in New York State Governor Cuomo is making it his business to tie teacher evaluations to standardized test scores. The teacher’s union is fighting it, and well they should, because judging teachers on their students’ test scores is about as fair as judging Cuomo on the state’s economic condition. In both cases no one would get rehired, and that is because you are evaluating a person on things beyond his or her control.

As an educator, I welcome the drive for teacher accountability. Just like a doctor should be accountable for his patients, a teacher is responsible for the well-being of the whole child. Because of this, there should be a wide range of evaluative criteria used to give a teacher a formal review at the end of the year. What has the child accomplished in this classroom? Is there a portfolio of his or her work? How far has he or she come in speaking, listening, reading, and writing? What mathematics skills is he or she coming away with? And, perhaps most important of all, does the child leave that class more than ready for the next grade on a social as well as an academic level?

Assessments are fickle things. Over the years I have had parents come into my office upset about a child’s state test score. The child has always been an “A” student (this I know is true from his or her records). How could he or she have done so poorly on the state test? They are upset and don’t like the “stigma” of the child now needing “academic intervention” when he or she does so well otherwise, but the score makes it a requirement.

Why did this child do poorly on the state test? The answers are many. For one thing, a child can wake up and have a bad day. The child may not feel well; the instrument itself may be less than it should be; the day may have been too hot or cold, or maybe the child didn’t eat a full breakfast. The list can go on and on. One test given on one day is what it is: a measure of the child’s performance on that day. It should not be seen in the big picture as proof of the child’s total ability, and it certainly cannot be tied to a teacher’s evaluation with ramifications affecting employment.

As an educator I have had many students return to see me over the years. I have also run into former students on the subway, at a Mets game, on Jones Beach, or even in a movie theatre. When I see them smiling, feel them shaking my hand and talking about my class affectionately, I know they are not thinking about what they got on an assessment ten or fifteen years ago. They are thinking fondly about an experience that goes well beyond the minutiae of state testing results being used by school districts for promotional purposes.

When I look back over my own years as a student, I have fond memories of certain teachers. You probably do too. The ones who made a lasting impression on me did so because of their ability to connect with me on many different tangible and intangible levels. I have no idea what score I had on tests in those classes, but I remember the profundity of the impact they had on my life.

Even now I remember some of the things those teachers said (and have honestly used them myself in the classroom as a teacher). The impact of those words reverberate over time and space, affecting not just my life but the lives of my students and then, perhaps, the lives of many other students who may have some of my former students as teachers. The rock tossed into the pond comes to mind, and the ripples are memories that never fade. State assessments can also be compared to rocks, but ones thrown into the ocean – they sink to the bottom and are never thought about again.

Please let me say again that I believe in teacher accountability. This has to do with many things beyond preparing students for a state assessment every year. Teacher accountability has to do with knowing best practices (and using them); it entails intimate knowledge of the curriculum, state standards, and having the skills to deliver superior instruction. It also has to do with knowing that what happens in the classroom is not about the teacher but about the student and his or her success, but that success is fluid and should never be tied to one assessment given on one day, rather it should be based on a myriad of things that will gauge performance over an extended period.

Being a teacher is truly a calling, and the person who steps into a classroom must take on everything that came before him or her, all that is going on in the present, and needs to be aware of all things coming up ahead (like common core standards). Good teachers never stop learning and never stop doing, and I bet that the ones you remember most fondly probably never sat at a desk. You cannot teach from behind a desk any more than a doctor can operate from behind one.

The message here is simple: make teachers accountable for things they are responsible for doing, but do not place the heft of unreasonable expectations tied to test scores on their shoulders. Evaluations of teachers should include many elements besides state assessment scores, and there should be a direct correlation between the students’ total accomplishments for the year and teacher ratings.

Using test scores is an obvious and poor attempt by New York State to try to rattle the union, get rid of teachers with higher salaries, and shape schools to resemble a corporate mentality that has no business being in education. Teachers are standing up for their rights here in New York, and it is time for the public to have awareness of the reality of what is happening.

I doubt that we will reach a time when former students go to a reunion and talk about their test scores instead of the great teachers they had; however, if that ever happens, then the governor’s push that is brewing now will have done more than just ruin the lives of many hard working teachers, it will be a travesty that changes the face of education in New York State in a nefarious and disastrous way forevermore.

Mets Mess: 2011 Mets Are Reminiscent of the 1973 Team

2011-06-12T19:02:00.000-07:00

Article first published as 2011 Mets Are Reminiscent of the 1973 Team on Blogcritics.

The more I watch these Mets, I think of what legendary team announcer Lindsey Nelson used to say. As the team started winning in 1969, he called them "A new breed of Mets." Well, this 2011 team has still lost more games than it has won (31-32), but things are starting to remind me of 1973 - that NY Mets team went all the way to the World Series and lost to the Oakland A's in seven games.

Last night the Mets got another fantastic start from Dillon Gee (7-0), who pitches like a young Gary Gentry. Jose Reyes keeps hitting like he thinks he is Rod Carew, and the "little leaguers" - Justin Turner, Reuben Tejada, Jason Pridie, and Jon Niese - are starting to forget AAA Buffalo and look like they belong. They also seem to keep finding a way to win.

Credit has to be given to manager Terry Collins who, despite all signs to the contrary, never has given up on this team. They won 2 of 3 in Milwaukee, won again last night in Pittsburgh, and have a chance to come home from this trip at or above .500. After that dismal 4-13 start, the team is 27-19 and that's not bad baseball at all (despite all the injuries and Jason Bay acting like he forgot how to hit and play this game).

So as a Mets fan I am not walking around shouting how great the team is - at least not yet - but there is a strange feeling that the team (just six and a half games behind Philadelphia) is still in it. The great Yogi Berra, manager of the 1973 Amazin's, is a kindred spirit to Terry Collins. He never gave up that year either, and with a few remaining stars from 1969 (Cleon Jones, Ed Kranepool, Tom Seaver, etc.) and new guys like Jon Milner, Rusty Staub, and Jon Matlack, Yogi got his Mets into the playoffs and beat the Cincinnati Reds - the legendary Big Red Machine. They took the A's to seven games in the Series too - not bad for a team that finished 82-79.

Keep the faith, Mets fans. Everyone else who has counted us out should wait to make the call. The late great Tug McGraw coined the phrase "You gotta believe!" for the 1973 team, and somewhere I think he is pulling for his old team to keep on going and make a run. No matter what, the Mets are fun to watch again and are starting to live up to that old Amazin' name once again. A new breed of Mets indeed!

Photo Credits: Terry Collins - NY Daily News
Tug McGraw - flickr.com

Strike While the Weiner Is Hot!

2011-06-11T03:03:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Strike While the Weiner Is Hot! on Blogcritics.

Strike While the Weiner Is Hot!

Since this whole thing with Representative Anthony Weiner happened, I cannot get the old Oscar Mayer "Wiener Song" out of my head. You know the one, right? I grew up with it being sung on television commercials. It goes like this:

Oh I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener-

That is what I'd truly like to be,

'cause if I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener,

Every one would be in love with me.

Now, I cannot help thinking that someone might just substitute "Anthony" for "Oscar Mayer" and have some fun with singing this song, but this is also a golden opportunity for the company to capitalize on the situation. Never before has the word "weiner" been so popular in the press, on the radio, and television. Everywhere I turn I see or hear the word "weiner." I think that this is some kind of marketing moment that the company (and if not them then someone else) must use before it is too late.

Yes, Mr. Weiner spells his name differently, but that can be part of the promotion. It is something they could play up, kind of like when Gene Wilder as the crazed doctor in Young Frankenstein keeps reminding people that his name is "Franken-Shteen" and not "Franken-stine." It seems like Mr. Weiner has (or at least had) a sense of humor, so this would be a perfect shtick for him.

I don't know if Mr. Weiner would be up for the gig, but it would be a paying job, and he might need that down the road. Also, I hear that disgraced former NY State Governor Eliot Spitzer is looking for a co-host for a new program. Can you imagine if they joined forces? We could hear this opening line (ideally recorded by announcer Don Pardo) for the show: "Live from New York, it is the Spitzer and Weiner Show." I’ll bet it will get great ratings, at least for the first episode or two.

Well, these have been dark days for Mr. Weiner, but someone should reach out to him and make him on offer he can't refuse (like leave the gun but take the hot dog rolls). If Weiner endorses the right product, it will no doubt be lucrative. Or perhaps he can write a book, something like Anthony Weiner's Guide to Twitter or a follow up to Twitter for Dummies - Twitter for Really Big Dummies.

Despite this whole mess, I can't help thinking that somewhere another disgraced former governor - Arnold Schwarzenegger - is rubbing his hands together and thinking, "T'ank Gott fer dat Veen-uh guy." As my grandfather used to say, "You can't make this stuff up." Or can you?

Photo Credit: Oscar Mayer Weinermobile - Kraftbrands.com
Anthony Weiner - Weiner.house.gov

Mets Mess: Miles to Go Before I Weep

2011-06-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Mets Mess: Miles to Go Before I Weep on Blogcritics.

With apologies to the great poet Robert Frost, as a New York Mets fan I feel like I am in that snowy wood watching it fill up with snow. Of course, that is a metaphor for death, and this 2011 Mets' season seems like it has every reason to sleep with the fishes. Still, I keep telling myself, "I'm a Met fan; the Mets are born from losing." Yes, we are, but there has to be some point when we all give up, right? I'm not there yet, but it is truly a struggle these days.

Current manager Terry Collins went wild this week, ranting and raving to the team in a closed door meeting. We can imagine what was said about them being pathetic, finding every way to lose, looking worse than kids playing T-ball at the park. You get the idea. While I understand what made Collins rant, I question the logic of going that route. It seems like half the locker room must be called up from AAA Buffalo these days with all the injuries, and yelling at these kids may not be the best way to handle things.

I recall that my grandfather always called his old Brooklyn Dodgers "bums" (so did half of New York back in those days). I never saw the Brooklyn Dodgers play because they left town before I was born, but I am told that Pop used to sit in front of the TV and get upset as the Dodgers found another way to lose a game. "They're nothing but a bunch of bums!" he would holler, shaking his fist at the TV set. Now, as a Mets fan, I more than understand his feelings.

When the Mets were new in this town, they were always losing. With their Dodgers pedigree, I always say they were born from losing. That Dodger "blue" certainly manifested and maintained at Shea Stadium what had been wrought in Ebbets Field, and Dodgers fans became Mets fans even with old Casey Stengel (former manager of their arch enemies the New York Yankees) as their new skipper. I can only imagine how Pop and my uncles must have felt seeing Stengel in a Mets uniform, but they went with what they had and endured because they were National League fans and could never root for the team with the straight NY on the baseball cap.

Terry Collins should really become a student of Mets history, particularly of old Stengel. I think all the ranting and raving in the world will only get you so far, but why Stengel became beloved by Mets fans was because he never lost his temper or his sense of humor. Today if you visit the Mets museum in Citi Field, one of the highlights is the Casey Stengel statue. The image of the stooped and broken Stengel, looking almost like the statue of Winston Churchill in London overlooking the disintegrating British Empire, is a reminder that the Mets struggles in the past were made easier by the right guy at the helm. Collins needs to take a page from Stengel's book and fast.

As for many Mets fans, they are starting to lose patience with the 2011 Mets. Getting tickets to a Mets game (and I was only offered them the other day) is kind of like getting tickets to sail on the Titanic - after you already know it has hit an iceberg. Many people are going to decline the offer, but some of us might just slip on life jackets and take a chance. There is a good possibility (like in last night's game) that the team will find a way to lose, but it's hard to stay afloat with all that seawater rushing in.

I am not ready to give up on the Mets; in fact, I will never give up on the Mets. I will not - like many fans did in the mid-1990s - turn away from the team and become a Yankees fan. That mentality has nothing to do with being a fan but rather with being what Thomas Paine called a "summer soldier" or "sunshine patriot." Fans who gravitate to teams simply because they are winning do miss the whole concept of loyalty and fraternity, but that's another story.

So I am in no way giving up on the 2011 Mets, even if most of the time it seems they have given up on themselves. I will not shed any tears because that will not change anything; I will continue to watch the games and root for them because that's what real fans do. Sometimes it will be painful to watch, and I may switch the channels and watch golf, tennis, or even old episodes of M*A*S*H to give myself a break, but I'll go back and check on them soon enough.

Hang in there, true Mets fans, things will get better. Wright, Davis, and Santana are coming; yeah, I know, so is Christmas. I just hope we don't have to wait that long until they return.

Photo Credit: Collins-Daily News; Stengel- Sports Illustrated

Mets Mess: New Owner Einhorn Has Work to Do

2011-05-31T03:37:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Mets Mess: New Owner Einhorn Has Work to Do on Blogcritics.

The New York Mets have a potential new owner - of a minority stake in the team - and he has visited Citi Field to meet the Mets. Keeping in the tradition of the old team song ("Bring the kiddies; bring the wife; guaranteed to have the time of your life"), Einhorn brought his children to the game but perhaps wisely left the missus at home. The Mets lost that one against the Phillies, so it probably was for the best.

Einhorn is the latest entry into the Mets mess, and one has to wonder what he will be able to do to change the misfortunes of the organization. Yes, he is a wildly successful businessman, President of Greenlight Capital, which is sort of a complete opposite of the Bernie Madoff nightmare of an investment firm. Einhorn makes big money and is ready and willing to plunk down $200 million on the Mets, and there is a distinct possibility that he will be able to buy up more of the team, eventually making him the principal owner. So the stakes are high and, since he is such a smart fellow, we have to think that he has a lot more up his sleeve than he is showing in the cards right now.

Mets fans welcomed him at Citi Field on Wednesday night, and the cheers may be for something intangible as hope. Having gone to many games at old Shea over the years, I can tell you that Mets fans will cheer for the simplest possibilities of better things. They also look at what has happened in the past five years to this organization, how it has tanked so miserably since Carlos Beltran was a bystander on a third strike from Adam Wainwright in the NLCS in 2006. Ever since that bat never left Beltran's shoulder, the team has fallen and it can't get up, and all the things that have happened since have driven more and more nails into the team coffin.

Einhorn has a Mets pedigree, and fans always like that. Take a look at this picture of him as a kid. He is wearing a Mets cap and a jersey that he made himself with number 42 on it - the number of Dave Kingman, the big bopper at Shea at the time. It makes me like him right away because he was a fan when it was very hard to be a Mets fan, when "Sky King" (as Mets announcer Bob Murphy called Kingman) struck out and popped up towering fly balls a lot more than he hit homers. If he could be a fan in those dark times, he is probably the right man for the job here and now.

Make no mistake - these are extremely dark times for Mets fans. If you can imagine the team existing within the Star Wars saga, I would say right now we are stuck in the Empire Strikes Back with everything going against us. All the injured players are like Han Solo getting freeze-dried, and the fans are sort of like Princess Leia being a prisoner of Jabba the Hut. We have chains around our necks and things are looking mighty grim, so we have to hope that Einhorn is approved by Major League Baseball soon. This way we can speed things all the way up to Return of the Jedi, and he can be like Luke Skywalker and swoop in and save the day.

There are many things wrong with the Mets, and the truth is most fans know the team has been run poorly for years. Whatever happened between Fred Wilpon and Madoff notwithstanding, we need an infusion of new blood fast. Einhorn may not have much of a baseball background, but he certainly has a great track record in the business world. I hope that he gets involved, rolls up his sleeves, and starts taking the Mets machine apart. When he is all done - and if we are lucky - the Wilpons will let him buy them out and he can start building a winner again.

It seems to me it is time to shake off the ghost of Beltran watching that third strike. The way to do this is to have Einhorn pull a Moses. "Let my people go," he can say to Pharaoh Wilpon. He can let Beltran walk, perhaps Jose Reyes too, and take the team toward a new start with new blood. Hopefully Einhorn will recognize Mike Pelfrey is no ace and get into the market and bring someone here who is, and maybe after a few years the Mets can get back to where they were in the late 1980s, and the Yankees with Posada, Jeter, and Rivera gone will be the second bananas in town again.

We have a long way to go to accomplish that, David Einhorn, but you have to start somewhere, so please get in there and get to work. Mets fans need you to do something and quickly, and if you do then you will have more people in those seats and the chants of "Let’s go Mets" will resound through the new park the way they once did at old Shea. Please do it for the fans, for the city, and for yourself too. Come on, some kid is waiting to make his favorite player’s jersey just like you did. Don't keep him waiting!

Photo Credits- Daily News and SNY.com

Remembering Memorial Days Past

2011-05-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Remembering Memorial Days Past on Blogcritics.

Memorial Day has always been rather personal for me, and looking back at the day over the years reminds me of what it has meant to my family. Having had family members in the military since the Spanish-American War (1898), I was always around people who served our country in times of war. Their outlook was (and still is for those who survive) decidedly different than those who never wore a uniform or endured life under fire.

My father is a World War Two veteran, and when I was growing up it was not unusual for us to attend a variety of functions at the local Veterans of Foreign War Post (ours was located in Ridgewood, New York). At that time the Post was buzzing with life. There were members from World War I (like my grandfather), World War II, Korea (like my uncle), and even some "young" guys from Vietnam (like my cousin).

The women (my mother and aunts among them) populated the Ladies Auxiliary which not only advanced the mission of the Post, but sold Buddy Poppies to raise funds and also did good works in the community. They also handled the Voice of Democracy Contest that allowed young people to write about freedom in their country every year and receive awards for it.

Every Memorial Day was a big event in my family. My father somehow or other always got elected to walk the route as Uncle Sam. Someone once asked why he would want to hike in hot weather in that get-up, and Dad said that it was better than trudging across a war zone loaded down with equipment. That had to be an answer the "real" Uncle Sam would understand and appreciate.

The parade route was always a sea of American flags being waved up against the blue sky. When I was little I recall standing on the sidelines with my Mom, waiting to see my father marching in his costume. When I got older I stood on the sidelines with my grandfather, and my mother joined my Dad and marched as Lady Liberty. Every year their picture would appear in the local newspaper marching together side-by-side.

After the parade and laying of the ceremonial wreaths at the war monuments, the marchers and their families returned to the Post for a big bash. Pitchers of beer and soda lined the tables, hamburgers and hot dogs smothered in everything were consumed, and music blared all afternoon long. There were so many kids running around, my cousins and I always got a chance to have fun. The pool tables in the basement were a nice attraction too (when we got a little older).

In later years Mom could no longer participate in the parade (due to an increasingly bad case of rheumatoid arthritis), but we continued watching from the sidelines as Dad and my uncle marched. The numbers did thin out each May, with the World War I vets slowly disappearing, and my grandfather passed on when I was 18. That was the start of Memorial Day never being the same.

I remember him talking about life on a submarine during the war. They were forever searching for German U-boats. Of course, this was not a glamorous life by any means. Cramped, dark, and hot all the time, my grandfather still felt he was serving his country and did it and never complained later on. He always said the food was good, and he survived, and many guys were not able to say that.

Years later when I went to the parade with my own children, I was shocked by the depleted ranks. Some of World War II vets sat in cars, but the veteran marchers numbered less than one hundered (when there used to be over one thousand in my youth). Luckily, school bands and other organizations filled in the gaps and it was pleasant to watch, especially the many fire trucks covered with flowing flags and tributes to their own, soldiers of a different type who marched into buildings on 9/11 and never returned.

In the last five years Memorial Day has taken on an added meaning for me because my mother passed away the day after it. So each year I try to remember the good times we had on Memorial Day, and I recall my mother in her healthy days wearing that flowing gown dressed as Miss Liberty. As I picture her torch in hand a smile on her face, I know that is how I wish to remember her on this day.

Yes, Memorial Day has changed over the years, but its spirit remains the same: to honor those fallen in the service of their country. So I'll raise a flag and wave it high in the air this weekend, and in doing so I will be honoring not only all those lost in wars but the families who have lost loved ones.

And somewhere my Mom still carries the torch as she did in life, brightly burning a light through my darkness to illuminate what matters most of all. Thanks, Mom.

Photo Credit: VFW.org

One of the Last New York City Phone Booths

2011-05-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

Article first published as One of the Last New York City Phone Booths on Blogcritics.

It is hard enough to find a pay phone these days in New York City, much less an actual phone booth. When I was a kid these iconic glass and steel structures were all over the streets and a symbol of this town, much like their bigger British red cousins found on the streets of London.

The New York City booth came complete with a folding door and a convenient metal shelf where one could write notes, place a package, or just lean an elbow. These booths provided not only a place to make a private call in public, they also seemed to be something of a respite from the maddening crowd rushing by.

The advent of the cellular phone has seriously diminished the presence of pay phones on the streets of New York, but the phone booths started disappearing well before we all had our individual communication devices in our pockets. That is why I was happily surprised to come across an actual, old-fashioned phone booth the other day in the borough of Queens.

Located in the comfort station at Alley Pond Park, the booth is missing the door. The ceiling fan was not functional (all the booths had a fan that was operated by a small switch located above the phone box), but the phone actually worked - which is not the case for many of the remaining pay phones in New York City. I stood there staring at it for a few moments, not only appreciating its battered beauty, but also realizing that it is one of the last of its kind.

Later on when I showed the booth to my daughter, she wondered "What the heck is that?" I wanted to explain the history of the thing, but instead I joked and said, "It's where Superman used to change into his costume." She looked at me like I must be crazy, and if I didn't know better I'd say that she was right.

Former Mets Catcher Gary Carter Has Cancer Scare

2011-05-24T03:34:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Former Mets Catcher Gary Carter Has Cancer Scare on Blogcritics.

It was reported this weekend that former New York Mets catcher Gary "Kid" Carter has been diagnosed with four small brain tumors. Carter released a statement in which he bravely discussed the situation and asked for respect for his family as he waited to learn more about how he will handle the situation.

This is sad news indeed for Mets fans - and all baseball fans - for Carter surely epitomized the type of play we would want all players to embrace in sports. He was always a very positive influence in the clubhouse during his five years with the Mets (and his overall 19 year career), and his effervescent smile and "we can win" attitude was certainly an important part of Carter's appeal.

As one of the central figures of the 1986 Championship Mets, Carter loomed as a strong and stable personality. In a turbulent clubhouse with many larger than life players, Carter's steady nature was needed and the other players knew that. He hit 24 homers, drove in 105 runs, but it was his handling of the pitching staff (and sometimes other personal clubhouse matters) that made him a leader on that team.

People may remember some big moments from the 1986 Series, and one image usually stands out (the ball that went through Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner's wickets). Still, it was Carter who knocked in 11 runs in that seven game series and provided a key hit against Boston's closer Calvin Schiraldi when the game was down to the final strike. No Carter hit - no championship. It's that simple.

Carter was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003, and he has always been respected by Mets fans (and other fans of the game too) for his "Kid" persona. He has seemed eternally youthful in his attitude about the game and loved playing it in a way just like his nickname suggests. Major League Baseball is a man's game, but Carter always made it look like he was having fun. Maybe that's his greatest legacy of all.

So while we wait and hope to hear good news about this baseball legend's condition, let's all remember what kind of player Carter was: he never gave up, even down to the last strike in the World Series. That should tell us something about how the "Kid" will handle what lies ahead.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Another Subway Series - Mets Verses Yankees Not the Same Anymore

2011-05-20T08:17:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Another Subway Series - Mets Verses Yankees Not the Same Anymore on Blogcritics.

Think of this unforgettable memory: Mike Piazza at the plate against Roger Clemens. Piazza's bat shatters, and Clemens throws a fragment of the bat toward Piazza. All hell was ready to break loose. If Bartolo Colon shattered David Wright's bat today, there would probably be no emotion let alone the possibility of a fight, and that's the problem with this whole Subway Series thing: the fire is gone.

Why? Well, the old rivalry is about as dead as Old Marley in A Christmas Carol - dead as a door nail! What has happened to the emotional and confrontational times of old? Why doesn't the Subway Series create the near hysteria it used to here in New York?

For one thing, the old guard is gone at the Mets and is severely depleted on the Yankees. Piazza, Franco, Leiter, and company are happily retired and watching games from home. The Yanks have some of the old guys - Jeter, Posada, and Rivera (with emphasis on old) - still on board, but it's just not the same. No one can compare these players to their former selves; the caliber of their play has greatly diminished.

The second thing is that these games have lost any novelty that they once had. When the Mets and Yankees first met in these interleague games, there was an excitement generated by the prospect of the cross river rivals playing games that mattered (as opposed to the old Mayor's Trophy Game that was merely an exhibition). Now, the fans on both sides of town are a bit removed from the whole thing. To put it in the words of my neighbor's ten-year old son: "It just ain't fun anymore."

Finally, who is excited about a Subway Series these days? Apparently not ESPN. The network has rejected showing the Sunday game this weekend and the one the following month at Citi Field. I think that more than anything shows how far the star of the Subway Series has fallen from the firmament.

Here in New York City, instead of inspiring yelling in the stadium and the streets, the prospect of the games inspires mostly yawning. It is merely a distraction. The games count in the standings, but they are not as critical as say a game between Boston and the Yanks or Philadelphia and the Mets. These days those are the games that give fans the most bang for their buck.

Years ago, I was as excited as anyone about the Subway Series. I went to a few of the games at old Shea, and the place was packed and the crowd was shaking the rafters. I don't know if that will happen this year. Most of the Mets main guys are on the disabled list: Wright, Santana, Davis, Pagan, and the list goes on and on. The Yankees have stars who have lost their luster. Posada is hitting a buck something, Jeter and A-Rod are struggling, and even the most sacred cow - Mariano Rivera - is starting to look all too human.

I'll probably wear my Mets shirt and watch the games on TV, but I'm not saying I won't be tempted to change the channel a few times. Years ago I would never have done that, but now I can because what used to be at stake - who has bragging rights - doesn't seem to matter much anymore.

Sports Legend Lost - Cartoonist Bill Gallo Passes Away at 88

2011-05-14T13:23:00.000-07:00

Growing up in New York City, it was hard to be a sports fan and not be influenced by the work of NY Daily News sports cartoonist Bill Gallo. His work had a way of touching the hearts and minds of sports fans. This combination of visceral imagery and timely topics were a treat for sports fans on a daily basis, and Gallo also gave credit to them to connect with his subjects on an emotional and intellectual level. Of course, Gallo possessed great humor, and that is no doubt the aspect of his work that will be remembered as fondly as the man himself.

Bill had the talent for capturing the essence of a great sports moment. We always hear that pictures say one thousand words; if that is the case, Gallo's drawings spoke ten times that. He could take something so astounding - like Joe Frazier beating Muhammad Ali - and sum it up with an amazing image, in this case of the constantly boasting Ali with his mouth zippered shut. This was the kind of work he did - connecting with what the sports fan was feeling and going beyond for a catharsis as well.

Over the years there were so many great images, but as a Mets fan I am very partial to Basement Bertha. Though Gallo covered all sports teams for the paper with his drawings, the ones of the slightly strange, overweight, and unattractive Bertha - as representative of all the suffering Mets fans - struck a chord with the public. With Bertha we Mets fans suffered, but we never suffered alone.

There are so many amazing Gallo cartoons, but he was also known for writing his column. I would always look forward to read what he had to say about sports legends, and his tenure at the News enabled him to encounter many of the greats. It goes without saying that Gallo was universally loved by all, even those who were depicted in his drawings in sometimes less than flattering ways. George Steinbrenner - drawn as the grunting, angry, irascible General von Steingrabber - got the joke and was honored to be in those cartoons.

Bill Gallo also wrote beautifully about his experiences during World War II. He sometimes included images of a GI in his cartoons, and my Dad (as a WWII vet) always felt an affinity for Gallo, thinking that he displayed the same pluck and heroism in the newspaper each day as he had done on the battlefield in Iwo Jima.

When a great sports broadcaster - like Howard Cosell - passes away, it is usually said that he was "silenced" in death. In this case we can say that a great sports cartoonist's hand has been stopped, and the emptiness of those pages in the NY Daily News, ones that will never be graced with another Gallo masterpiece, will speak louder than words.

A World War II Vet's Take on What Happened to Osama Bin Laden

2011-05-11T04:39:00.000-07:00

Article first published as A World War II Vet's Take on What Happened to Osama Bin Laden on Blogcritics.

My father is a World War Two veteran. He is in a wheelchair now, courtesy of a stroke and nothing to do with the war. He is very sharp and watches the news, Dancing with the Stars, and even iCarly (which pleases my daughter very much). Being an astute observer of things comes naturally to him, so of course he would have something to say about the death of Osama Bin Laden. As always, he says what he thinks and it makes a great deal of sense to me.

During the war Dad disarmed bombs. It was not a job most people wanted to do. Not only did he want to do it, but he was damned good at it. His success rate was astounding, but he had a few "accidents" along the way (causing him to lose the hearing in one ear in the worst miscue). I couldn't get him to watch Hurt Locker, and maybe it's better that way. It might have been too close to home for him.

Anyway, he says that the guys (his buddies during the war) all talked about getting Hitler. I guess it makes sense that the top bad guy is the one with the target on his nose. Dad (and probably every other GI) dreamt of cornering the mustachioed tyrant in a room with a .45, but instead of blowing him away, my father said he would have tied him up. What would be better than dragging his butt through the streets of New York to jail? Probably not an actually possible scenario, but a pretty cool daydream anyway.

So this Bin Laden thing got Dad wondering. Why did they have to blow the guy away? Maybe there is more to the story. Maybe we will never know. I kind of liked Dad's daydream and would apply it here; nothing would have made me happier than to see Bin Laden dragged to Ground Zero and put in a glass cage. He could have stood trial in New York (we New Yorkers would make sure he got as fair a shake as possible, right?).

My daughter even had a better idea. Why not lock him in a room and make him watch episodes of Barney all day: like twenty-three hours a day of "I love you; you love me." Perhaps the off hour he could watch "Elmo's World" from Sesame Street - all day everyday - for the rest of his life. Never anything else, except maybe once as a special treat, the warden could pump in a recording of Kate Smith singing "God Bless America" for a twenty-four hour period. Forget water boarding; this would have been ideal.

Alas, we will never know. I have heard Hitler liked watching King Kong and identified with the big ape. Similarly, I am sure that Bin Laden could have eventually seen himself as a purple dinosaur. He would want to give everyone hugs and invite them over to his house. Unfortunately, there would be no visitors to his cell, but someone could have given him a Baby Bop doll to make his days complete.

We'll never know what could have been, but now "he sleeps with the fishes" like right out of a good old American movie. I just hope he's not disappointed when he gets to the other side, sees the 72 virgins, and finds out there is no Viagra over there. I guess that's what hell is all about anyway.

Photo Credits:
Hitler - topnews.in
Barney - pbskids.org

Mother's Day Number Five Without Mom - It Never Gets Easier

2011-05-08T06:17:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Mother's Day Number Five Without Mom - It Never Gets Easier on Blogcritics.

I've heard it said that time heals all wounds, and I am willing to believe in that, but it is not working for me at this point. This is my fifth Mother's Day without my Mom, and it doesn't feel any different than it did the first time I had to live through this day without her; in fact, it may be getting even harder for me.

Even though Mom has been gone all this time, she is still a presence in my life. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her, miss her, and wish she were with me. In the past I took for granted being able to pick up the phone and call her from work. Now I still get the urge sometime to do it. When my two-year old son puts words together in a sentence, I want to dial her number and tell her, "He just said 'I don't want to sleep.'" I miss being able to do that.

I do take comfort in Mom's presence though, and I believe she is with me all the time. I think she is watching my kids as they do their little amazing things, and I feel she is with me when I am going through the rough days as well as the good ones. Knowing she is there is comforting, but I really would rather be able to throw my arms around her and kiss her.

As I do every year, I brought flowers to her grave. Standing there and staring at the tombstone, I am stronger now than I used to be. In the beginning I couldn't stop crying and had a hard time saying a prayer. Now, I still get misty, but I am stronger. That doesn't mean it is any easier because it's not. I feel like I need her now more than ever in my life.

I still have my Dad and he takes comfort in knowing I visit Mom's grave, but the truth is I know she is not there. She is with me here as I write this, leaning over my shoulder no doubt to see if I am spelling any words wrong. I know she is watching my kids rolling around the floor playing, and I think that she will be with me as I honor my wife on Mother's Day the same way Dad always honored her. I will wish I was hearing her say, "That's my boy," but I'll close my eyes and know her evanescent hand is on my shoulder on this day and all the days of my life.

Mets Play the Giants and Dodgers at Home: One Big Dysfunctional Family

2011-05-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Mets Play the Giants and Dodgers at Home: Just One Big Dysfunctional Family on Blogcritics.

This week the New York Mets lost two out of three games to the San Francisco Giants at Citi Field. Tonight they start a three game series at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers. These games are sure to stir passions, bring back memories, and are clearly proof that these three teams form a National League baseball family that rivals the feuding Hatfields and McCoys back in the days of old.

Some Mets fans were up in arms because, during Wednesday night's loss to the Giants, there seemed to be more Giants fans in the stadium than the home crowd. Decked out in Giants gear, these fans were boisterous and certainly annoyed the Mets faithful.

Now tonight the Dodgers begin a three game series at Citi Field. There has to be even more tension in this case. Anyone who has visited Citi Field knows that the Jackie Robinson Rotunda (named in honor of the legendary Brooklyn Dodger) is the gateway to the stadium. The Mets celebrate their Dodger roots in this magnificent hall, but the conflicting feelings abound for former Brooklyn Dodgers fans who still believe in the Bums that once occupied Brooklyn’s Ebbetts Field.

In fact, Citi Field itself is an homage to Brooklyn baseball, with the exterior design inspired by the old Ebbetts Field architecture. Clearly the Mets were tipping their caps to the senior members of the New York National League family here, but they also do that every game of the year - wearing Dodger blue and Giant orange on their uniforms.

I have heard old Dodgers fans say, "I'm a Mets fan except when the Dodgers are in town." Fifty-four years later they still have not given up the faith, hoping somehow or some way that their beloved team will find its way home again. Some Giants fans will say similar things. Until that unlikely time occurs, when these teams play in Queens it brings back fond memories and causes some misty eyes still after all this time.

The young gun Mets have played forty-nine seasons now, so they are not exactly little anymore, still they are the junior members of the New York National League club, and it seems sometimes that they are always fighting ghosts, and that is usually a no-win situation to be sure.

Tonight the Dodgers take their place in the visitor's dugout, but one thing could help those old Dodger fans root for the Mets this time: former Yankee Don Mattingly is now the team's skipper. Unlike Joe Torre, who had a Mets pedigree, Mattingly can only be associated with the Yanks. If that is not enough to push an old Dodgers fan to root against his team for the Mets, I don't know what will work.

The Mets, Giants, and Dodgers and their fans are all part of a big dysfunctional baseball family. So there may be bickering, but in the end they will settle down, the players will run onto the field, and the fans will pass the Crackerjacks. In between a few elbows and jabs, they will get to what is most important: playing baseball and knowing that they are all part of the same bloodline. As my grandpa used to say, “Mets orange and blue blood is thicker than Yankee blueblood any day.”

Let’s go Mets!

Photo Credits:

Citi Field - NY Daily News
Ebbets Field - nyc.gov

Osama Bin Laden Killed in "Real Time" - The Jack Bauer Way

2011-05-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Osama Bin Laden Killed in "Real Time" - The Jack Bauer Way on Blogcritics.

In reality we get Navy SEALs going in and doing a job in "real time" as the President and his staff watched half a world away. In the fiction world we used to get Jack Bauer of 24 doing the same kind of thing. It used to take Jack about twenty-four hours of real time to get the job done; these guys did it all in forty minutes. Score one for reality TV of the most surreal kind.

The pundits are all having a great time with this story. They have forgotten William and Kate's wedding faster than you can say "Gary Condit after 9-11." Of course, it is a fantastic story about a nearly perfectly executed mission into enemy territory to get the guy known for orchestrating some high profile crimes against the United States at home and abroad. Even screenwriters usually don't make it this smooth, so you know that there will be a film someday depicting this action that is probably the best of its kind since the Israeli raid on Entebbe.

Our President was also reminding me of a character in 24: President David Palmer. The coincidences are very striking as we have a composed, firm, and convincing Commander-in-Chief making a very tough call, and doing it on his own without any help from "coalition" buddies. That is what made the fictive Palmer seem like Presidential timber, and isn't it comforting to know that the real guy in the White House can do it even better than on TV.

Sometimes life imitates art. In this case we have the Navy SEALs and the President of the United States doing it better than their TV counterparts. Still, I couldn't help thinking that the guys who did this had to have a little Jack Bauer in them, just as Mr. Obama had a little David Palmer in him. The plan and execution of it seemed like something from a script, but in reality it played out better than anyone could imagine and they did it in "real time" too.

NBA Playoffs: Underdog Knicks Must Change Game Against Celtics

2011-04-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

Article first published as NBA Playoffs: Underdog Knicks Must Change Game Plan Against Celtics on Blogcritics.

In baseball there is an old adage: "Good pitching beats good hitting." That has been proven true time and again, especially in a seven game playoff series. Now the New York Knicks should go into their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Boston Celtics with this in mind: a good defense will beat a good offense. That is why the Knicks have to change their ways on the court; otherwise, the Celtics are going to win this series.

Make no mistake, coach Mike D'Antoni's team is much better than Knicks teams of the last few years. One can look to Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony as obvious reasons for that, and they have strengthened the play of Chauncey Billups and company with their presence. Still, the obvious thing one can gather since Anthony came to the Knicks is that this is an offense minded team. The problem is they are facing Kevin Garnett and the Celtics, and that solid defense is going to pose problems for them without a doubt.

The Knicks have to change their mindset starting tomorrow in that first game in Boston. With Ama're going head-to-head with Garnett, we will see a very physical match-up, and the Knicks are not at a disadvantage as they would have been a year ago. D'Antoni has got to get his players ready for a physical game - lots of contact and plenty of defending.

The Knicks have scored more points per game than the Celtics (106.5 - 96.5), and there is no disputing that superior offense, but they have also allowed more points (105.7 - 91.1) and the Celtics were number one in the league in that category. That superior defense is obviously capable of shutting down the Knicks machine. If the Apostrophe Duo - Amar'e and 'Melo - are held in check, this series will be quickly over.

Even before this series starts, we Knicks fans have to be thankful for being here. This season the games always seemed to matter (even before the Anthony trade), and that kept me watching and hopeful. Since that trade there has been a feeling of euphoria and pride as the team returned to the playoffs, but we also have to note that our bench is much weaker because of that trade, and the defense is a big question mark in this series.

Still, we are there and D'Antoni's team should know what it has to do. A good defense does shut down a good offense. Now it is up to the Knicks to change their attack plan; otherwise, they will be watching the finals at home.

Photo credits: NBA.com

Mourning A Loss on Canarsie Pier in Brooklyn

2011-04-16T05:04:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Mourning A Loss on Canarsie Pier in Brooklyn on Blogcritics.

p>Sometimes our memories make old things seem better, but when we see what has happened to them after many years, we can only feel great loss. I still mourn the missing Twin Towers in New York, and I know my city will never look or feel the same after 9/11. I miss Shea Stadium, and I know Dodger fans who still weep for the long gone Ebbetts Field. To be a New Yorker is to deal with these losses and move on, but that doesn't mean we can't feel bad about it now and then - or sometimes forever.

Recently I had a chance to visit Canarsie Pier in Brooklyn, a place I used to go in my youth to have a good time. One of the main attractions to lure me (and many others) there was Abbracciamento's Restaurant on the Pier. This restaurant had an ideal setting right on Jamaica Bay, plenty of parking and, despite the wonderful location, the menu and the service were the reasons people came back again and again.

Sadly, upon my return I saw the old restaurant all boarded up and in a state of decay. The picture windows I remembered gleaming in sparkling lights coming off the bay were covered up, and the awnings and roof were falling apart. I haven't been down this way in over twenty years, but since I was passing I wanted to just take a look, and I felt like yet another page in the book of my life had been turned.

Abbracciamento's had a family atmosphere and was indeed run by a family: the Abbracciamento family, who still own and operate a restaurant in Queens on Woodhaven Boulevard. I recall the meals being very generous, and I always felt compelled to get a seafood dish due to the place's location. Everything I ever had there was nothing short of excellent: I recall lobster tails, stuffed flounder, and a melt in your mouth filet of sole. Of course, a side order of any kind of pasta had to be a given, and all these dishes were delicious. Desserts were sinful as well as generous, and I believe that back then everything was made on the premises the way it should be. In short, the place offered simply excellent Italian food cooked with all the right ingredients, especially love.

Now I stood there looking out over the bay and, though it was a beautiful day, I felt a storm cloud over me. It was difficult to see the torn awning flapping from the skeleton of its frame and the old circular roof disintegrating against the blue sky, almost as if the place had been mortally wounded and its carcass left to rot in the sun.

Though the sun sparkled on the water and it was a lovely spring day, I turned, started back to my car, and drove away quickly. I felt no compulsion to look back at another piece of my past lost forever.

Barry Bonds Guilty: The Home Run King Knocked Off Throne?

2011-04-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Barry Bonds Guilty: The Home Run King Knocked Off Throne? on Blogcritics.

The verdict is in at Barry Bonds's perjury trial in San Francisco, California: guilty! Bonds has been found guilty of obstruction of justice, which means (if the verdict stands) that Bonds is now a convicted felon. The jury was hung on three other counts, and in all likelihood Bonds will not serve any prison time, but the damage is already done to his reputation and to his legacy.

Since the verdict was announced I have heard all sorts of wild things on TV and on talk radio here in New York, basically along the lines of the "former home run king" and that Bonds has been humiliated in court. As far as I know, Barry Bonds still retains his Home Run Crown, having hit 762 in his career, surpassing Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and everyone else. Perhaps people do not like this, but the man still has his records and that is a fact.

For a long time people have been talking about asterisks in baseball. They talked about it when Roger Maris passed Babe Ruth's single season home run mark (when Maris had beer as his "substance abuse" and that was legal). Anytime a cherished record is threatened, we hear all the naysayers talking about asterisks, but the truth is the numbers are what they are.

I have never seen a study that proves that steroid use makes you a better hitter, pitcher, or player for that matter. If Bonds didn't have the natural talent, he would be up there with huge biceps taking hacks and missing the ball. His natural talent allowed for him to be a fine hitter; perhaps the steroids made him hit the ball farther, but wouldn't a home run still be a home run whether it just clears the fence or lands in San Francisco Bay?

Either way Barry Bonds is now ruined. He is a convicted felon, and that probably destroys his chances of getting into the Hall of Fame. Guys like Bonds and Pete Rose and Mark McGwire may have done wrong things, but their statistics do not lie: their accomplishments will stand - with or without asterisks - and it is up to future generations to make the call.

Barry Bonds looked more than sad as he left that courtroom yesterday. He looked not like he has been portrayed in the media and in living rooms and bars across this land: he didn't seem pompous but rather as a man defeated. I am sure the obstruction of justice verdict will be challenged by Bonds's lawyers, but it does not matter anymore. In the court of public opinion, Bonds has lost more than all the statistics in the world: he has lost his legacy.

The prosecution did more than win in that courtroom; they took away the man's heart. Bonds is destroyed now, and maybe he only has himself to blame, but no matter what there is a stain that is not just on Bonds but on everyone who looked the other way for too long. If Bonds is guilty, so is baseball and every fan who cheered as he rounded the bases.

Today, we do not say "the king is dead; long live the king," because in truth the kingdom is no more. That is what this verdict does, and it is a sad day for all fans of the game of baseball.

Photo Credit: AP

Hell of Fame: Manny Ramirez "Retires" From Baseball

2011-04-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Hell of Fame: Manny Ramirez "Retires" From Baseball on Blogcritics.

Word that Manny Ramirez was "retiring" from baseball (after a 1-17 start with Tampa Bay) didn't send shock waves through the land. After news leaked that he had a problem with drug testing - that could land him on 100 days suspension - Ramirez opted for the relatively easy way out.

Of course, Ramirez has never been easy to figure out, but he helped the Red Sox win two World Series titles and has been seen as one of the most talented players in the game, certainly considered by many as one of the truly gifted hitters. His potential for an explosive bat that could lead a team to the crown always seemed to outweigh his penchant for wearing out his welcome.

Just looking at his statistics - Career: 555 HR, .312 BA , 1831 RBI - the twelve-time All-Star would have seemed to have been a shoe in for the Baseball Hall of Fame but, now after this latest drug test, it is more likely his retirement will be seen as forced and the likelihood of his earning a berth in Cooperstown will be highly doubtful.

This happens as the jury in the Barry Bonds Trial deliberates his fate out in San Francisco, and this summer we have the Roger Clemens Show waiting to come to a TV screen near you. The steroid era is certainly coming into a new place in our consciousness, and is it possible that Ramirez thinks that by retiring that he sweeps the problem under the rug? The truth is he - and probably other big stars - will have their own dates in court in the future, and they have no one to blame (not the trainers, the drug dealers, Major League Baseball, the owners) but themselves.

If the whole thing were a Shakespearean play, The Steroid Era would most definitely be a tragedy, and those once highly respected and idolized are going to end up like most of the characters in Hamlet or other such plays in the end, but in this case they are being taken down by their own swords (in a sort of baseball hara-kiri). So now Manny can join a growing list in a Hell of Fame of their own creation, where something decidedly more dark than flights of angels will sing them to anything but rest.

Photo Credit: bostoncondoloft.com

School Shooting in Brazil: Lack of Coverage is Appalling

2011-04-10T08:17:00.000-07:00

Article first published as School Shooting in Brazil: Lack of Coverage is Appalling on Blogcritics.

If you have been watching the news and waiting for stories about the school shooting in Brazil, good luck. I have not seen much in the way of coverage on TV, in print, or online. The lack of coverage of this major news story is appalling to say the least, but it also clearly indicates that when something happens is just as important as where.

Ten girls and two boys between the ages of 12-15 were murdered in cold blood by a gunman identified as 23-year-old Wellington Oliveira, a former student of the Tasso da Silveira School (where the shooting took place) in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, the biggest country in South America and home to the largest number of Catholics in the world.

The Pope spoke about the shooting and offered his support, but you would never know that from the news media here. I had to dig on Google to find that out. In fact, I was actively looking for stories about the shooting last night on television, but everything was about the President, the Congress, and the budget fiasco (otherwise known as the Good, the Bad, and the Very Ugly).

It is clear that this shooting happened at the wrong time. We are still getting reports about the nuclear crisis in Japan (and that is, of course, completely understandable), but it is almost as if this shooting never took place, and I find that to be a complete and utter disgrace. When the story is covered in print or online, it is done briefly. I'd like to see some outrage from people here, some reaction, and some call to help the victims and their families, but I have seen none of this.

I could say, "Imagine if a gunman walked into a school in the United States and did the same thing?" Of course, you would say "What about Columbine?" and we can all recall the wall-to-wall coverage that received. Similar shootings in Scotland and Russia were given heavy coverage, but the shooting in Brazil is either being overlooked or placed way to the back burner.

Any shooting in a school should be of enormous concern to people in every country in the world, but especially in an elementary school where children have been sent to what is perceived as a safe environment. A story like this should make everyone take note and stock of security and safety in their own schools.

I would hope that people in this country and other countries will reach out to the people in Brazil, offer all kinds of support to the victims and their families, and work to find ways to make sure that something like this is less likely to happen again.

The more important question remains for the media: why hasn't this story been given proper coverage? Whether it is because it happened at the wrong time or in the wrong place, it is disgraceful either way. Twelve children are dead and all the media coverage possible wouldn't bring them back, but it would honor the dead and their familes, let the world know of their story, and respect their memory. I do not think that is asking for too much.

Living the Good Life on a Dead End

2011-04-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Living the Good Life on a Dead End on Blogcritics.

There are places I remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain.
-Lennon & McCartney

In the movies there were guys known as the Dead End Kids, a group of New York street kids led by actors Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall, and they became famous in films with big stars like James Cagney and Bela Lugosi. But when I hear about "dead end" kids, I invariably think of my friends and me because we spent most of our time playing on an actual dead end street, and those were some of the best times of my life.

This street was 64th Street in an area of Queens in New York City known as Glendale, where it was like living in the Ukraine or Southern California because this was a borderline and retained aspects unique to Queens but also facets similar to Brooklyn only a few blocks away. In fact, this area had a Brooklyn zip code 11227 for many years until it was changed to a Queens code, which lumped it all together with other neighborhoods under a Flushing 113-umbrella that was not true to its culture or nature.

On either side of this street were apartment buildings on the opposing corners, rows of two family houses, and then on one side a row of one family houses, finally ending at a dead end that served as our home run fence during stick ball games, and also as a sort of protection, an insulation of the block from too much traffic that would have otherwise interrupted our games of sport year round.

The people who frequented the block were colorful characters, and my friends and I had names for them: Mr. Snoop, the Crazy Lady, Boy Tot, Big Bird, Freaky Freddy, the Gooch, and Henn the Hun to name a few. They were part of the rich fabric, though torn or unraveling at times, that made up our lives growing up. As we played ball and interacted with them and each other, it all became an indelible part of our memories and, at least for me, is something I remember fondly now.

The street was our playing field all year round. We played stick ball, touch football (tackle when it snowed), hockey (on roller skates), handball, slap ball, stoop-ball, and anything else that we could play with or without a ball. We even spray painted bases on the "field" that we would update from time to time, and we played for hours without regard to anything else happening in the world. Perhaps that was what made this dead end so alive and infinitely appealing to us: it was a place where we could escape from almost everything and just be kids.

When I look back now, it seemed we were outside all the time in those days. Yes, this was a time before video games, and we only had six television channels (and, in my case, one TV in the house), but we did have toys and games to go home to. It was more that we liked each other's company and we (Johnny, Bob, Joe, Sal, Eddie E., Eddie Z., Tom, Charlie, Freddy Z., Danny, Pete B., Harry, Craig, myself and some guest stars through the seasons) played not just for the sake of playing but doing it together.

All of us were close to home as we played on this block, so when it was time for lunch we could dash inside for the quick sandwich and drink. We would come back outside to play the rest of the day away in the warm months. If it was a school day, we played until dinner and then had to go in and face the realities of homework, washing up, and an early bedtime. Still, I remember laying there thinking of the day we had, the crack of the bat, the laughter of my friends, and now I cherish that we had those times together.

On a recent cold March day I made a return to the place of my making - more or less - the womb of my youth. This street where I grew up was not just a collection of houses on either side of a gutter and, despite all its inadequacies, it prepared me for most of the rest of my life. It was a place of fun, of games, of laughter, and tears but, most of all, it was home.

On my return visit I saw my old house and that made me feel many things. My mother is gone now, and just looking at the door, the faded old green awning that was still there, the front step crumbling the way my Dad would have never let happen, and the gate that led down to the basement (where my friends and I had many parties in our teenage years) got me a little more than nostalgic. As I crossed the street I closed my eyes and just wished I could hear the sweet cadence of my Mom's voice calling me home for dinner.

I walked down the block and, I suppose like anyone revisiting a place from childhood, I was disappointed to see many of the houses neglected, their steps and gates in disrepair. I stopped and remembered playing on a particular stoop with my friends, and I wondered how fast the years had gone by since those days of delightful disregard for time. I recalled the old German ladies with their buckets of soap and scrub brushes, cleaning the steps of the houses that now seemed covered in dust and debris.

When I passed my friend Eddie Z.'s house, I stopped to think about him (he has been gone a few years now). I recalled sitting on his steps with his Uncle Frank - who always sat on the stoop with what seemed to be a full Pilsner glass of beer - and we talked about everything and anything. That was the beauty of it, as I think of it now; it wasn't the topic that mattered, it was the opportunity for conversation.

I went and stood on what had been our home plate and looked down the block. The once formidable homerun fence didn't seem so dauntingly far away now. Gone on the "right field" side of the block was an enormous tree, where many a long ball got tangled, lost, or stopped from its charted course. I pictured us all running around that field or sitting up against Luigi's wall to watch the game. The hollow sound of the stick ball bat dropping to the ground after a hit echoed in my ears, and I could see my younger self catching a bouncing ball but my friend Bob beating me to first in front of Mr. Hassinger's house for a base hit.

Yes it all came back to me in a warm rush on a cold day. I passed Pete B.'s house and remembered playing chess on his steps, Charlie's aunt's house where we used to hang out on the porch, Eddie E.'s house next door to the old man who used to chase us with a baseball bat, and Freddy Z. and Craig's houses at the very end of the dead end. I stood there with a cold wind whipping up the street staring at a sewer that had gobbled up more Spaldeens than Pac-man eating his dots.

I guess I couldn't expect it to be anything but different, but here I was still feeling less than elated with my visit. I started walking again but stopped and looked back over my shoulder at the old "End" sign. I realized that there was nothing to be upset about because the memories were forever, and luckily I am still in touch with most of my old friends. Now with wives and children of our own living in different places, we don't see each other everyday like we used to, but we do get together now and then and send an e-mail occasionally.

I went back up the block and stood on the corner. The stores were all different, the names and faces changed, and our painted bases had long since faded away. Still, despite the years gone by, this place is forever etched in my heart. As I prepared to leave I knew the most important thing of all: the dead end was the place where I learned about life, and for that I will always be more than grateful.

I got in my car, took a long last look at my old house, drove up the hill where we used our sleds in the snowy winters, and made my way back to the parkway for the long ride home.

Mets Mess: The Forecast for 2011 Is Cloudy With Plenty of Meatballs

2011-04-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

Article first published as Mets Mess: The Forecast for 2011 Is Cloudy With Plenty of Meatballs on Blogcritics.

I have been a fan of the New York Mets all my life, sometimes causing myself much pain and anxiety. I can't help but to tell you the truth; just like Lady Gaga, I was born this way. I like lots of Mets fans emerged from the womb, born of the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers. With orange and blue blood coursing through my veins, I have gone through life loving the team but cursing my lot, and this season isn't going to make life any easier for any of us. Who besides me has thought that this year Flushing will not only be the name of our team's home but also what we can do with the season?

Most fans of baseball teams are excited now. Opening Day should be "Anything Can Happen Day," but this year it's a Friday for the Mets and not a Wednesday. As fans of the old Mickey Mouse Club show know, "Talent Roundup Day" was on Friday, and that is about the best description of the Mets roster this year.

Now we get the latest of the "Good News from Mets Camp" in today's paper: Jason Bay will likely land on the disabled list to start the season. Sore ribs? Man, this is enough to make a guy want Ed Kranepool to come back, even now, and take a few swings.

We have Carlos Beltran hopping along worse than Cassidy; Angel Pagan has a bad back; Jason is now in Sick Bay; Johan Santana will probably miss most or all of the year, and the starting lineup and pitching rotation have more holes in it than that piece of Swiss cheese on your ham and rye. People used to laugh about the old Mets; well pull up a chair folks and get your handkerchiefs ready, because this season is going to be a cross between a tearjerker and a knee slapper.

Sport Illustrated just came out with its Major League Baseball preview. In the article the Mets are rightly picked to finish fifth in the National League East. Hey, I'll go them one better: I'll bet they will have the worst record in the National League this year. That's right: they will be worse than the Diamondbacks, the Astros, and probably that little league team up at the park.

Hey, I'm a Mets fan, but I'm also honest. All I can say is the Mets are back home - in the basement - which is right back where they started so many years ago. So I'll watch the games, go to a few, and have no expectations. I'll yell at the bums, just like my grandfather and uncles did with the Dodgers all those years ago, but I'll never stop loving them. That's the lot of the Mets fan and I'm sort of used to it by now. Good night Basement Bertha, wherever you are!

Photo Credits:
Jason Bay - espn.com
Basement Bertha - nydailynews.com