Following Up On a Journal Entry I Wrote in 2015 - Just a Random Thought

 

Every day, I check Blogger, which lists the journal entries that were accessed over the last day.  I never know if they were accessed by real people or robots.  On July 22, 2015, I wrote an entry listing Facebook friends I would like to meet.  Here is my list:

• Gary Brefini - radio enthusiast extraordinaire.  He runs an internet radio station XL5 which features current hits.
• Amy Kearns - a New Jersey librarian and a big Met fan.  She was actually at the same Met game as me about a month ago
• Joanna Ente - I knew her late husband Bernie and brother-in-law Phil back in high school.  She is also a big Met fan.
• Michael Judge - his Facebook postings remind me of the late Alan Berman
• Joy Jeong - a young radio enthusiast.  He actually lives in Queens
• Kate Kosturski - a graduate of the Pratt Institute School of Information and Library Science who lives in Connecticut
• Dave Stein - an oldies enthusiast extraordinaire
• Steven Jay Gilinsky - owns a radio station in Binghamton and is a personal friend of Harry Harrison
• Terry Morgan - a radio enthusiast who works at the New York Public Library
• Dave Freeman - another radio enthusiast who is a big aircheck collectorose 10 

Out of those 10, I only met Joanna Ente and Kate Kosturski, both at Citi Field. Sadly, David Stein passed away. In recent years, I haven't had much online contact with the people listed.  I guess "out of sight, out of mind" also applies to online relationships.

Fathers Day Song - Color Him Father by the Winstons and Keb Mo

 

Last night, Phil Tolotta, an original member of The Winstons, was Cousin Bruce Morrow's guest.  The Winstons had the hit version of Color Him Father that charted in 1969.  This morning on the syndicated radio show, The Acoustic Storm, I heard Keb Mo's version of it.

Wikipedia entry for Color Him Father

Whitestone Lanes is Definitely Closed Permanently

 

In March 2024, I was interviewed on NY1 News about the closing of Whitestone Lanes.  Finally, 27 months later, the bowling alley closed permanently.  There was a Facebook post about a week ago saying it was closed, but I know there is often fake news on social networking sites.  I drove past a few times, but I couldn't tell for sure whether the alley was open or closed.  I decided to walk over today and saw a small handwritten sign stating Whitestone Lanes is permanently closed.  There were no stories about this yet in the local Queens newspapers.  I think if the owners gave a few weeks' notice, they could have earned some extra bucks from bowlers making one last trip.

The next step would be to gut the building and dispose of the bowling equipment.  Could anyone else use that stuff?   Now Jib Lanes on Parsons Blvd. is the only bowling alley left in Queens.  Once the building is demolished, construction will begin on affordable housing.

Would You Believe There Was No Parade for the 1970 and 1973 Champion New York Knicks?

 

There were reports that about 2 million people tried to get to the New York Knicks parade on Thursday.  Many could not get to see it since it was too crowded.  They had to stand about a block away.  The people who stayed at home and watched on TV were better off.  This article in the New York Times explains why there were no parades in 1970 and 1973 when the Knicks were champions.

I guess for both the parade and the watch parties, fans had to jump on the bandwagon.

Happy 84th Birthday to Paul McCartney - Featuring Penny Lane

 

I decided not to comment today about the parade of the century.  June 18th is Paul McCartney's 84th birthday.  I decided to feature Penny Lane, which is one of my favorite Beatles songs with Paul singing lead.  The other three Beatles are also shown in this video.

A Few Comments About the Knicks Winning the NBA Championship

 

• I was more excited about the Knicks winning the NBA Championship in 1970 and 1973.  I guess the kids get more excited over sports teams.  Older people realize there are more important things in the world than sports.
• It was really disgraceful to see violence during the celebrations.
• I sense there are many "fair-weather" fans out there.  Where were they when the Knicks were mediocre?  I guess everybody loves a winner.
• The Mayor, Governor, and other elected officials should not gain popularity when a team wins a championship.  We should judge them on how they handle problems that face everyone.
• How many kids are going to play hooky from school on Thursday to come to the victory parade?  The mayor is not postponing Regents exams scheduled for Thursday.  I am surprised that the Regents exams were never cancelled.  The curricula had to be geared to the standardized test.

Mets 8 Braves 1

It was nice to watch an easy victory for the Mets at Citi Field during this disappointing season.  A. J. Ewing was the hitting star of the game as he finished a triple short of the cycle.  Ewing and Marcus Semien had home runs on consecutive pitches to open the fifth inning.  There were plenty of fans dressed in New York Knicks garb in the stands.