Today is National Coffee Day

 

Today is National Coffee Day and of course, there is a Bob Dylan song for the occasion.  One More Cup of Coffee is from the Desire album.
Another memory from May 1974 - May 1975 is hearing "Building 28 Coffee Truck; 28 Coffee Truck" is a distinctive New Jersey accent.

More Random Thoughts

 

Instead of writing several Tweets, I thought I'd consolidate them into one journal post.

• I still don't understand the fascination of the American public with the British royal family.  The Today Show reported on this morning's show that Prince William and Princess Kate are resuming their normal schedules a week after Queen Elizabeth's funeral.  I turned off the TV.
• Several pitchers are likely not giving Aaron Judge good pitches, so they won't be stigmatized with being the one who gave up home run #61
• Why is there a long thread on the New York Radio Message Board about a station in Charlotte, NC changing formats?  I also wish the owner of that board would use more modern message board software.  He uses the same software as in 1997 when the board commenced.
• I wish WFUV would restore a short newscast during the morning drive.  I also think the weather forecast should be given more often.

Happy New Year to All My Friends and Followers

 

I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year whether I have met you in person or not.  If I have not met you it means we have common interests such as:

• Baseball
• Oldies Music
• Bob Dylan
• Radio

Happy Birthday Bruce Springsteen

 I guess since I am more interested in the recording artists of the 60s and early 70s, I never developed a strong interest in Bruce Springsteen who is 73 years old today.  He covered Bob Dylan's Chimes of Freedom.  Below is a video of him performing it in Copenhagen in 1988.

Random Thoughts of the Day

Aaron Judge of the Yankees hit 60 home runs as his fans are greatly anticipating his 61st that would tie him with Roger Maris for the American League record for home runs in a season, The attendance at last night's game was 46,175.  On September 30, 1961, as a 12-year-old my uncle took me to the penultimate Yankee game of the regular season to see Roger Maris hit his 61st home run.  The attendance was only 19,061.  The next day when Maris hit #61 the attendance was slightly higher at 23,154.

The news on TV or radio is always very depressing.  A few times a week I listen to 1010 WINS for about 22 minutes just to know what is going on.  Whenever I go into a local bagel bakery, the owner always listens to WINS.  An all-news station must be repetitious by its nature.  I once asked her why she does that and she responded, "I like the news."  To each his/her own.

Why do I keep having dreams about working in a library almost five years after I retired?

 

Should Jeopardy Make Changes?

 

There is that old cliche "if it is not broken, don't fix it."  Jeopardy is very popular, especially after the big winners in Season 38.  The major sports and other game shows have modified rules over the years.  Here are some suggestions:

1. I read this on the iHeart app .  A player who runs a category should receive a bonus. Many fans oppose this change.
2. There should be a minimum of $5000 for the winner in the event all players miss Final Jeopardy.
3. The consolation prizes should be raised to $3,000 for second place and $2,000 for third place.  Inflation has taken its toll on the $2000 and $1000 that have been the consolation prizes for years.
4. If a player misses a Daily Double, the other contestants can ring in and if correct get the amount bid by the original player.

I heard that there will be Triple Jeopardy on the Celebrity version that will debut Sunday, September 25.  I hope that the celebrities will not waste time by gabbing.  I predict the answers will be easier than they are on regular Jeopardy.

Mets Beat Pirates 7 to 3 to Sweep Series and Tie a Major League Record for Strikeouts in a Game

 

The Mets played small ball as they scored 3 runs in the first two innings. Jacob deGrom was coasting as he struck out 13 in the first 5 innings.  He was obviously tired as he gave up back-to-back singles followed by a three-run homer by Oneil Cruz to tie the game.  There was no scoring until the 8th inning Terrance Gore served as a pinch-runner for the Mets, entering a tie game in the eighth inning and promptly stealing a base. Within minutes, he was back in the dugout, having moved to third on an error and scoring on Brandon Nimmo’s game-winning single in a 7-3 victory over the Pirates.  The Mets may have acquired Gore as a good luck charm as he won three World Series rings as a pinch runner.

The Mets tied a major league record as their pitchers struck out 19 batters in a 9-inning game.  They have a slim one-game lead over the Atlanta Braves for the NL East lead.

Game Summary

Hands Across the Water - Another Feature of Bob Shannon from his WCBS-FM Days

 Bob would play a hit by an American artist that was also a hit by a British artist.  I am featuring Time is on my Side by Irma Thomas which was covered by the Rolling Stones.  The later version was performed on the Ed Sullivan Show.

NJIT Gets Some Recognition as a Wrong Question on Final Jeopardy

 

Yesterday’s final Jeopardy answer was “Founded as a technical institute in 1900, its sports teams are the Tartans & its official mascot is a Scottish terrier”.  Luigi de Guzman (seen above) responded What is NJIT? Host Ken Jennings responded, “I assume that is the New Jersey Institute of Technology.”  The correct response which none of the contestants got was “What is Carnegie-Mellon University.” Luigi is now a five-time winner and could become a super champion as he has won his games decisively.

When I worked at NJIT for 25 years the university struggled to get recognition as an excellent technical university with a wide range of programs with an excellent faculty with research accomplishments. I was pleased to find out that NJIT was ranked as a top 100 National University by the U.S. News and World Report.  In New Jersey Rutgers and Princeton are household names but NJIT is not.  Its mention on Jeopardy by a lawyer from Arlington, Virginia is a small indication that it is known outside of the NY/NJ metropolitan area.

I would like to interject my frustration as a retiree in staying connected with my former colleagues at this fine university.  It consistently has been a one-way street as I have phoned and emailed people, but nobody ever took the initiative to contact me.  For example, when a long-time colleague retired, nobody even thought of inviting me to her retirement luncheon. I conclude that “out of sight and out of mind” supersedes keeping in touch. I thought that in this era of email and social media it would be easier to keep in touch with former colleagues, but I was wrong.

I determined that many universities including Rutgers have an association of retirees, but NJIT does not.  Establishing such an organization would a win-win situation as the retirees can stay connected with the university and with each other.  The university could target retirees for fundraising.  There is an active Alumni Association, but nothing for the retirees.  I feel uncomfortable suggesting to the upper administration of NJIT to form such a beneficial organization.

Please understand that I am not bashing NJIT or any individuals. I am just discussing a situation that disturbs me.  Perhaps someone from NJIT will read this and respond to me.

Songs with the Same Title That are Different - A Feature of Bob Shannon's Show on WCBS-FM

 In the earlier days of WCBS-FM Bob Shannon was heard from 7 PM - 11 PM and later from 3 PM - 7 PM.  Bob left WCBS-FM about 10 years ago for health reasons.  I certainly hope he is doing well.  One of the features of his show was playing back-to-back songs with the same title that are different and done by different artists.  For this journal entry, I am showing Tell Me Why by the Belmonts from 1961 and Tell Me Why by the Beatles from 1964.

When I Carry My Umbrella it Doesn't Rain

 

Three times this summer Lee and I were caught in the rain without an umbrella.

• When we left the local multiplex, it was pouring.  We waited in the lobby for about 30 minutes for the rain to stop.
• We were returning from the grocery store when it started to rain hard.  Since I had my shopping cart with groceries, we had no other choice but to make a run for it.
• As we were eating in Mcdonalds', it started to rain.  Again, we had to make a run for it.

At about 5 AM today, there was a thunderstorm that woke me.  The weather forecast stated showers throughout the day.  It is difficult to predict when and where a "hit and miss" shower will strike.  At 10 AM I walked to downtown Flushing to shop at Macy's.  I carried my umbrella, but it did not rain.  Likewise, I went out for lunch at 12 noon and carried my umbrella, but it did not rain.

One weather forecast predicted showers from 1 PM - 4 PM.  I decided to stay home.  I did some reading and listened to a podcast.  It is now 4:45 PM and still no rain.  It will likely rain later to delay or postpone tonight's Met game.

I Remember Ramsey Lewis for His Pop Hits

The New York Times reports that jazz musician Ramsey Lewis passed away at age 87. According to Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles book, Ramsey Lewis charted 20 times.  His two biggest pop hits were covers of Dobie Gray's The In Crowd and the McCoys Hang on Sloopy.

My Car Didn't Need to be Recalled After All

 

My 2015 Chevy Cruze Today

Several days ago, I received a postcard saying URGENT- your car needs to be recalled.  Please make an appointment to get this done.  I thought "urgent" was an exaggeration, but I thought I should bring it in.  This morning I drove it to the Chevrolet dealership in Forest Hills.  When I showed my notice to the receptionist, she looked it up and said this notice was sent to me in error.  I was a little annoyed as it wasted one hour of my time.

I bought this car in January 2019 as a pre-owned car.  Apparently, it had been previously leased to another driver.  The only problem I had with it concerned the air conditioning.  I had to pay big bucks to have it repaired.

So Nice They Did it Twice - You Got What it Takes- Dave Clark 5 and Marv Johnson

 

Dave Clark 5 Version - Charted in 1967

Marv Johnson Version - Charted in 1960

Cousin Brucie played the Dave Clark Five version on tonight's show.

The Oldies Meet and Greet Returns on November 12 - Keep the Date Open

 

Yours Truly with Jim Kerr in 2012

Keep the date open.  The Oldies Meet and Greet will happen on Saturday, November 12 at 2 PM at Ben's Deli at 209 West 38th Street in Manhattan.  We are trying to find guests who are either New York radio personalities or recording artists from the oldies era.  In the past our guests included

Ken Dashow - Q104.3

Jim Kerr - Q104.3

Carol Miller - Q104.3

Bobby Jay - WCBS-FM

Cool Bobby B - SiriusXM

Sue O'Neil - WCBS-FM

Alan Seltzer - WCWP

Louise Murray - The Jaynetts

Big Jay Sorensen - WNBC, WCBS-FM and others y

Tony Middleton - The Willows

Randy Safuto - Randy of the Rainbows - Sadly he passed away a few years ago

More information will be coming in a few weeks.

Random Oldies of the Day - Memphis by Lonnie Mack, Chuck Berry, and Johnny Rivers

 Which of these versions of Memphis is your favorite?

Mets Lose to Washington Nationals 7-1 For the Second Day in a Row

 

Can the Mets expect to advance in the playoffs if they can lose twice in a row to the lowly Washington Nationals by 7-1 scores?  I was at the game this afternoon to witness the lack of hitting.  Carlos Carrasco started the game just being activated from the Injury List after missing more than two weeks with a strained oblique.  He was not effective and was removed after 2 2/3 innings.  He was hurt by an error by Jeff McNeil that led to four unearned runs in the fifth inning.

A rally by the Mets was stopped as they got back-to-back singles from McNeil and Canha before Eduardo Escobar hit a bloop pop-up to left field. Hernandez would drop the ball, but the confusion of whether it was a catch or not caused the Mets to get doubled up and put out any potential runs.  It was one of the most unusual double plays that I have seen.

The Mets now lead the Atlanta Braves by only one game.

Game Recap

Many YouTube Videos on Bruce's Journal Need to Be Updated

 

Many of the 4500+ entries in Bruce's Journal include YouTube videos.  As I peruse old entries, I observe that many of those videos were deleted likely since they violate copyright.  I am now replacing those videos with newer ones that are legal.  This will obviously be a lengthy process.

If you find any such entries, please send me an email at bruce@bruceslutsky.com.  I am always interested in getting feedback from readers but realize that most people want to be anonymous as they surf the web.

I am Still Grateful that I Don't Have to Commute to New Jersey Any Longer

Even 4 1/2 years after my miserable commute to Newark ended, I keep aware of transit issues.  A detailed article in the New York Times discusses severe delays in the Gateway Tunnel Project.  A new tunnel will not be completed until 2035 and the cost will be $16.1 Billion.  The most significant issue is that the old tunnel — owned by Amtrak but more heavily used by New Jersey Transit — will not be fully rehabilitated until 2038, also three years later than planned.  The old tunnel was damaged by storm Sandy and has suffered wear and tear over 100 years in service.  What happens if the old tunnel fails before 2035?  Over my years of commuting very often one tube of the tunnel had to be closed causing serious delays.  Amtrak trains were always given preference over NJ Transit trains when there was a problem.

Thankfully, I don't have to worry about this. You can read about my commuting problems in my companion blog https://nynjcommuting.wordpress.com.