Sunday, September 29, 2019

Mets 7 Braves 6 in 11 Innings in Season Finale at Citi Field


We usually attend the last home game of the Mets season and 2019 was not an exception.  The Atlanta Braves had clinched first place in the National League East while the Mets were eliminated in the wild card race making this game meaningless.  Games after September 1 seem to be much longer since the rosters expand to 40 allowing managers to make moves they couldn't do earlier in the season.  Next year that will change as the late-season roster will be limited to 28 and pitchers will be required to face 3 batters or finish an inning.  I just hate it when a manager constantly changes the pitcher after just one batter as it causes longer games.

At the end of 7 innings, the score was tied at 3-3.  Joe Panik homered for the Mets giving the Mets a 4-3 lead, but Adeiny Hechavarria, whom the Mets released earlier in the season, homered in the top of the 9th for the Braves to tie the game.  Oh well, the game went into extra innings as I was getting hungry. In order to get a standing ovation, Pete Alonso was taken out of the game in the middle of an inning and replaced by Dominic Smith who had been on the injured list for over 2 months.

Hechavarria homered in the top of the 11th to give the Braves a 5-4 lead.  Adam Duvall followed with another home run to give the Braves a 6-4 lead.  At that point, I got disgusted and wanted to leave so I can eat dinner.  I followed the game on my phone as I took the 7 train and the 44 bus back home.  I found out that Dom Smith hit a 3-run walk-off homer to give the Mets a 7-6 victory.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

NFL Exhibition at the Paley Center

Today I made a trip to the Paley Center for Media to see the exhibit for the 100th anniversary of the NFL.  Below are some of the photos that I took.

Superbowl Trophy

Joe Namath Jersey

LT (Lawrence Taylor) Jersey

In the auditorium on the ground floor, the broadcast of Superbowl 21 with the Giants facing the Denver Broncos was shown.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Random Comments of the Day


After some hesitation, I updated the software on my iPhone 8 from IOS 12.4.1 to IOS 13.1.1.  There were problems with IOS 13, so Apple applied 2 updates within a couple of days.  The changes seem to be very subtle.  Some of the updates would only apply to devices in the iPhone 11 family.  I guess Apple wants everyone to get a new phone every year with the latest enhancements.

I bought tickets to the Bob Dylan concert on November 23 at the Beacon Theater.  This is the first of a 10 concert residency at that venue.  The tickets cost about $100, but Ticketmaster gets you for a service charge of $25.

My former colleague Lisa W. at the NJIT Library did well on the Jeopardy test and was invited for a live audition in Philadelphia in November.  I congratulate her on this accomplishment, but she must go through a further evaluation for selection as a being a contestant.  I must assume that the personality of a contestant is considered in addition to intellectual capability.  I wish her the best of luck in this endeavor.

My new laptop is working well so far.  I spent much time over the past few days installing the software that I use.  The older laptop which I am still keeping owes me nothing as it lasted for 5 years.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Tribute and Retrospective of Pete Fornatale at the Performing Arts Research Center of NYPL


There are several entries in this journal about Pete Fornatale who passed away at age 66 in 2012.  Tonight's event at the Bruno Walter Auditorium at NYPL's Performing Arts Library was a tribute and retrospective to him as his interviews will be made available through the library's archives.  The event was hosted by Don McGee who succeeded Pete as the host of Mix Bag heard on WFUV on Saturdays from 4 PM - 8 PM.  As you can see from the photo above there was a full house.

Don played clips of several interviews that Pete did with recording artists including:

  • Don McLean
  • Graham Nash
  • David Crosby
  • Judy Collins
  • Richie Havens
  • Dion
There were photos of Pete with his interview subject projected on the screen.  My only disappointment was that there was no interview with Roger McGuinn on the program, but there was only so much time.  On or about November 1, I will visit the library and find it in their archives.  I understand that it takes time to go through the reel to reel tapes and digitize the recordings.

There were appearances by:
  • Pete Fornatale Jr.
  • Folksinger Mike Agranoff  who recited Sandman about an overnight radio night personality,
I thank Don McGee and the staff at NYPL who made this event possible.

Below is a photo that Pete took with the entire family at the Long Island Radio Fair in 2010.


Wednesday, September 25, 2019

New Laptop Today

Since my Dell Inspiron that I bought in August 2014 was erratic lately, I brought it into Micro Center in Flushing to be analyzed.  When I turned it on it ran well, but the technician suggested that since it was 5 years old it was likely better to buy a new one.  Over the past 25 years, I have owned about 5 or 6 desktops and laptops and I think this Dell Laptop lasted the longest.

I decided to buy a Dell Inspiron 15 5000 model as seen above.  It has less disk space than my previous Dell, but I can always buy an external hard drive if necessary.  My new model does not have an internal CD/DVD drive so I had to buy an external one for about $30.  Let's hope this one lasts for 5 years.

Mets 5 Marlins 4 in 11 innings


We usually don't go to ballgamcloser.es on weekday nights, but this game was part of our 13-game package that we purchased last winter.  Noah Syndergaard was not at his best as he allowed 4 runs and 10 hits in 5 innings.  His opponent, Sandy Alcantara was much more effective over his 6 innings.  Michael Confort hit a 2-run home run in the 7th inning to put the Mets.  Conforto struck again in the 9th as the Mets tied the score.  The Amazins socred the winning run on 3 walks and a hit batsman in the 11th inning.

However, it is likely too little too late as the "tragic" number for the Mets to make the playoffs is down to one.  The Mets would have to win their last 5 games while the Brewers lose all their games to force a one-game playoff for the final wildcard birth.  It is quite unlikely for that to happen.

Game recap

Monday, September 23, 2019

Meeting of Bob Dylan Fans in NYC is in the Works


With help from Walter and Sal, I have made progress in organizing a meeting of Bob Dylan fans in NYC in November.  The tentative plan is to meet at a classroom at NYU and then move to a bar in Greenwich Village.  I have planned numerous professional and social meetings over the years, so  I don't know how many people will come.  Sometimes I have been pleasantly surprised by a large turnout and other times disappointed.  It can be frustrating when people say they will come and don't show up.  That is the way it is.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Drive My Car by the Beatles - Requested but not played on the 60s 70s Show


Since Rick Ocasek of the Cars passed away last week, car songs was the 4th-hour theme on the 60s 70s show.  Since there is only so much time for the show, Bob just didn't have time to play it.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series #15 Will Be Released November 1


 I found out today that Travelin' Thru Volume 15 of Dylan's Bootleg Series will be released on November 1 almost one year to the day that Volume 14 More Blood More Tracks was issued.  This 3 CD set will include 37 previously unreleased tracks including the Dylan Cash Sessions and outtakes from the John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline sessions in 1967-69.  I just put my order into Amazon.com, so I will attack the postman on November 1.

Visit to the Cooper Hewitt Museum


I looked through CulturePass the other day and was able to get free admission for today for the Cooper Hewitt Museum on East 91st Street.  The exhibits completely changed since I was there on December 18, 2018.

The photo above is from an exhibit titled Nature - Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial.  Co-organized with Cube design museum in the Netherlands, the exhibition features more than 60 groundbreaking works from designers across all disciplines who are collaborating with scientists, engineers, farmers, environmentalists, and nature itself to design a more harmonious and regenerative future

One of the other exhibitions was Wyss Institute Selects. The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University uses nature’s design principles to develop bioinspired technologies and commercial products that will bring about positive impact worldwide

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Random Thoughts of the Day


The Mets are now 78-72 with 12 games to go.  They will have to get very hot the rest of the way and the teams ahead of them must lose in order for them to get a wild card spot in the playoffs.

Even though the Yankees have all but clinched the American League East, but must try to have a better record than the Houston Astros to gain the home-field advantage in a possible match-up in the American League Championship Series.  Luis Severino who missed the entire season to date pitched well for 4 innings last night, but reliever Delin Betances reinjured himself.  Giancarlo Stanton is supposed to return soon after a long-term injury.  The Yankees will have difficult decisions to make in their post-season roster as fill-ins like Mike Ford and Mike Tauchmann have done well.

 Jason Zuffranieri won his 13th game on Jeopardy last night and is now tield for 5th place in the all-time number of wins.  He uses the same strategy as James Holzhauer by picking the answers with the highest value first.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Dodgers 3 Mets 2

This game was originally scheduled for the afternoon but was changed to a 7 PM start to accommodate ESPN.  It was a pitching duel between Zach Wheeler of the Mets and Walker Buehler of the Dodgers.  The Mets scored 2 runs in the second inning with a triple by Brandon Nimmo,  The Dodgers scored a run in the 4th inning on a single by Corey Seager.

The Met's bullpen has performed poorly all season.  Presently, Justin Wilson and Seth Lugo are the only reliable relief pitchers.  Last night Wilson allowed a run in the 8th and Lugo a run in the 9th to win the game for the Dodgers 3-2.

I really think that poor hitting, not the bullpen must be blamed for the loss as the Mets only got 3 hits off Dodger pitching.  This is the second game in a row that the Mets only got 3 hits.  The Mets now travel to Denver to play the Rockies with their two best relievers unavailable.  Their chances for a wildcard are slim as they would have to win almost all their games while the teams ahead of them would have to get cold.

Game Recap 

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Friday, September 13, 2019

Do All Prolific Baseball Writers Make Jokes About Mass Transit?

Gregory Wolf at Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the White Sox

Gregory Wolf is a distinguished member of SABR, Society for American Baseball Research, as he has written numerous biographies and game reports.  He has also edited several books for SABR,  He is also Professor of German and holder of the Dennis and Jean Bauman endowed chair of the Humanities at North Central College in Naperville, IL.  He is obviously a very busy man.

However, he finds the time to tease me on Facebook about mass transit delays.  I certainly encountered many of them when I commuted from Queens, NY to Newark, NJ from 1992-2017.  I documented many of them in this journal and my companion blog New York-New Jersey Commuting.  I no longer ride on New Jersey Transit and ride the New York City subway only in non-peak hours.  Thankfully, any delays I have endured in retirement were minimal.

I wonder if other prolific baseball writers make jokes about mass transit.

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

My Tweets That Were Published in AM New York


AM New York is a free newspaper one can pick up at many subway stations.  It is much more concise than the Daily News, Post, and the New York Times.  There is a column on the editorial page called Chirp About It which publishes Tweets with the hashtag #amny.  Most of these Tweets are on mass transit issues.  Below are my tweets that have appeared in that column.


Mar 2, 2018
One of the nice things about retirement is not having to face delays on the 7 train caused by signal problems and other reasons #amny
Bruce Slutsky
@BruceS8852
·
Oct 24, 2017
Commuter railroads should also modernize fare collection.  Their methods are extremely primitive. #amny
Bruce Slutsky
@BruceS8852
·
Apr 17, 2017
Mazel Tov! No train delays on NJ Transit or the 7 Line both ways on my commute from Flushing to Newark #amny
Bruce Slutsky
@BruceS8852
·
Oct 12, 2017
Two major signal problem delays this week in the morning rush hour on the 7 train.  Can somebody fix them once and for all? #amny
Bruce Slutsky
@BruceS8852
·
Feb 28
If NYC adopts congestion pricing, parking garages should be built in the outer boroughs near subway stations #amny
Bruce Slutsky
@BruceS8852
·
May 24, 2017
Anyone who can fix the signals in the subway system should get $3M as stated by the governor and a ticker tape parade down Broadway #amny
Bruce Slutsky
@BruceS8852
·
Jul 26, 2017
To help alleviate crowding on the subway employers should stagger hours for workers.  Please don't remove seats. #amny
Bruce Slutsky
@BruceS8852
·
Sep 8
I just don’t understand why people insist on blocking the doors on buses when there is plenty of room to stand.  #amny

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Bob Dylan's Never Ending Tour Resumes in October


Dylan fans were worried as no new concerts were announced for a few months.  Yesterday dates were announced for October and November.  As of now, this leg of the tour ends on November 20 in Providence.  Hopefully, some more dates will be announced for NYC at the end of November.  Perhaps there are negotiations underway for the Beacon Theater or another venue.

2019 Tour Dates
October

11 Irvine, California, UC Irvine – Bren Events Center
12 Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara Bowl
14 Palo Alto, California, Stanford University – Frost Amphitheatre
17 Denver, Colorado, The Mission Ballroom
19 Lincoln, Nebraska, Pinnacle Bank Arena
20 Kansas City, Missouri, Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland
22 St. Louis, Missouri, Stifel Theatre
23 Ames, Iowa, Iowa State University – C.Y. Stephens Auditorium
24 Mankato, Minnesota, Mankato Civic Center
26 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Eagles Ballroom
27 Bloomington, Indiana, Indiana University – Auditorium
29 Normal, Illinois, Illinois State University – Braden Auditorium
30 Chicago, Illinois, Credit Union 1 Arena at UIC

November

1 South Bend, Indiana, Morris Performing Arts Center
2 Muncie, Indiana, Ball State University – Emens Auditorium
4 Columbus, Ohio, Ohio State University – Mershon Auditorium
5 East Lansing, Michigan, Michigan State University – Wharton Center for the Performing Arts
6 Ann Arbor, Michigan, University of Michigan – Hill Auditorium
8 Highland Heights, Kentucky, Northern Kentucky University – BB&T Arena
9 Akron, Ohio, University of Akron – EJ Thomas Performing Arts Hall
10 Moon Township, Pennsylvania, Robert Morris University – UPMC Events Center
12 Baltimore, Maryland, University of Maryland Baltimore County – UMBC Event Center
13 Petersburg, Virginia, Virginia State University – Multi-Purpose Center
15 University Park, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University – Eisenhower Auditorium
17 Ithaca, New York, Ithaca College – Athletics and Events Center
19 Lowell, Massachusetts, University of Massachusetts – Tsongas Arena
20 Providence, Rhode Island, Providence Performing Arts Center

Monday, September 9, 2019

Going to Movie Theaters in Manhattan to See Documentaries


I have mentioned several times in this journal that movies are generally marketing to people much younger than I.  It is nice to have a movie complex within walking distance, but the College Point Multiplex shows the mass appeal movies suited for young audiences. I wish they would limit 1 screen out of 12 to independent films. Too many times I have gone there and left disgusted realizing that the film was just not for me.

Recently, I have made trips to theaters in Manhattan to see documentaries.  I generally don't discuss movies in Bruce's Journal, but I do list them on my Facebook page.  Below are listed 4 documentaries that I have seen recently:


  • David Crosby: Remember My Name - Landmark on 57th Street.  He was very candid in his remarks about his personal life, professional relationships, and medical problems.
  • Miles Davis; Birth of the Cool - Film Forum -  Traces the jazz musician's extraordinary career
  • Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice -  Film Forum - I didn't realize that she has sung in several genres of music.  It is a shame she is suffering from Parkinson's Disease
  • Toni Morrison:  The Pieces I am - Film at Lincoln Center - I learned quite a bit about this excellent African-American Writer.  When she won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993 numerous journalist came to her at Princeton University,



Saturday, September 7, 2019

The Polo Grounds and More at the Morris-Jumel Mansion in Upper Manhattan

The Morris-Jumel Mansion is the only remaining Colonial residence in New York City.  I found out about an exhibition called  Home Plate: A Celebration of the Polo Grounds.  We took a long subway trip to upper Manhattan and discovered there was more than the Polo Grounds displayed.  Please keep in mind that at one time or another the baseball Giants, football Giants, Yankees, Mets, and Titans (football) played there.  Many famous boxing matches were held there as well.

We had the pleasure of meeting super sports fan Neil Scherer who gave us a detailed tour of the exhibit. There were photos of Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, and Lou Gerhig among others. He certainly knows much about New York sports history.  Below are some of the photos that I took.

Drawing of the Polo Grounds

Russ Hodges famous call after the Bobby Thompson Home Run in 1951

The World Champion 1986 Mets

We left the museum and walked a few blocks downtown to the site of the Polo Grounds where we saw the John Brush Stairway which is one of two structure remaining after the stadium was demolished in 1964


I highly recommend all baseball fans visit before the exhibition closes on January 5.

Friday, September 6, 2019

The 14th Annual Meet and Greet of Oldies Radio Enthusiasts is Set for November 9

The 14th Annual Meet and Greet of Oldies Radio Enthusiasts will take place Saturday, November 9 from 2 PM – 4 PM at Ben's Deli 209 West 38thStreet, New York, NY. Our gatherings in the past have attracted from 60 – 80 people. In the past radio personalities including Ken Dashow, Big Jay Sorensen, Broadway Bill Lee, Pat St. John, Sue O'Neal, Jim Kerr, and Carol Miller have attended. Music artists including Louise Murray of the Jaynetts and Tony Middleton of the Willows have come to some of our events in the past. We will announce if radio or music personalities are coming.

This year there will be a choice of (sandwiches): Corned Beef, Roast Beef, Brisket, Pastrami, Turkey, Smoked Turkey, Chicken Salad,  Salami, , 2 Hot Dogs, Tuna Salad, Vegetable Burger, Pasta Primavera, House Salad with French Fries and Choice of Bottomless Fountain Soda or Iced Tea. There will be coleslaw, pickles and rye bread on every table.

The cost will be $21 per person which includes tax, dessert, and gratuities. You must order a meal. In this way, people will get their food faster and there will no problems with splitting the check since everyone pays the same price.

You may state you are coming on Facebook or send an email to Bruce Slutsky (bruces8852@aol.com) or Jeff Scheckner (jmandjs@aol.com). Please feel to contact either one of us if you have any questions.

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

I am Not Watching the Mets on Youtube This Afternoon


Last night's 11-10 loss to the Washington Nationals had to be one of the most devastating games in the 58-year history of the Mets.  To make a long story short, the Mets had a 10-4 lead going to the bottom of the 9th inning, but the bullpen imploded by allowing 7 runs including a game-winning home run by Kurt Suzuki off maligned pitcher Edwin Diaz.

Read the unhappy rccap

Anyway, Major League Baseball is putting today's game on Youtube, so anyone with internet access can view it.  I think I am going to take a pass and see a movie this afternoon.

Monday, September 2, 2019

Thankfully This is the Last Year MLB Rosters Can Expand to 40 On September 1


Since the minor league seasons end in early September, the Major League teams are allowed to expand their rosters to 40 on September 1.  This allows managers to observe players who are being evaluated for promotions in the next season.  Managers have certainly more options with more players on the bench.  This means more pinch runners, defensive changes, and pitching changes.  I just hate it when a pitcher is brought in to face just one batter.  This happens more often in September which makes the games longer.

Thankfully, the rule will be changed in 2020 that will allow the rosters to be expanded only to 28 in September.  Also, a pitcher must face at least 3 batters or finish an inning.  Less pitching changes will create shorter games.
 
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