Remembering George Harrison on the 24th Anniversary of His Passing

 

George Harrison has appeared in Bruce's Journal several times over the years.  When I looked back at these entries, I observed that many of the videos that I posted were later deleted by YouTube.  If I ever find the time, I should see if I can replace them.  I am posting Blow Away which was released in February 1979 on the album George Harrison.

UConn 74 Illinois 61 at Madison Square Garden

 

Since the ticket prices for Knicks and Rangers games were so high, we decided to take in a college basketball game at Madison Square Garden.  Obviously, most of the Garden was rooting for the UConn Huskies since geographically, Connecticut is closer to NYC than Illinois.  In 1977-78 I lived in New London, CT, which is about 40 miles from UConn's campus in Storrs.

UConn was able to maintain a comfortable lead throughout the game, but Illinois cut the lead from 21 to 7 at one point. UConn held on to win 74-61.

Game account from CT Insider

Yesterday's Radio Log

I haven't listed the radio stations that I accessed for a while in this journal.  Below is a list of FM, Satellite, and internet stations I listened to yesterday.

• WFUV - I heard Alice's Restaurant at 12 noon
• WBGO 
• Outlaw Country on Sirius/XM
• Q104.3 -  I caught part of the countdown of their 1,043 most popular songs
• Pop Gold Radio - I listened to part of Tom Natoli's tribute to Bob Shannon.  Tom should get an award for producing this show.
• Elvis Radio on Sirius/XM - Lee's favorite
• Beatles Channel on Sirius/XM
• 60s Gold on Sirius/XM
• Classic Rewind on Sirius/XM

 

Be Thankful For What You Got by William Devaughn - Appropriate Song for Today

 

I heard this on WFUV this morning.  I am thankful that everyone in my family is healthy.  I am also thankful when I go to the grocery store and have the funds to pay my bill.  Sadly, too many people rely on SNAP benefits to pay for their food.  I have donated to various food banks over the past few months.

Harrison Whitaker - First Jeopardy Superstar of This Season

 

Harrison Whitaker won his 10th game yesterday, qualifying him to be a Jeopardy Superstar according to my "guidelines".  Here are his statistics to date as compiled by The Jeopardy Fan.

292 correct, 31 incorrect

19/20 on rebound attempts (on 40 rebound opportunities)

47.37% in first on buzzer (270/570)

13/23 on Daily Doubles (Net Earned: $12,800)

7/10 in Final Jeopardy

He now ranks #17 in all-time winnings during regular play.  He must wait until next year to play in the Tournament of Champions.

There is a detailed article about him in the TV Insider.

You never know how far he will go.  He could lose tonight or he could beat Ken Jennings' all-time record of 74 victories.  Stay tuned.

Confronting Strangers on the Subway or the Street Can Be Dangerous

 

• A New York City subway rider was stabbed after asking another man to lower the volume of his voice.
• The man allegedly punched the victim in the face several times before stabbing him in the abdomen
• Police were called to the Jamaica Center/Parsons and Archer subway station in Queens at around 11 a.m. on Nov. 22

There are more details about this incident in:

• The New York Daily News
• The New York Post

I have read reports about people killed after fighting over parking spots.

There are too many nuts out there with knives and guns.  I am careful not to confront strangers.  I am tempted to do it when I see people riding bicycles on the sidewalk, but just don't do it.

I Bought Beatles Anthology 4 After All

 

In an August journal entry  I stated that I was not going to buy Anthology Volume 4 since I didn't need to hear more outtakes or alternative versions.  Back then, it was announced that you had to buy volumes 1-4 just to get 4.  Since I had volumes 1-3, I didn't want to buy them again.  It seems that the marketing people at Apple Records changed their mind and allowed people to purchase Volume 4 alone.  It adds to my collection of Beatles records and CDs.  Amazon delivered it at 7 AM today

There is an entry in Wikipedia that gives the track listings.  .

The Sports Talk Discussion Group at the Older Adult Center Struck Out With Me

 

Several weeks ago, the Older Adult Center announced a sports talk group on Tuesday mornings.  I thought I would go on Tuesdays when the trivia group does not meet in the afternoon.  At my first meeting, the topic changed every 30 seconds or so.  At the second meeting, a few participants monopolized the conversation, as was done in other discussion groups I attended.  Some of the topics considered were:

• Sports Betting
• The Pine Tar Game in 1983
• Poor performance of the Jets and Giants
• Salaries of sports superstars

It is very frustrating when I just can't get a word in when a few are dominating the conversation.  I try to enjoy myself, but just can't.

I wish the people who run these groups would get training on how to properly moderate a discussion group.  I don't sense any malicious intent, but I guess some motormouths just like to hear themselves talk.

An Entry From Bruce's Journal That Never Happened - Bob Dylan Never Recorded with Paul McCartney

 I looked back at a journal entry from May 26, 2009 stating that Bob Dylan will record with Paul McCartney.  That never happened.  However, Dylan has great respect for McCartney as seen in this brief video.

Dylan actually covered McCartney's The Things We Said Today in an album of McCartney covers.

Below is the Beatles' version of " Things We Said Today" which was released on the British Hard Day's Night and on the North American Album Something New.

Footnote to my Rego Park Story

From Long Island Newsday, February 21, 1972

Over the 20 years of Bruce's Journal, there have been several entries about growing up in Rego Park.  I just remembered that in February 1972, there was a big fire on 63rd Drive that wiped out the local branch of the Queens Library and other stores on that block.  Back in the day, when I was a student at nearby P.S. 139, I was a regular patron of that library.

A few years later, a new library was constructed across the street, as seen below.

Back in 1972, there was a Shell station at that site where I first put gasoline into my new Chevy Nova that my parents purchased for me.

I just found out that this library, constructed in the 1970s, will soon close and be demolished.  A new state-of-the-art Rego Park branch will be constructed on that site, double the size of the current branch.  It will look like the photo below.

 

Happy 93rd Birthday to Petula Clark

 

Her birthday was yesterday.  In 2017, Karen, Lee, and I saw her perform at BB King's.  I dedicated I Couldn't Live Without Your Love to Karen twice.

• On Sounds of the Sixties with Brian Matthew on BBC2
• On Jack Sullivan's oldies show on WESU.

Sue - Another Bob Dylan Fan Extraordinaire

 

About two years ago, I wrote an entry about some extreme Bob Dylan enthusiasts.  I omitted one named Sue whom I follow on X with the handle @SueMyAssOff.  Above is a photo of the ticket stubs from Dylan concerts she has attended over the years.  This website lists the 359 Dylan concerts she attended since 1988. She attended 141concerts on the current Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour.  She lives in Canada and traveled around the world to see Dylan. Sue, I admire your great enthusiasm for Bob.  I think you should write a book about your travels.

Sue in Paris waiting for the concert to begin.

Happy 80th Birthday to Neil Young - We Are Both Old Men

 

At age 80 Neil Young is an old man and so am I at 76.

I Hate Politics

 

It is so sad that politics is a necessary evil in American society.  It has gotten from bad to worse.  The politicians do what is best for their party, not for the people who elected them.  There is a cold war between Democrats and Republicans.  The American public is the loser in this miserable war.  Let me make some comments:

• I cannot understand why 77 million people voted for a convicted felon who should have faced trial for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election and for taking classified government documents to his home.
• This president is ignoring the concept of separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of our government.
• He abused the power of the presidency to pardon criminals.  He pardoned about 1600 people who stormed the Capitol to try to prevent the certification of the 2020 election.  He commutes the sentence of the asshole George Santos, who should have rotted in prison for the entire 7 years of his sentence.
• The tariffs that he imposed have created higher prices for all consumers
• The president used the judicial system to get back at his enemies who did not commit a crime.
• The entire population of the United States are losers in the government shutdown caused by the war between Democrats and Republicans.  I feel sorry for:
• People who rely on SNAP benefits.  I regularly see lines of people waiting for food, and others who scrounge piles of garbage looking for bottles and cans to redeem.
• Those who lost their jobs as a result of the shutdown
• Travelers who have been delayed because of a shortage of air traffic controllers.Commun
• Zohran Mandani fairly won the election for Mayor of New York City.  Let us not evaluate him until he takes office and succeeds or fails on his campaign promises.  It is unfair for the Republicans to label him as a Communist. The President should not deny funds to NYC since he disaaproves of the Mayor.

Alabama 103 St. John's 96 at Madison Square Garden

 

I got "sticker shock" when I saw that Knicks and Rangers tickets were over $200 for seats in the 200 level. Someone has to pay for the multi-million dollar salaries that the players make.  We decided to get tickets for the St. John's Red Storm, who were nationally ranked last season.

It was a close game, but the Crimson Tide of Alabama held on for a 103-96 victory.

Game Recap

For Joni Mitchell's 82nd Birthday - Big Yellow Taxi

 

Bob Dylan is Awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of Music - Concert to Honor Him

 

This is not bad for someone who dropped out of the University of Minnesota.  Right now, he is in Europe so he can not come right now to accept his award.  I doubt if he will do so in the future since he did not attend the December 2016 Nobel Prize ceremony.  Dylan joins a distinguished roster of Berklee honorary doctorate recipients that includes Duke Ellington (the first, in 1971), Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones ’51, Joni Mitchell, B.B. King, Ringo Starr, Tito Puente, Roberta Flack, Juan Luis Guerra ’82, A. R. Rahman, and Loretta Lynn, among others.

There will be a concert tonight at 8 PM honoring Dylan featuring guest artists Tim O'Brien, Lucy Kaplansky, Tony Trischka, Annie Raines, Matt Rollings, Bruce Molsky, Farayi Malek, Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin, Larry Watson, Berklee Faculty Big Band led by Peter Kenagy, Tom Piazza, and more.

It can be accessed at https://vimeo.com/showcase/bpc?event=5497499&video=1133543724

It will likely be archived at https://vimeo.com/showcase/bpc

Voice Your Choice by the Radiants - Perfect Oldie for Election Day

 

Voice Your Choice by the Radiants only reached #51 on the Billboard chart in early 1965.  I vaguely remember hearing Murray the K playing it on WOR-FM when he asked listeners to vote for their favorite record.

I will go to the polls a  little later today to voice my choice for mayor and other city officials.  I will not discuss my choices here as I hate politics.

Now The Hot Stove League Begins

I watched the World Series as a neutral observer.  Now that it is over, the "Hot Stove League" begins in earnest.  For readers who are not baseball fans, this is rumors and speculations about player moves in the offseason.

There is "preseason" as publications such as The Athletic and numerous websites have already speculated on player moves.  This includes professional journalists and ordinary fans.  The questions are:

• Will top free agents sign with their current teams or elsewhere?  What will be their salaries and the length of the contract?  I am especially concerned about Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz.
• What will happen to players who are eligible for arbitration?
• What players will be non-tendered and become free agents?
• What trades will be made?  Will each team benefit by the trade or will the transaction be a salary dump?

Also, awards such as the Most Valuable Player and Cy Young will be announced in the weeks to come.

Stay tuned.