Old Snow is Ugly

Since we got 26 inches of snow on Saturday January 23 the weather has been mild.  Today the temperature went up to the 50s melting much of the snow that remains.  Snow looks nice for a few days, but after that it looks plain ugly.  The piles created when the Sanitation Department moves snow can take a long time to melt.  Today alternate side of the street parking in NYC was back in effect so the sanitation trucks could smash some the mounds of snow and spread it out so it could melt faster.  Hopefully the rain predicted for Wednesday will wash the rest of it away.

Villanova 68 St. Johns 53 at Madison Square Garden

The St. Johns Red Storm basketball team did not perform well against Villanova as they committed many turnovers and shot very poorly.  The teams were even in the first half , but Villanova pulled ahead in the second half.  I observed that most of the people in the fans were rooting for Villanova as they were wearing blue shirts.  They were either alumni from the NYC area or students who made the trip from the Philadelphia area.  Brian Cashman, General Manager of the Yankees, and tennis great John McEnroe were in the stands.

Game summary

So far during this basketball season we have seen games at:

• Pratt Athletic Center of LIU Post
• Barclay Center
• Carnesecca Arena
• Mack Arena of Hofstra
• Madison Square Garden

SABR Day in New York City

SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) has chapters throughout the world.  The last Saturday in January is designated SABR days as many of the local chapters have meetings.  The Casey Stengel chapter representing the New York metropolitan area met at the Mid-Manhattan Library.  The morning part of the program saluted the legendary career and life of Yogi Berra.  The panelists included:

• Dave Kaplan - founding director of the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center
• Dave Anderson - Pulitzer Prize winning sports journalist of the New York Times
• Lindsay Berra - oldest grandchild of Yogi and Carmen Berra

Each of the panelist spoke about their experiences with Yogi.  We were shown a video of President Obama's presenting the Presidental Medal of Freedom to Yogi posthumously.  Lindsay spoke on how you used social media to get her grandfather honored.  We were also shown a video of Yogi's interview on 60 Minutes with the late Bob Simon.

Although Yogi only had an 8th grade education, he is quoted more than Shakespeare.  I heard this Yogism today for the first time:

If Branch Rickey was alive, he'd be turning over in his grave. (He was referring to the salaries ball players get today)

I purchased a book of stories in the New York Times about Yogi over the years edited by Dave Anderson.

The afternoon part of the program commemorated the 30th annversary of the 1986 World Champion New York Mets.  The discussion was lead by Jay Goldber, proprietor of Bergino Baseball  Clubhouse.  He showed a video the the complete at bat in Game 6 of the World Series where Mookie Wilson hit the ground ball which Bill Buckner missed.

I just wish that the local chapter of SABR would meet more than once a year.

Just Like a Woman by Manfred Mann - Bob Dylan Cover of the Day

I also like the Richie Havens version.

Goodbye To Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on Facebook

For several years playing Who Wants to Be a Millionaire on Facebook has been a ritual for me.  Over the many years it has been on Facebook I have won over $300 million in unreal money of course.  A few weeks ago they announced the game would close on January 31.  I could not access the game today.  Someone responded to my query saying that they pulled the game 4 days early.  I don't don't know why, bu I am guessing that real money is involved.  Perhaps Facebook no longer wants to pay the royalty required by the producers of the show.  I guess I'll have to find a new way to amuse myself.  Oh well.

Unexpected Snow Day For Me but not for the NYC Public Schools

It must be a very difficult decision for school administrators to declare a snow day.  The New York City schools were open today even though so many side streets were not plowed.  Back when I was in elementary school I could always walk to P.S. 139, but many young students must use school buses.  Since there was not a snow day for the public schools, many students and teachers just could not make it in.  Had a snow day been declared, working parents would complain that nobody was home to watch the kids.  So the Mayor and Schools Chancellor are between a rock and a hard place.

The original announcement at NJIT on Friday night was for classes to resume on Monday.  At that point the forecast was still for about 12 inches of snow.  When the actual amount was closer to 2 feet we received an announcement that the administrative offices including the library would open at 12 noon.  At about 9:30 AM we heard that NJIT will be closed for the entire day.  I am certainly appreciative of the university administation's concern for the safety of students and staff.  This semester there are two "reading days" in May when students can study for exams.  Perhaps the Monday classes that were missed today will be made up then.

I have heard from colleagues that the city of Newark does a poor job of cleaning the streets after a snowstorm.  Perhaps that was a factor in declaring today a snow day.  Back to work tomorrow.  I feel restless after staying home for three straight days.

Random Comments on Dig Out Day

There was 26.8 inches of snow measured in Central Park which is the second biggest snowfall in NYC since weather data was first recorded in 1869.  We decided to venture out of the apartment at about 12 noon.  We saw that snow was not plowed from the area where my car is garaged.  That indoor garage is really a blessing since I never have to worry about alternate side of the street parking.  The exterior of my 2000 Chevy Cavalier has been preserved by being indoors most of the time.  We took a walk to the grocery store around the corner and picked up a few things.  From there we walked over to get some pizza.  It was really difficult to negotiate around street corners.

About 3:30 I walked back to the garage area and saw that it was still not plowed.  This is very unusual for my co-op.  It didn't matter that much to me as I don't take my car to work.  I will eventually have to go there to shovel the snow that  blocks my garage door.  A few of my neighbors were angry saying "what do I pay rent for?"  Oh well.