Random Oldie of the Day - Niki Hoeky by PJ Proby

 

Niki Hoeky by PJ Proby only reached #23 on the chart in 1967.  I believe it was a bigger hit in England.  There is a biography of him in the Wikipedia.

My Thoughts on the Mets Signing of Juan Soto

 

I am certain that the Met fans at the Queens Baseball Convention are all jumping for joy as the Mets are signing Juan Soto for a record breaking $765 Million over 15 years.  He certainly will improve the team, but here are some of my thoughts on the entire issue.

• 26 players comprise the roster of a Major League team.  Juan Soto is just one of them.  The other 25 must contribute for a team to be a winner.
• Including the DH, the lineup consists of 9 batters plus the pitcher.  One batter can not do everything.
• The Mets still must improve the team.  I think they should sign Pete Alonso.
• Two former Yankees, Clay Holmes and now Soto, have signed with the Mets this offseason.  Will Yankees be spiteful and sign Alonso?  They need a first basemen. I think Steve Cohen will exceed any offer the Yankees will make to Alonso.
• Now $765 Million is the highest contract given to a professional athlete.  In the years to come another superstar will get more money.
• When Steve Cohen bought the Mets in 2020 he promised a World Series win in 5 years.  2025 will mark 5 years since he bought the team.
• You never know when injuries will come to a star player.  Look what happened with Jacob de Grom and Steven Strasberg.  15 years is a long time.

Seattle Kraken 7 New York Rangers 5 at Madison Square Garden

 

I was able to get tickets in section 209 for this game and was one of the oldest fans in the arena.  Jonathan Quick was the goalie for the Blueshirts substituting for Igor Shesterkin.  The Rangers had a 3-1 lead but the Kraken scored five unanswered goals to take a 6-3 lead.  The Rangers scored two goals to make it close but the visitors scored an empty-net goal with less that two minutes to play to put the game  out of reach.

The Rangers are in a slump as they have allowed six or more goals in the third time in their last eight home games.  They have lost seven out of their last nine games.

Game Recap

Queens Baseball Convention 2024 - For Fans of the New York Mets

 

For the third year in a row Lee and I went to the Queens Baseball Convention   at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel within walking distance of my apartment in Flushing.  This year there were interviews of the following Met alumni:

• Turk Wendell
• Greg Jeffries
• Ray Knight
• Jose Reyes

They all talked about their experiences playing with the Mets.  None of them played their entire career with the Mets.

There were also panel discussion:

• SNY Baseball Night in NY
• State of the Mets
• Til the Mets Do Us Part Podcast

All of them speculated on roster moves that the Mets may make during the off-season.  The "elephant in the room" was Juan Soto.  As of today, he had not signed with any team.  Everyone wants him to sign with the Mets.

Some Photos:

Interview of Gregg Jeffries

Interview of Jose Reyes by

Lori Rubinson of WFAN

Ray Knight interviewed by

Roger Clark of NY1

SNY Panel Featuring

Former Met Manager Terry Collins

State of the Mets panel featuring

Kelley Franco

 

I Got an Amazon Kindle Fire HD-10

 

I bought Amazon Kindle Fire tablets in 2012 and 2017.  Since my last tablet wasn't performing well lately, I decided to by a new one.  No product lasts forever.  I intend to use it mostly for reading books that I purchased or borrowed from the Queens Library or NYPL.  I have no room anymore in my apartment to shelve print books, so it is best that I buy more e-books.  The local branch of Queens Library is very small and has a limited collection.  I can borrow e-books from two large library systems.  As a member of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) I can get free e-books on the Kindle.

I can use many resources such as Facebook, X, and YouTube on the Kindle as I do with my iPhone and laptop.

Pop Culture Jeopardy is Not For Me

I have been a fan of Jeopardy since it began in 1964 with Art Fleming as the host.  I also watched Rock n Roll Jeopardy and Sports Jeopardy which were short-term spinoffs.  Today Pop Culture Jeopardy hosted by Colin Jost premiered on Amazon Prime Video.  I watched the first episode and concluded that it is not for me.  I only answered 5 out of the 61 questions correctly.

The questions were obviously based on current popular culture which I don't follow.  I would be an expert in the pop culture of the 1960s and 1970s, but the show is aimed at a young audience.  Instead of three single contestant there were three teams of three that competed.  All of the contestants were under 40 years old.  There was a feature called Triple Play where the team that picked that square could answer 3 questions and get more points.

Colin Jost did a good job as host, but perhaps the producers should have given that role to James Holzhauer.

Oh well.

Giving Tuesday - I Could Only Pick One Organization

 

Over the course of the year I donate small amounts to several organizations including cultural institutions, medical organizations, and food providers.  They are all worthy organizations.  I hope that they all minimize their overhead so that the funds they receive go to the people who need their help.  It is a tough decision that was somewhat impulsive; today a gave a donation to No Kid Hungry.  They report nearly 4 in 5 households said it had become harder to afford groceries over the past 12 months—the highest percentage tracked yet in their annual poll. My donation today will be matched.

Next month I will donate to another worthy organization.