Mike C Has to Be America's Greatest Sports Fan

 

I should respect his privacy and not disclose his full name, but Mike reports that he attended 400 sporting events, as indicated in this handwritten note he posted on X.  There are only 365 days in the year, so many times as I have seen on X, he will attend one event in the afternoon and another in the evening.  He is most proud that he attended 9969 baseball games and will reach 10,000 early in 2026.  He must spend a fortune in purchasing tickets and incurring travel expenses.

What Ever Happened to the Houston Astrodome?

 

I thought my readers who are baseball fans would be interested.  Will they demolish or repurpose it?  This article in the New York Times tells the story.

God Only Knows by the Beach Boys - More Popular Now Than It Was When it Was Released in 1966

 

In the Summer of 1966, the Beach Boys released a two-sided hit with Wouldn't It Be Nice on the A-Side (reached #8 on the Billboard Chart) and God Only Knows on the B-Side  (reached #39 on the Billboard Chart).  The Oldies Board annually surveys its posters and music enthusiasts for their favorite songs.  God Only Knows charted at #2 or #3 from 2021 to the present, signifying it was more popular as an oldie.  It is possible that in 1966, radio stations were reluctant to play a song with the word "God" in its title.

Other songs became more popular as oldies.  Here are a few off the top of my head:

• River Deep Mountain High by Ike and Tina Turner
• Morning Girl - Neon Philharmonic
• Nothing but a Heartache by the Flirtations

Random Thoughts the Day after Christmas 2025

• I always wonder who reads my journal.  A few people make comments after I post an entry on Facebook.  Very few people make comments on Blogger.  Most people choose to be anonymous when they surf the web.  Blogger reports over 7 million hits, but how many of them are from robots?
• Over the years, I have posted many links to YouTube videos.  Many of those videos were deleted.  It would be a big job to replace those videos.
• This was a tough year as I lost 2 friends, Roy and Gary.
• I wish I had not had an excellent autobiographical as too many times I think of unpleasant experiences of the distant past.  I can't change things by second-guessing myself.
• Almost all the snail mail I receive is from organizations asking for money.  Once you donate to an organization, they keep asking for more money.

 

We Will See Song Sung Blue Tomorrow

 

We saw the Neil Diamond musical A Beautiful Noise about 2 years ago.  Tomorrow we will see the movie  Song Sung Blue, which, according to the review in the New York Times, is about a Neil Diamond cover band. I miss the College Point Multiplex so we'll have to drive a few miles to see it at the AMC Bay Terrace theater.

David Stearns - Please Come Through for the Older Met Fans

 

As you can see from the photo above, four popular Mets were also the longest-tenured members of the team and left within the last month.  Here are my comments:

• Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz should have been retained.  Steve Cohen could have exceeded the offers they received from the Orioles and Dodgers, respectively
• Marcus Semien improves the infield defense, but does not have the same power as Brandon Nimmo.  The latter was given an 8-year contract, then 3 years later they conceded he won' perform in the last years.
• The Jeff McNeil trade was a joke.  All they got in return was a 17-year-old prospect.  C'mon, David, you could have gotten more back for him.
• Today, a news conference was held to introduce Jorge Polanco.  He has been in the MLB for 10 years and can't communicate in English.  Doesn't he have enough money to hire a tutor to teach him the English language?

There are still several weeks left in the off-season.  Will David Stearns make a big splash by signing Cody Bellinger or obtaining a front-line pitcher?

I have been a Mets fan since day one in 1962.  I have survived many bad experiences, such as:

• The early years when the Mets lost over 100 games
• The Nolan Ryan trade
• The worst team that money could buy in the early 1990s
• The late-season collapses in 2007and 2008
• Steve Cohen promised us a world championship in 5 years after he purchased the team in 2020.  He has not come through for us.

If the Mets don't improve significantly over last season's 83-79 record, Steams should be fired.

Stay tuned.

Another Misadventure with a Dating App - Ghosted Again

 

A few months ago, I documented my bad experiences with dating apps.  At that time, I used a services limited to Jewish singles.  A friend said that if you do not eventually live with a woman or marry her, a difference in religion may not be important.  With that thought in mind, I signed up with a non-sectarian dating app. I encountered JA from Tennessee. I advised her that we are at a long distance from each other.  Here are some excerpts from our chat.  My answers are in italics:

 I have been single for three years now , lost my partner to cancer and ever since he passed, I haven’t been in any relationship just sick and tired of being alone that’s how I ended up on the dating site with the aim to meet a man who’s honest and ready for something in a long term

Do you think you could give this a try for the first time and see how it goes ?

Bruce - Do you really want to travel to NYC to meet a strange man?

I enjoy traveling and visiting New York would be a great time for me, once again distance doesn’t bother me when I find that special someone who’s gonna love and appreciate me

Bruce - Please don't make a trip to NYC just to meet me.  In any event, relationships take time to develop.  We don't know very much about each other.  It is my opinion that the difference in age will catch up to a couple sooner or later. I am 23 years older than you.

Remember I told you age and distance doesn’t bother me , I would like us to take it slow and get to know more about each other and see how compatible we both can be from time to time

Just to let you know, I’m not here for any games or fun

I haven't heard from her in 48 hours. GHOSTED.

No more dating apps for me.