SABR Day Was Virtual This Year - Zoom Saved The Day

 

The local chapters of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) hold meetings exactly 8 days before Superbowl Sunday.  The Casey Stengel Chapter in New York City held meetings at the New York Public Library and at Scandinavian House in Manhattan.  I documented several meetings in this journal:

• 2016
• 2017
• 2018
• 2019
• 2020

There was no local meeting this year since the COVID situation does not allow for large meetings.  Those described above generally drew from 80-100 people.

The virtual meeting held today commemorated the 50th anniversary of SABR.  It included congratulatory messages from players including Johnny Bench, Steve Garvey, Reggie Jackson, and Dave Winfield.

The first part of the program was an interview of National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum President Tim Mead.  He discussed how his career developed from an intern with the Los Angeles Angels to his current position.

Marty Appel, author and longtime New York Yankees public relations director interviewed broadcasting legend, Bob Costas.  The highlight of the event for me was hearing Bob describe his professional relationships with the 10 Hall of Famers who passed away over the past 9 months.

I hope that SABR recorded the event so others may view it.

Owners of IPhones and iPads should update to IOS 14.4 ASAP

 

I was watching the Today Show this morning when a short story advised owners of iPhones and iPads to upgrade to IOS 14.4.  It seems that there are so many updates to Apple products, but this one seems to be very important.  Apple stated that an anonymous researcher found that attackers may be able to remotely hack certain iPhones, iPads, and iPods.

This website from CBS News describes the situation in detail.

My Next Visit to Citi Field will be for a COVID Vaccination

A week or so ago New York City announced that Citi Field will be a mega site for the distribution of the COVID vaccine allowing for between 5,000 and 7,000 vaccinations each day.  Since I am over 65 years old I am now eligible.  However, the city exhausted its supply of the vaccine and suspended the program.

We don't know what will happen with the forthcoming baseball season.  Will there be a 162 season?  Will fans be allowed in the ballparks?  I think it is not likely at the beginning of the season.  It is possible that only a percentage of the seats will be allowed to be filled.  For that reason, I have not purchased any tickets for the 2021 season.

 

Thanks to Google Chrome and Spectrum Internet I won a Cousin Brucie - T-Shirt

I was never much of a radio contest "nut" over the years.  Usually, the DJ announces the first phone caller wins the prize.  Thousands of people dial the number milliseconds after the announcement is made, and one lucky person wins the prize.  On Saturday night January 16 Cousin Brucie gave a website and stated the first 25 people who submit their contact information will win the shirt seen above.  When I got to that site I typed in my first name and Google Chrome automatically put the rest of my contact information in the proper boxes.  That certainly saved several seconds by not requiring me to type in the information.  My Spectrum Internet then transmitted the information quickly.  The next day I received an email stating that I won the shirt.

I certainly hope that the next time WABC runs that contest Mary Shaw and Leslie Peskoff Fisch will win since they are Cousin Brucie's biggest fans.

 

I Was Born in Brooklyn in 1949 - Here is a Narrated Tour of the Borough in that Year

 

Mary Shaw who also was born in Brooklyn posted this video on Facebook.  I was born in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn in 1949, but my family moved to Queens two years later.  This film offers a narrated tour of the borough in that year.  

Will Zoom Meetings Prevail When "Normalcy" Returns?

 

Since people can not gather for face-to-face meetings during this pandemic Zoom meetings have become very popular for online classes and discussions among hobbyists.  There are more meetings online than there ever was face-to-face before the pandemic.  For example, the New York Giants Preservation Society (baseball) held about 3 meetings a year at a sports bar.  Over the past few months, this group has run meetings almost every week.  For a while, I attended these online meetings, but as long as I don't want to ask a question, I view the archived version at my convenience.  Since the meetings are online, people from all over the country can attend.

Likewise, a Bob Dylan fan group that I organized in Fall 2019 used to hold meetings at NYU in Greenwich Village.  We now hold monthly meetings online.

Once this miserable pandemic ends, will people prefer online meetings?  It remains to be seen..

Good Luck to the Biden Harris Administration

 

Today was the big day as Joe Biden became President and Kamala Harris became the first woman to become Vice-President.  There are many problems in today's society that will not disappear as there is a new team in Washington.  Mr. Biden will sign 17 executive orders, memorandums, and proclamations from the Oval Office on his first day in office.  This will help to undo the legacy of his predecessor who in my opinion never had the qualities to be president in the first place.  It is hard to believe that 74 million people voted for him.

I wish the best of luck to the new administration in all their endeavors.  Joe Biden will be president for all Americans, not just those who voted for him.  If they succeed, the American people will benefit.

On another topic, I hope that Donald Trump will be prosecuted to the fullest extent to the law on all charges.  Nobody is above the law.