Mets Beat Washington 6-5 on a Walk-Off Infield Hit by Amed Rosario

We had tickets for the Met game on Friday Night April 26 when the game started at 9:50 PM after a long rain delay.  The team announced that ticketholders could redeem those tickets for a game played Monday-Thursday.  Thus, we went to last night's game.

Zach Wheeler started for the Mets and pitched well for 6 innings but yielded a 2-run homer to Brian Dozier in the 7th that gave Washington a 3-1 lead.  J.D. Davis hit a 3-run homer for the Mets to give them a 4-3.  Jeurys Familia was ineffective in relief in the 8th innings as the Nationals regained the lead at 5-4.  In the bottom of the 8th Pete Alonso hit a home run that tied the game at 5.  In the bottom of the 9th, Amed Rosario hustled to first base and beat a throw from shortstop Trey Turner as the Mets won 6-5.  Walk-off victories are always exciting.

Game Recap

Can the Mets use Yoenes Cespede's Non-Baseball Injury as Grounds to Void His Contract?

It was reported today that Yoenis Cespedes fractured his ankle in a violent fall at his ranch.  Until now the Mets hoped that he could return to the team sometime this season.  He is now being evaluated by physicians in New York.  He is in the middle of a $110 million contract that runs till the end of 2020.

In 2004 Aaron Boone's playing contract was voided by the Yankees since he was injured in a pick-up basketball game during the offseason.  Can the Mets do the same thing with Cespedes?  I don't think he has done much since the 2015 season.  All of the Mets fans are paying his salary unless it is covered by insurance.

Tampa Bay Rays 2 Yankees 1 in 11 Innings

Even though I am a big Met fan, I like to go to Yankee Stadium about 2 times every season.  I was able to get tickets through StubHub in the upper deck behind home plate.  We arrived at the ballpark at 12:50 PM, but had to wait on line for about 30 minutes to be screened.  This is what everyone must face in this post 9/11 world.

The Yankees have performed quite well this season in spite of losing so many players to injuries.  At this point in the season, they are fighting with Tampa Bay for first place in the AL East.  However, the bats died in today's matinee.  They only scored one run as Brett Gardiner scored on a Blake Snell wild pitch in the third inning.  The Rays tied the game with a 7th inning home run by Brandon Lowe.  The game went into extra innings with Austin Meadows hitting a home run in the 11th inning to win the game for the visitors.

Game Recap

I was on the Staten Island Ferry Today for the First Time in Decades

Over the years I have passed through Staten Island many times, but I rarely stopped there.  Back in the 1970s, I met a club to hike through Clove Lakes Park.  I once interviewed for a librarian position at the hospital.  I'll never forget that this was the only time that a Human Resources Manager actually phoned me a few weeks after the interview to tell me that I didn't get the job.

I don't remember the last time I took the ferry there.  Since I didn't have anything planned for today, I thought I would take the free ride and look around.  When the boat docked on the island, a light rain began.  I quickly walked over to the Richmond County Bank Ballpark where the Staten Island Yankees play.  From there I walked over to a new outlet shopping mall and looked around.  Since it was still raining I thought it was best to go back to the ferry terminal and begin my journey home.  Had it not rained at that time, I would have taken a longer walk through the borough.

I am Looking Forward to the World of Dylan Conference but with Some Anxiety

A few months ago I registered for the World of Dylan Conference to be held at the University of Tulsa from May 30 - June 2.  I have been a Dylan fan since 1965 and have written extensively about him in this journal.  Many of his songs have moved and stimulated me over the years.  Over the years I have had online contact with several Dylan fans and hope to meet some of them at this conference.  I am especially looking forward to seeing Roger McGuinn for the third time in the last year. There is already a Twitter tag (#DylanWorld19) and a Facebook Page for the conference.  I have already made a few new Facebook friends with people in that group.  I am looking forward to the conference, but am anxious over a few things:

• Traveling - will there be plane delays?  I will have to change planes in Chicago as there is no direct flight from NYC to Tulsa.  On my last vacation, our flight from Phoenix was canceled and we had to wait 11 hours for the next available flight to JFK airport.
• Will the people at the meeting be friendly?  Very often online "relationships" change when people meet face to face.
• Most important, will the meeting be too "academic"?  There will be many presentations by Professors of English whose talks may be "over my head".   Will the speakers pick apart Dylan's lyrics? I had subscribed to a Dylan journal where I felt one needed a doctorate in English literature to understand it.  I appreciated Dylan's lyrics on how it affects me personally.  

Random Thoughts of the Day

Since the beginning of the year, I have become less prolific in writing entries for this journal.  There seem to be fewer things to write about.  I don't want to bore my reader by repeating myself.

Today is the third day in a row that it is rainy and dreary.  I just don't want to sit around the apartment and watch TV all day.  My number one activity has been walking over to the public library with my own books and magazines.  I am just getting a little tired of doing that.

I am looking forward to the World of Dylan conference at the University of Tulsa in 2 weeks.  There certainly be several journal entries about that.

Visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see Play it Loud Instruments of Rock & Roll

 I think it has been about a year since I last visited the Met, but this exhibit, Play it Loud Instruments of Rock & Roll, prompted me to make a return visit.  Most museum exhibits are devoted to one artist or musical genre, but this must be the first to feature instruments.  The exhibit was co-organized with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and will present approximately 130 instruments, mostly guitars, alongside posters and costumes.  There was a catalog of the exhibit at the gift shop, but it was much cheaper at Amazon.com.  Below are some photos that I took.

Beatles Drum Set

Bo Diddley's Guitar

Buddy Holly's Guitar

Ravi Shakar's Sitar

Poster from Bob Dylan Concert

at Town Hall in April 1963