I Read the News Today Oy Vey!

 

Which one is worse?

1. At least 15 people have been killed, and 27 are in hospitals after a shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach yesterday. The attack, declared a terrorist incident, targeted Jewish Australians and is the country’s worst mass shooting in almost 30 years.  Report in the New York Times
2. Two students were killed and nine were injured in a shooting at Brown University.  Police are still looking for the shooter as of 3 PM on December 15.
3. Rob Reiner and his wife were allegedly killed by their son. Latest from the New York Times. Chutzpah is when a person murders his parents and pleads for mercy on the grounds he is an orphan.  There are too many nuts with knives and guns out there. What really gets me is the statement made by Donald Trump, who attributed Hollywood director and progressive activist Rob Reiner’s death as the likely result of the “anger he caused others” through “TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.” Even some Republicans concurred that this was an insensitive and disrespectful remark about someone who died tragically.  Below is what Rob Reiner said about the tragic death of Charlie Kirk.

All of this qualifies for an "Oy Vey"

The Queens Baseball Convention Was Within Walking Distance of Home

 

For the third year in a row, Lee and I went to the Queens Baseball Convention at the Four Points by Sheraton, a 10-minute walk from home.  Today's gathering was significant after the recent losses of Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Diaz, and Pete Alonso.

The first event of the evening was an interview with retired Met reliever Jesse Orosco, as seen below. He reminisced about his appearances with the 1986 World Champion Mets.

There were two panels, State of the Mets and Till Mets Do Us Part.  The losses of Diaz and Alonso and the trade of Nimmo were considered, as well as future moves that David Stearns should make.  The consensus was that the Mets must plan for the future and not give long-term contracts to players in their thirties.

Former Mets manager Terry Collins was honored with the Gil Hodges Award and discussed the incident in the video seen below.  Tom Hallion, the umpire who argued with Terry from that game in 2016 also appeared. Adam Hamari was the home plate umpire who tossed Terry while Tom Hallion was the crew chief.

There was a feature called Mets Make a Deal based on the game show with a similar name.  It was Lee's lucky day as he was called out for wearing a Mets hockey jersey.  He won a Mets Connect Jersey and a Home Run Apple hat.

The day concluded with Kelly Franco interviewing current Met Brett Baty.  She runs a podcast called Three Inning Fan.

Random Thoughts of the Day - December 12, 2025

 

• Like everyone else, I am disappointed by the loss of Brandon Nimmo, Pete Alonso, and Edwin Diaz.  As I read Facebook and other stories, there is plenty of bitching going on.  There is no sense in writing anything more about this.  I will hear plenty of it at the Queens Baseball Convention tomorrow.  I just hate rumors and speculations.
• My Bob Dylan friends are all excited about the tour resuming in the spring.  Some are willing to travel long distances to see him.  The longest I traveled to see Dylan was in April 1997 when I went to William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ.
• My excellent autobiographical memory hurts me more than it helps.  I have too many flashbacks to unpleasant experiences and disappointments of the distant past.  Too often, I second-guess myself.
• Does the media report the news or create it?  For example, so much attention is given to Luigi Mangione while there are thousands of murders in the USA each year.

The Mets Lost Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso - Who is to Blame?

 

Yesterday, the Mets lost Edwin Diaz to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will be paying him $69 million over 3 years.  Today, they lost Pete Alonso to the Baltimore Orioles for $155 million over 5 years.  After trading Brandon Nimmo a few weeks ago, 3 fan favorites are gone.

I thought Steve Cohen had bottomless pockets and would at least match other teams' offers.  He promised us a World Series winner within 5 years of his becoming owner in 2020.  He obviously has not come through.  Is he holding back David Stearns?  Are they just afraid to give long-term contracts? Is Stearns afraid to make a counteroffer?

In any event, MLB salaries are absolutely outrageous.  Edwin Diaz pitched 66 innings for the Mets last season.  That would mean he gets about $350,000 an inning.

What are the Mets going to do?  They have already signed relief pitcher Devin Williams, who will be the closer, but they must shore up the bullpen.  Will they try to sign free agents or see if their farm system will come through?  How will the Mets replace Pete Alonso's 38 home runs and 126 RBIs? Will they sign Cody Bellinger or Kyle Tucker?  Will they move Mark Vientos to first base.

There is still plenty of time before spring training so obviously more moves wil be made.

Stay tuned.

The Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour Extends to 2026

 

My Bob Dylan friends are all excited that spring 2026 dates were announced for the Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour.  All the stops are at small cities except for Detroit, Cleveland, and Columbus, Ohio.  Sue already mapped out her trip and will buy her tickets as soon as they go on sale this Friday, December 12.  Unfortunately for me, there are no stops in or near NYC.

03/21/26 Omaha, Nebraska - Orpheum Theater

03/22/26 Sioux Falls, South Dakota - Mary W. Sommervold Hall

03/24/26 Rochester, Minnesota - Mayo Civic Center Arena

03/25/26 Iowa City, Iowa - Hancher Auditorium

03/27/26 La Crosse, Wisconsin - La Crosse Center

03/28/26 Rockford, Illinois - Coronado Theatre

03/30/26 Waukegan, Illinois - Genesee Theatre

03/31/26 Muncie, Indiana - Emens Auditorium

04/02/26 Grand Rapids, Michigan - De Vos Performance Hall

04/03/26 Saginaw, Michigan - Dow Events Center - The Theater

04/04/26 Detroit, Michigan - Masonic Temple Theatre

04/06/26 Louisville, Kentucky - The Louisville Palace

04/09/26 Columbus, Ohio - Palace Theatre details

04/10/26 Cleveland, Ohio - KeyBank State Theatre

04/12/26 Dayton, Ohio - Winsupply Theatre

04/14/26 Knoxville, Tennessee - Knoxville Civic Auditorium

04/16/26 Bowling Green, Kentucky - SKyPAC

04/17/26 Chattanooga, Tennessee - Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium

04/19/26 Asheville, North Carolina - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium

04/20/26 Spartanburg, South Carolina - Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium

04/22/26 Macon, Georgia - Macon City Auditorium

04/23/26 Dothan, Alabama - Dothan Civic Center

04/25/26 Jackson, Mississippi - Thalia Mara Hall

04/27/26 Baton Rouge, Louisiana - Raising Cane's River Center

04/28/26 Shreveport, Louisiana - Shreveport Municipal Auditorium

04/29/26 Tyler, Texas - Cowan Center

05/01/26 Abilene, Texas - Abilene Auditorium

Colorado Avalanche 3 New York Ranger 2 in OT at MSG

 

The ticket prices for Knicks and Rangers Games are so high, but there was a discount for tickets bought on Cyber Monday, so I splurged and bought tickets for this afternoon's game. It was a very close game with excellent defense as Artemi Panarin scored a goal with 42 seconds to go in regulation to tie the score at 2.  Nathan Mackinnon scored at 2:46 of the overtime period to secure the victory for the Avalanche.

The majority of the fans in the stands were under 40 years old.  Numerous small children were shown on the video board. Fewer older adults attend sporting events.

Game Recap

Book Review: A Nice Jewish Boy from San Francisco Makes it Big as a Host on WFAN in New York

 

Since 1987, when WFAN launched, I listened irregularly, but I never called in to speak to any of their hosts.  I just never wanted to be put on hold for a long time.  Steve Somers started at the station at its launch and was a full-time host until 2021.

In this autobiography that I have on the Kindle, Steve Somers traces his career from his boyhood in San Francisco until he became famous as an overnight host known as Captain Midnight at WFAN, America's foremost sports talk station.  He worked in several small radio and TV markets until he realized his dream of being on the air in the Big Apple.  I am not a night owl, so I didn't listen to him on his overnight shift.  But there were times when he was on the air during the day, and I heard his show.

He had some celebrity callers, including Jerry Seinfeld.  He calls the Mets the Metropolitans (their full name) and the Islanders the Icelanders.  Much of the book is devoted to anecdotes.  He listed many of his regular callers on the overnight shift.  He insisted that regular callers did not have a special line to the station.

On Wednesday, December 3rd, he spoke about his book at a Zoom meeting of the New York Giants Preservation Society.  I attended the meeting and asked him if he preferred one host or two, also did he think that hosts should talk about non-sports related topics.  He felt that the one host who talks to the callers is a better option and the host should stick to sports.

I highly recommend this book to sports fans.