Is There Anything Else Besides Religious Programming on Shortwave?

About a week ago I reported that I bought a Tecsun pl-880 shortwave radio.  Since that time I have done some reading and seen some Youtube videos about shortwave radio.  I have scanned the bands many times.  It seems to be a challenge to figure out what station you have reached.  For that reason I also bought the World Radio TV Handbook to help me out.  My major disappointment so far is that almost all the English language programs that I have received are religious.  I could tune in WMCA at 570 AM if I want to hear that.

I think I'll have to spend more time with this radio and try to get other broadcasts.

Phiilies 5 Mets 1

The Mets were playing well after winning 6 out of 7 including a 12-1 thrashing of the Phillies last night.  However the hitting went south today as Robert Gsellman made his first major leagure start.  He did well for 6 innings, but the visitors got three straight singles in the top of the 7th which eventually lead to 3 runs which put the Phillies ahead to stay.  Neil Walker and Yoenis Cespedes missed the game with nagging injuries.  The Mets also lost shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera in the first inning with soreness in his left knee.  They have 4 games coming up at home against the Miami Marlins in their quest for the second wild card.

Game recap

Getting to Dylan - A Rare Documentary for Diehard Dylan Fans

A few days ago a signed on to my Youtube account and found a recommendation for a documentary called Getting to Dylan which was done at the time of the filming of  Hearts of Fire.  In my opinion this film was one of the worst things that Dylan ever did.  It was so bad that to save money it was never released to theaters.  I did rent the VHS from Blockbuster video in the late 1980s and agree that it stunk.  Even the Beatles failed with the Magical Mystery tour as it presented good music in a bad film.

It is very rare when Dylan gives an interview, but there he speaks at length in Getting to Dylan.  I would recommend it to diehard Dylan fans.

Ma Belle Amie by the Tee Set - Random Oldie of the Day

Cousin Brucie just played it on tonight's show.  An old Dan Ingram joke was "What did the actor Ralph Bellamy call his mother?"  A ten-year old just requested Strawberry Fields Forever on the Cuz's show.

Just Got a Tecsun PL-880 Short Wave Radio

I guess I need a new high tech toy.  I have been a radio enthuisast for many years, but my interests have been most in AM/FM and recently internet radio.  I have been more involved in following trends in music radio formats.  Some years ago I bought an inexpensive short wave radio and dabbled with it for a few years  This time I am going to try to be more serious about it.  The reviews I read about this Tecsun PL-880 radio were very positive, so I will have to take time to learn how to use it and find broadcasts from all over the world.

A Wrong Weather Forecast Messed Up My Plans for Today

When we turned on the news radio this morning the forecast called for a possibility of showers in the evening, but nothing for the afternoon.  We wanted to go to a CD and Record Fair at West 57th Street and 9th Avenue.  Several times over this past month we took umbrellas when the forecast was for showers, but they never happened.  Since there was no forecast of rain for this afternoon, we did not take umbrellas.

Our plan was to take the N Train to 57th Street and then walk to 9th Avenue.  When we arrived at train station we saw that it was poring.  We waited for over 35 minutes, but the rain did not stop or let up.  At that point we went back to subway and went home.

While we were on the 7 train we saw that the rain stopped, but started again when we arrived in Flushing. We were able to run and wait in the lobby of Citibank until the Q20A bus game.

The only thing that we lost was the subway fare going both ways.  I would have liked to peruse records and CDs, but I believe this organization comes to the same location every month.

Oh, well.

Commissioner Rob Manfred is Considering Changes to Baseball Rules

The photo of a fan sleeping at a game seen above is somewhat an exaggeration but in my opinion changes must be made to speed up games.  Some of these changes proposed by Rob Manfred are outlined in this article in USA Today.

I just hate it when pitchers are brought in to face just one batter.  I remember one recent game when Joe Girardi took a pitcher out after one batter when the Yankees had a 4 run lead in the 9th inning.  That is really overmanaging.  Years ago teams would only carry 10 pitchers and a reliever would go 2 or 3 innings to get a save.  It is very uncommon today for a reliever to pitch more than 1 inning.  I think a solution may be to limit a team to 11 pitchers on the active roster.  Another possibility would be to require a pitcher to stay for at least 2 batters.

We'll just have to wait and see as a new basic agreement must be signed soon.

Random Comments of the Day

It is unusual when both the Yankees and the Mets are home or away at the same time.  Last weekend both teams were home as the Mets played the San Diego Padres while the Yankees played the Tampa Bay Rays.  This coming weekend both will be away on the west coast with the Mets playing the SF Giants and the Yankees playing at Anaheim.  There will be no games on TV until 10 PM.

Best of luck to NJIT alumnae Lisa Kardos who is expecting her second child (girl) in February.  She also taught as an adjunt in the chemical engineering department.

On Friday we will have a retirement luncheon for Maria Denaro and Yacie Enos at Luigi's in Newark.  The NJIT Library will not be the same without them.

Original New York Met Choo Choo Coleman Passes Away at 80

I can honestly say that I saw Clarence "Choo Choo" Coleman play for the original New York Mets.  According to Baseball Reference he played for the Amazins in 1963, 63, and 66.  Today the New York Post reported that he passed away at age 80.  My condolences to his family.  He certainly was an integral part of the original Mets.

An interview with Choo Choo may be found at http://www.baseballhappenings.net/2016/08/choo-choo-coleman-farewell-to-good-bub.html

Mets Beat Padres in 11 Innings Followed by a Styx Concert

Last night I joined Bob Radil and Mary Ellen Brown for their annual trip from the beautiful Connecticut countryside to Citifield in Flushing.  It was a very hot and humid evening with a very boring game.  The Mets were just able to scratch out two runs in 9 innings, but Jeurys Familia blew a save opportunity with two outs in the 9th inning as he gave up a home run to Wil Myers.  Wilmer Flores drove in the winning run when Ryan Schimpf made a wild throw home in the 11th inning.  Gabriel Ynoa who was just brought up from Las Vegas got the victory.

Game recap

At 11 PM we were treated to a one hour concert by Styx,

This Picture Was The Highlight of My Friday Night

The Friday night game against the San Diego Padres was part of the package I bought in the off season.  Since I had to be at work on Friday I usually meet up with Karen and Lee at our seat.  I arrived at Citifield at about 5:30 and decided to take a stroll around the stadium.  Mr. and Mrs. Met were in the Fan Fest area behind centerfield and since it was early there was no line of people.  I was able to get someone to take a picture of us.

After the game started the message board invited people to upload pictures via Instagram or Twitter.  Two innings later this photo was posted on the message board for about 2 seconds.

The game was a disaster for the Mets as starter Logan Verrett game up 5 runs on two home runs in the first inning.  He gave up 3 more in the third and was yanked.  He will obviously be taken out to the starting rotation and possibly be sent to the minors.  The Mets scored 6 runs which is a minor accomplishment, but it wasn't enough as the Amazins lost 8-6.  The only consolation with that the bullpen did not allow any runs.

Game recap

The Mets are Falling Fast

Since I was home on staycation and it was very hot outside I decided to stay in and watch the Mets afternoon game.  Oy Vey as they lost 9-0 to the Arizona Diamondbacks making it a loss of three games in a row to a poor team.  The Mets have now dropped to .500 as they have now lost 11 out of 15 and 19 out of their last 29.  I guess acquiring Jay Bruce was not the answer.

Most of the problem is the hitting as they can rarely build runs.  They are relying too much on home runs.  The pitching has to be impeccable for them to win.  True, injuries have hurt them, but the teams does not have the same fire as they did last season at this time.  The only way they can get into the playoffs is to get hot fast while the teams ahead of them falter.  It seems unlikely,

More Microsoft and Apple Updates

On July 29, 2015 Microsoft offered for one year a free upgrade to Windows 10.  I had Windows 8.1, but was a little apprehensive about updating.  I waited until late January on a snowy Saturday and downloaded the update.  There were no problems encountered.  Starting on August 2, 2016 Microsoft offered the first anniversary update.  This time I waited about a week to get it.  Since I am home this week I downloaded and installed while I could keep an eye on the process.  It is not necessary to stare at the computer screen during the installation, but there is always the fear that there will be prolems encountered.  This update took about 40 minutes to complete.  This time there are only subtle changes in the operating system.

Likewise our friends at Apple offer periodic updates.  Some of them are major while others are small,  Since I have an iPhone I have to watch out for the updates.  Last week I installed IOS 9.3.4 which was very minor.  In the Fall Apple will roll out IOS 10 which I assume will be major and likely will make older iPhone obsolete.  It will entice people to purchase the iPhone 7.  I got my iPhone 6 in March 2015 and will be eligible for an upgrade in March 2017.

Bob Dylan's Never Ending Tour Will Resume in the Fall

A few weeks ago I reported that the Never Ending Tour was on hiatus.  I was a little concerned since in previous years he toured extensively over the summer.  It was announced today that the tour will resume on the west coast in October and move toward the south later in the year.  I think at age 75 Bob is entitled to cut down the number of touring dates.  Let's hope he returns to NYC is 2017.

Whitney Museum, Highline and the 34th Street Hudson Yards Subway Station

Since this is a staycation week Karen and I made it downtown for our annual visit to the Whitney Museum now located in the "meatpacking district."  We saw the following exhibits:

• Stuart Davis - In Full Swing
• Danny Lyon - Message to the Future
• Human Interest - Portraits from the Whitney Collection
• Mirror Cells
• Virginia Overton - Sculpture Gardens
• Sophia Al-Mara - Black Friday

When we left the museum we walked along the Highline to 34th Street by the Javits Center.  We found the new 34th Street Hudson Yards stop on the #7 line.  I must say it is very far underground.  From there we went home.

Random Oldie of the Day - The Israelites - Desmond Dekker and the Aces

It was just played on That Thing with Rich Appel.

Indians 5 Yankees 2

The only time I root against the Yankees is when they play the Mets.  Since the Yankees were playing the Cleveland Indians today I rooted for them as I went to the stadium for the third time this season.  The pitching matchup was Corey Kluber against C.C. Sabathia.  The Yankees took an early 2-0 lead but home runs by Mike Napoli, Jason Kipnis and Rajai Davis put the Indians ahead for good.  Kluber pitched for 8 innings while Andrew Miller pitched the 9th and got the save against the team who recently traded him.  We couldn't call them the Bronx Bombers today.

Game recap

Injuries are Killing the Mets Chances at the Pennant

2016 is reminding me of the 1987 season when the Mets could not follow up on a 108-54 recorded.  They have been decimated by injuries:

C - Travis d'Arnaud - he is back after a long stint on the DL
1B- Lucas Duda could be out for the season, but James Loney has been a plesant surprise
SS- Asrubal Cabrera is out for an indefinite period
3B - David Wright - out for the entire season
     - Jose Reyes - expected back soon
OF - Yoenis Cespedes - his stint is just beginning
P - Matt Harvey is out for the season
P- Zack Wheeler - is projected back for early September but will have missed almost 2 seasons after Tommy John surgery

Did I miss any?

Yankees 6 Mets 5 (10 innings) in First Game of Subway Series

It was an eventful day for the New York Mets as they made two transactions at the trading deadline.  They traded for outfielder Jay Bruce who will hopefully perk up the offense as Yoenis Cespedes did last season.  In a surprise move they reacquired left hand pitcher Jon Niese in exchange for Antonio Bastardo.  Now Kelly Johnson, Jose Reyes and Niese have rejoined the Mets after leaving the team.

Nearly every year we go to one of the Subway Series games at Citifield. Last night’s matchup was Logan Verrett versus C.C. Sabathia.  The Yankees took a 3-1 lead but the Mets came back to lead 5-3 and the end of 7 innings.  Addison Reed, the usual reliable set-up man, allowed the Yankees to tie the score in the eighth inning.  Starlin Castro drove in the lead run in the top of the tenth as Delin Betances got his first save of the year.

The problem was that the Mets have trouble hitting with runners in scoring position.  In the 6^th inning after Matt Reynolds hit a three run homer, they loaded the bases, but could not score.  They had men on second and third with two outs, but Curtis Granderson struck out to end the game.

Game recap