Ryan Long - Jeopardy's Latest Big Winner

 

Ryan Long last night became the 14th Jeopardy contestant to win ten or more games with four of them coming this season.  He drives for Uber and Lyft and really needs his winnings as he lives from paycheck to paycheck.  It shows Jeopardy contestants need not hold advanced degrees to succeed.  Apparently, he gains his knowledge from reading or maybe even from conversations with his customers.  He recovered from a long bout with COVID-19 in early 2021.

Everybody wishes Ryan well in his future appearances in Jeopardy as he has attained celebrity status.  We never know from one game to the next what will happen.  A contestant must be knowledgeable, but luck can be a factor.

Stay tuned.

Random Thoughts of the Day

 

It takes me about 5 hours each week to do the laundry.  I wish I could use that time doing other things.  Nobody wants to wear dirty clothes.

I was pleasantly surprised to hear WKCR (89.9 FM affiliated with Columbia University) played all Dylan on his birthday.  I was disappointed that WFUV did not do something similar.  I listened for about 40 minutes on Tuesday and there was no Dylan at all.  Today at about 6:40 AM Delphine Blue played Maggie's Farm.  Corney O'Connell has been out much lately from his morning shift on WFUV.  I am sure there is a legitimate reason for it.  I hope he is not ill.

This weekend Rewound Radio  will be playing WABC Rewound and continue a Memorial Day tradition.  It is fun to hear how radio sounded in the 1960s and 1970s.

For Bob Dylan's Birthday - Do the 81 by Candy and the Kisses

 

At 81 years young Bob Dylan is still very active.  In four days the Never Ending Tour will resume in Spokane, Washington.  Will there be a new album or Bootleg Series in 2022?  Radio station WKCR (89,9 FM in NYC or wkcr.org elsewhere) is playing only Dylan music all day.

Exhibition of Sports Memorabilia on the East Side of Manhattan

 

Bruce and Lee at the Exhibit

Neil Scherer. the proprietor of https://goinggoinggonesports.com/ is displaying sports memorabilia on the east side of Manhattan.  This show will run until June 20.  Includes photos, tickets, programs, and art work featuring:

• The New York Yankees
• Polo Grounds
• Brooklyn Dodgers
• New York Giants (Football)
• National Basketball Association

For information, please contact Neil at njsart@msn.com

Here are some samples:

Ted Williams

Mickey Mantle

1941 Brooklyn Dodgers

Happy Birthday to Mary Shaw Radio Enthusiast Extraordinaire

 

Mary Shaw with Cousin Brucie at a

Palisades Park Reunion

Mary is certainly New York radio's greatest enthusiast.  I think everyone knows her.  Back in the mid- 1990s I met Mary on the WCBS-FM folder on America Online.  The people in that folder got together every year.  Later, she came to most of the Oldies Meet and Greets that we had at Ben's Deli.

I wish her a happy and healthy birthday.

Pete Alonso Hits a Walk-Off Home Run as the Mets beat the Cards 7-6 in 10 innings

 

A nice benefit of retirement is the ability to go to weekday afternoon games.  I really got a bargain today as I was able to get a ticket from Stub Hub for $10.66 to sit in the upper deck of Citi Field.

Chris Bassitt was the starting pitcher for the Mets as he allowed 4 runs and 9 hits over 6 1/3 innings.  It was a seesaw battle as the lead changed four times.  Jeff McNeil had a run-scoring infield groundout in the first and a two-run single in the fifth off Nick Wittgren that put the Mets ahead 5-3.  His fielding excelled as he climbed the wall in left-field foul territory to grab Paul Goldschmidt's seventh-inning sacrifice fly, pushed off with his right foot, and threw to second to nail Brendan Donovan, who tried to tag up from first. Then, with a runner on first in the eighth, McNeil made a sliding catch on a soft liner to deny Dylan Carlson and threw to second from his back.

Edwin Diaz blew his second save opportunity in 11 tries as the Cards scored in the ninth inning to tie the game.

In the top of the 10th, Albert Pujols hit into a double play to drive in the "ghost runner" to take a 6-5 lead. Francisco Lindor was the "ghost runner" for the Mets in the bottom of the inning.  Pete Alonso hit a slide off Giovanny Gallegos into the left-field stands to win the game for the Mets who are now 26-14 which is tied for the fourth best 40 game start in team history.

Game Recap

My Latest Walking Tour of Rego Park

 

Corner of Booth Street and 63rd Drive

A sporting goods store named Harley's

was at this location decades ago

I have certainly written a lot about Rego Park in this Journal.  After my dentist appointment today, I decided to take another walking tour as I have done several times in the past.  Obviously, nothing in this world stays the same.  Many retail establishments have come and gone over the decades.  Some observations:

• The site of the Tower Diner on Queens Blvd. was demolished.  The site of the Trylon Theater next to it which is now a synagogue is also slated to be demolished.
• Parkside Chapels at 66th Road and Queens Blvd. was also demolished.
• The Shalimar Diner on 63rd Drive was also demolished.

I believe in all three cases there will be high-rise apartment buildings constructed.

In any event, everyone I knew in Rego Park has either moved away or passed on.