The former Arsenal star Freddie Ljungberg played the entire match for Seattle (pictured above in green uniform).  He wasn’t the nasty physical force he was when the Red Bulls played the Sounders in Seattle the second week of the season.  But Ljungberg is a menacing presence and he took all of Seattle’s corner kicks. 

Montclair Mike and I sipped cold ones at Bello’s before and after the match.  The bar got its Preak on by showing the race on one of its many televisions.  It’s still just two bucks for a PBR at Bello’s and Mike ordered a good-sized plate of chicken wings as the night wound down which was a nice way to wrap up a fun evening. 

5-17-10 0130

With another well-received new full-length release out in the last week, Woods played a special show at a unique venue on the Lower East Side of Manhattan Thursday night backed by a team of visual artists. 

The arts arm of the 115-year-old social services/community support agency Henry Street Settlement includes a classic two-level, 350-seat playhouse property on Grand Street.  Woods headlined a two-band bill that would provide the live soundtrack for one of four performances of the Joshua Light Show, described in the run-up as a “psychedelic lightshow discipline popularized in the 1960’s.”

The venue was the Harry De Jur Playhouse which dates to 1915 and occupies space in the Abrons Art Center.  The Arts Center sits about halfway between Chinatown and the East River in a neighborhood dominated by high-rise apartment buildings of the non-fancy variety.  

I had to work the crazy early shift on Friday, so there was no partying in advance of the show for me.  Since the Arts Center didn’t serve alcohol, there was no way to change the game plan anyway.  But anybody with free-flowing neurotransmitters would have at least gotten a few rises out of the light show spectacle. 

The fact I adore Woods and have a mind that welcomes the convergence of their beautiful noise with a kaleidoscope of color made me feel very much at home as I sat solo in the first row - stage right.

Woods had to have been inspired for this gig on a couple of levels.  First, the band’s music and live show tendencies are what I’d imagine fans of a true 60’s light show on the Lower East Side would want.  Second, the opener on this bill (MV & EE) so thoroughly nailed their 65-minute set that Woods had a high bar to clear.  Woods frontman Jeremy Earl (pictured above) sat in the back row of the theatre for the MV & EE performance and saw the Vermont outfit fully extend instrumentally.  Matt Valentine (MV) plugged in what looked like a banjo during an extended jam late in the proceedings and sat down.  The sound that came out of it was pure sitar.  Or in this case, it was a “bantar.” 

Erika Elder (EE) was lead vocal on a killer cover of Positively 4th Street.  She seemed to forget the words late in the tune – or got distracted by a pedal issue – and asked Valentine to improvise some filler space.  Before you knew it, Elder was back on track and completed the best-sounding homage to Dylan I believe I’ve ever heard.  Elder’s red dress was a nice complement to the light show effects and I’ll be anxious to see this band the next time they hit town. 

Woods went on about 9:50 PM.  The place wasn’t full but if the capacity is indeed a true 350 then I’d say there were 250 on hand.  Woods has been playing stuff from the new record “At Echo Lake” for several months now, and again went to it Thursday night.  But at no point did any band member mention the new record or attempt to push it.  Earl never says much of anything between songs.  A long, pulsating tune I’ve not heard in the middle of the set was clearly aimed at heightening the lighting effects.  It was great but “I Was Gone” off the new release was the highlight.  It closed the show and ran probably ten minutes longer than the recorded version. 

Effects man G Lucas Crane (pictured above) held his usual floor position in the middle of the stage.  When the band began its set, Crane lit a stick of incense protruding from his homemade box holding cassette players and sound knobs/slides.  Crane’s knees must take on terrible stress as he crouches there night after night.  For this show, he laid down a mat of black soundproof foam to serve as a cushion.  Like he did when I saw him in Chicago, Crane played some trumpet.  On Thursday, he added a large silver chalice-looking device to his repertoire.  It wasn’t a horn and the sound it produced was neutral.  The nice thing on this night was that Crane was fully visible to the crowd because the stage was elevated and fans were seated.  At many gigs, Crane can’t be seen by many on hand because he’s below the sightline.  He’s such a critical part of what’s going on, he needs to be seen and so it was great his efforts could be appreciated for this gig. 

After it was over, the white curtain serving as canvas for the light show was lifted to reveal the half-dozen humans responsible for projecting images.  They got the biggest applause of the night.  My favorite aspect of the light show was when a joker face moved left to right three times consecutively during MV & EE’s set.  Most of the effects resembled spilled paint or blood drips or exploding flowers or crackling cauliflower, so when joker man appeared it was startling in a good way. 

-The Post’s Bart Habbuch had an eye-opening revelation in a story he wrote for Thursday’s newspaper.  Quoting a “league source with knowledge of the situation,” Habbuch says the Jets have 17-thousand unsold personal seat licenses (PSL) for the upcoming season.  The PSL is a one-time surcharge on season ticket holders.  For most seats in the lower bowl, the surcharge is an astounding five figures and up.  That’s on top of a stiff face value cost per ticket.  The 28-thousand seats in the upper bowl at the new Meadowlands are surcharge-free, so if you do the math, the Jets have three and a half months to sell about 32-percent of their total personal seat licenses.  The bottom line is you have an organization considered among the hottest in the entire league and the owner’s greedy PSL extortion tactics are blowing up in his face. 

5-15-10 1200 

I went over to Flushing Meadows Corona Park on the off day Tuesday to watch some high school baseball.  It was a chilly afternoon at the diamond nestled between the Queens Zoo and the Long Island Expressway.  A strong wind kicked up a lot of dust at the bumpy, well-used ball field and I counted three parents and a few passers-by as the only attendees aside from players and coaches from the two teams.  

As I’ve stated here many times, public high school athletics get serious short shrift in New York City and baseball is no exception.  But the feeling I get is that baseball is treated better than soccer.  The baseball fields I’ve seen in Queens and Brooklyn aren’t as horrendous as the ones used for soccer matches.

The game I saw pitted Flushing High School versus The Academy for American Studies.  Both are Queens public schools but they are very different.  At about 2700, Flushing’s enrollment is four times the size of the Academy’s.  City education officials have studied the possibility of shutting Flushing (it’s the oldest public school in the city) for bad performance while the Academy (located near the Queens Plaza subway stop) turns away more than 2800 applicants a year because of its high standards and success.    

The Academy only fields three boys’ athletic squads (baseball, basketball, volleyball) but looked competitive, spirited and sportsmanlike for the baseball game I attended. 

Academy starting pitcher Chris Rodriguez (also on the hoops team) threw everything right down the middle and struck out the side in the first inning.  Rodriguez (pictured above) was hittable but very much in control which is crucial in the high school game.  In his last outing a week ago, he struck out twelve.  When Rodriguez would step in the batter’s box as a hitter, his teammates yelled: “Here we go C-Rod!”   

Wooden bats are mandatory in New York City high school games now – and that’s a good thing.  The mound is way too close for any pitcher to react to the rockets that come off aluminum bats.  

Two umpires worked the game.  One was behind the plate and one roved the infield.  Both were serious and competent and both wore official looking uniforms. 

I left before the game was over because of the chill in the air, but the Academy appeared well on their way to an easy win.  I walked down 111th Street several blocks to reach the 7 train to get home.  I’d imagine that’s how the players got to and from the game as well. 

The photo at the top of this page shows Flushing’s sophomore shortstop Wilfred Fernandez.  

-Washington Nationals manager Jim Riggleman told Francesa Tuesday that rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg has an air-tight limit on the number of innings he’ll pitch this season.  Riggleman said the number is 150.  By the time Strasburg completes what has been a wildly successful minor league program, Riggleman expects the Nats will have about 100 innings to play with.  Additionally, Rigs says Strasburg will never exceed a 90 to 100 pitch count limit in any start this season once he hits the majors.  Strasburg has been dominant in six minor league starts, mixing a high-90’s heater with a killer hook.  He really ought to be up in the bigs right now, but I’d expect the Nats to make the call soon and slot him into the rotation with a home start.  Whenever it happens, that should be a very exciting day for baseball and the fans in DC.

5-11-10 2200

A new Obama appointee at the federal agency overseeing labor relations at airlines and railroads has helped overturn a bad, 76-year-old rule that unfairly stifled unionization efforts.

The National Mediation Board announced Monday it was easing the threshold for a union victory when representation elections are conducted.  It was a former union flight attendant appointed to the NMB by Obama who cast the deciding pro-union vote on the new rule.     

Since 1934, unions attempting to represent railroad workers – and later airline workers - would only gain certification if a majority of the total workforce voted in the affirmative.  For example, if 7000 airline workers were asked to settle the unionization question, 3501 “yay” votes were required to unionize.  Problem was, those who didn’t cast a ballot were automatically counted in the “no” column.  Indifference, reluctance or fear to participate in a union election favored the company. 

The new NMB ruling changes all that.  If let’s say those same 7000 workers face a union election – and a simple majority of those who participate vote in the affirmative, the union is in.  Those who don’t vote, don’t count one way or the other.  Like any election involving two lawmakers running against each other, the one with the most votes win.

If only 3000 cast votes among the 7000 workers in a union election under the new rule, the threshold for victory is 1501.   

The change for airline/railroad workers brings them into line with the way union elections are conducted in the balance of the industry in this country.  Many union elections at airlines have been lost over the years because of this unfairly high bar.  I personally witnessed and participated in a half-dozen elections skewed in favor of the company.  In the most recent effort, we overcame the hurdle and unionized in spite of the pro-company threshold. 

About two-thirds of airline workers are already unionized, so this change could help the rest of those who aren’t.  It’s only fair. 

At a time when Obama’s progressive supporters occasionally wonder if they’d been forgotten, Monday’s NMB ruling was a hopeful sign this administration may be picking its spots. 

The airline industry’s trade group is already talking lawsuit.  The airlines should pipe down and be happy they got away with seven decades of a stacked deck.  They should live with the fact that the only votes that count are the ones placed in a ballot box.      

-The upper level food court at LaGuardia (adjacent to the American Airlines ticket counter) is adding a Five Guys hamburger outlet.  Five Guys is replacing what was long a tired Wendy’s take-out counter. 

5-11-10 0101

Fil Bondy of the News covered Friday night’s sold-out soccer friendly at the new Meadowlands football stadium and the column he produced ended up being more a review of the new venue. 

Bondy didn’t love the new stadium on his first visit, calling it “neither mind-blowing, nor particularly disappointing.”

He said seats in the upper bowl are configured at a “frighteningly steep slope” but overall he said the venue offers good views.

Natural grass was laid down over the Field Turf for Friday night’s Mexico/Ecuador scoreless tie.  Bondy believes the venue will serve as host of the 2022 World cup final. 

-Major League Soccer will expand to 19 teams in 2012.  It has been announced that Montreal will be the home of the league’s newest expansion team.  Portland and Vancouver join the MLS next year with Montreal following the year after that.  While announcing Montreal, MLS commish Don Garber made it clear he wants New York (presumably Queens) to become next on the expansion list.  Considering Mexico/Ecuador drew 77,507 Friday night, Garber may assume the New York market can support two MLS franchises.  My concern is that the Red Bulls are stuck on 15-grand a match and I know for a fact that some folks are coming from Long Island, Queens and Brooklyn.  Would a new MLS franchise in Queens siphon away support from the Red Bulls and their great new arena?  Garber firmly says no and even claimed the Red Bulls back adding a second area team.  In a perfect world, the established team in Harrison and the new expansion team in Queens would both thrive and become great rivals.  It’s just hard to picture given the Red Bulls’ inability to get over the 15-grand per match hump.

-I’ve been watching a decent amount of soccer on Saturday mornings the last few months, but none with more fan energy than the match I watched yesterday.  Leeds United needed a victory to seal promotion from what’s called “League One” which is two notches below the Premier League.  Leeds has a long, rich history including success at the highest level of European soccer but it’s been stuck in League One for three seasons.  So, it was great fun watching them beat Bristol 2-1 at their packed home venue and clinch advancement to what’s called the “League Championship” which is one league below the Premier League.    Leeds scored both of their second half goals down a man from disqualification.  The Leeds crowd was unlike anything you’ll see at any sporting event in this country.  It wasn’t just pockets of delirium throughout.  It was the entire crowd.  The sight that really moved me was a shot of about a dozen people in wheelchairs lined up facing the pitch behind the goal manned by the Leeds keeper before the match.  Each one of the fans in wheelchairs could be seen on TV singing the team theme song “Marching On Together” at the top of their lungs. All of them had incredible smiles as they sang with gusto.  After the match, fans streamed onto the field.  Fox Soccer Plus didn’t stick with the scene for too long, but at one point you could see grown men approaching Leeds midfielder Jonny Howson to plant kisses of appreciation on his cheek.   

5-9-10 0145

I’m guessing Francesa is gonna get crushed by the city’s TV/Radio writers for his kid-glove treatment of Lawrence Taylor’s sex-with-a-minor arrest Thursday. 

When Mike went on the air at 1:05 PM, he immediately voiced hope the story wasn’t true.  Using his own sources, Francesa hinted that the victim’s facial injuries were not the result of anything L-T would be capable of.  That aspect of the case was confirmed by Ramapo, NY police three and a half hours later. 

But throughout the afternoon, Francesa really went out of his way to defend L-T the man.  He expressed surprise when YES posted a graphic showing a lengthy list of criminal offenses racked up by the NFL hall of famer.  He repeatedly tried reconciling the rap sheet with an argument that L-T was little more than a “party boy” who had hurt only himself. 

When callers tried to point out that there was great inconsistency with the way Mike lambasted Big Ben over the course of several weeks with what sounded at times like very strong support of L-T, Francesa urged listeners to let the former Giants pass rusher get his day in court.  He also outrageously cast aspersions on the motives of the victim.  (to hear that part of Mike’s commentary, click here)

Late in the show, Francesa seemed to bite his tongue a bit.  When callers suggested facts in the case left open the possibility the victim arrived for her meeting with L-T with wounds on her face, it finally dawned on Francesa that the young woman could have benefited from a caring human being in this instance.  “He should have helped her,” said Mike.     

5-6-10 1810

The announced merger proposal between the company I work for and United Airlines is certainly causing angst among my co-workers.  But the top boss at my place of employ - Continental CEO Jeff Smisek - has done a decent job explaining many of the sticky issues involved with such a colossal combo in a series of messages released on the employee "intranet" site the last few days.

Smisek is only six months into his reign as top dog at Continental, so there is natural distrust about him leading the airline into such an earth-shaking arrangement.  In the view of some, it doesn't help that Smisek's primary vocation as he rose through the ranks was that of a lawyer.   

Smisek is set to sit at the top of the corporate power chart at the newly-formed mega-company assuming the government signs off on anti-trust concerns.  It's clearly in Smisek's personal best interest to double the size of the workforce he'll oversee.  He'll get paid more, right? 

But is the merger in the best interest of rank and file workers from two distinctly different work cultures at Continental and United? 

Smisek says Continental has lost more than $1 billion since 9-11.  He told Continental workers that the merger is a way to escape a "cycle" of big losses.  "We will have an unmatched scope and scale that will allow us to generate more revenue and operate the combined carrier more efficiently," said Smisek.  "This will help us achieve and sustain profitability, which will permit us to improve career opportunities for co-workers at both airlines." 

The history of airlines that merge is a well-documented nightmare for workers.  While United and Continental don't have many overlapping routes, they would have duplicative administrative or "non-operational" functions as Smisek calls them.  People in jobs with similar tasks away from the airplanes are gonna get axed and the criteria used to determine who stays and who goes will seem unfair to the worker who goes. 

Smisek admits that part of the deal is "painful," but says "it's the right thing to do for our future." 

Without anything close to the access Smisek has to the big picture, all I can do individually is either trust the guy or throw up my hands and freak out.  I've decided for now that I'm gonna read as much coverage as I can about this story, and hope Smisek is taking us down the right path. 

His communication with employees since the merger deal was formally announced has been solid.  Smisek's appearances with the media have went well, I believe.  He's brash and speaks without much in the way of a crutch. 

I doubt he and I go see the same rock and roll bands, but I'm getting a vibe that he knows what he's doing. 

No matter how the merger turns out, he'll make out just fine I'm sure.  All that "pain" he acknowledges for some is something his bank account will never feel.  But all of this for me boils down to the fact that Continental reports big losses just about every quarter.  Continental is widely believed by independent observers to deliver the best flying experience among the major legacy carriers, yet it still consistently loses big money.  Smisek is trying to do something about it.  I could be wrong, I guess.  And I acknowledge that it's natural to distrust guys in suits making lots of money throwing two big companies together.  But I'm at a point now where I think the new, combined airline may work out for the better.                    

My biggest parochial concern associated with the merger is the US government's recent action requiring Delta and US Air to relinquish precious, long-held slots at LaGuardia in the name of competition. 

The two carriers own significant rights to a certain level of flight activity at LaGuardia and Washington National and wanted to swap those rights (or "slots") among themselves to balance or re-align their interests.  Before the trade could be completed, the government stepped in and demanded reallocation of a portion of those slots to the likes of Southwest, Air Tran and Jet Blue. 

The government is in effect robbing the old man who lived in the neighborhood his whole life to help the new kid on the block.  It's done in the name of competition, but there are no conditions placed on the operating philosophy (including labor relations) of the airline that's rewarded by the government's intervention.  

So, will the anti-trust division of US Justice tell the newly-formed Continental/United that it can complete its merger only if it sheds slots at LaGuardia, Newark and/or National?  I would hope not - at least in the case of LaGuardia.  United and Continental have no overlapping routes out of LaGuardia and their combined operation won't produce a monopolistic powerhouse.  From a purely selfish standpoint, I hope the newly-formed airline continues its current level of activity using the same combined manpower.  I'd expect an effort at some point to put everybody in the new, integrated entity under the same roof at LaGuardia but that would require a swap of gates.   

Airlines (other than the uniquely fuel-hedged Southwest) have bled red a good part of the eight and a half years since 9-11.  The government's obsession with competition should include consideration of that fact.  Transporting a family to Florida on an airliner shouldn't be a cash-negative experience for the carrier.

From the industry's perspective, that's unfortunately what it has become.  Budget airlines with shoddy labor relations philosophies cut the throat of legitimate legacy carriers.  The customers don't see it.  They see the leather seats, live televisions and giveaway fares.  Rarely do the purchasers of an airline ticket give consideration to whether the carrier they choose maintains its fleet in this country with mechanics who wear the company uniform.

This is where airline deregulation is at right now.  The government remains hands-on with regard to silly issues like tarmac sit times but it doesn't seem much interested in the health and standards of the industry and its labor force.  It's a Chuck Schumer song and dance that seeks to appease the pissed-off flyer who had a bad trip and wants to blame somebody.  It should be an industry that's treated as vital to the national interest to some extent.  It's an industry that moves people, freight and mail in a way that other modes of transport cannot. 

Government's deregulation of the airlines (adopted in 1978) brought with it dozens of budget carriers adding way too many seats to this country's air travel system (capacity).  This United/Continental combo (along with the recent mergers of Northwest/Delta and US Air/America West) is a last-ditch survival tactic.

I don't like the fact hands were forced.  I don't like the upheaval a merger will add to the lives of workers at two very large companies meshing employee groups that don't know each other.  I fear the job cuts and words like "synergy."  I fear employee confusion and emotional responses typically associated with change.  But I gotta say I understand the thirst of company executives tired of reporting losses every quarter to become bigger and more powerful.  Isn't that what corporations want to do.  Be big.  Be dominant.  Gain market share.  

I mean, I believe strong empowerment of a workforce goes a long way in determining the success of a corporation and this merger will likely erect empowerment barriers for many.  But I get what the honchos at United and Continental are doing here. 

They have two leaky boats out in a sea crowded with other leaky boats.  The sharks are circling.  The only way to avoid getting chomped up is to turn the two boats into a big ship.  A few of the weaker competitors may sink from the wake, making it easier to navigate the waters.               

5-5-10 1930  

As was the case in each of the previous 19 runs of the Kentucky Derby, I left Louisville with empty pockets and very little wind in the sails.  Other than nibbling on the fringe of a juicy pick four score on Wednesday, I was in the wrong area code, wrong zip code on all my other plays Thursday, Friday and Saturday. 

Not too far from any wagering defeat was a cold Bud or a sip of triple-digit-proof brown liquid.
   
The Derby's official race chart summarizes each horse's trip and it's amazing how many of the twenty runners had difficult traffic experiences rounding the oval.  All  but a few either had to put on the brakes or made significant contact with other horses.   Some even had multiple instances of bumping, grinding and/or abrupt stopping.

On Friday and Saturday, we sat in a six-seat box next to the office of track superintendent Butch Lehr.  They were great seats despite an occasional partially-obstructed view. 

Each year there's a wildcard in our orbit, and this year it was a nice guy named Mike from Manhattan who had wide eyes and enthusiasm about the whole Derby scene.   

We were never too far away from Chip Woolley, the winning trainer at last year's Derby.  Every time we turned around, there was Chip taking a picture with somebody in the crowd.  He didn't have horses running on any of the days we were there, but Woolley is basking in the celebrity he earned a year ago this time.  If you win a Derby wearing a bold, black cowboy hat, your star will shine on Derby weekend for many years to come.      

-In a case of horrible timing, Louisville's daily newspaper suffered a shutdown of its printing press system as a run of 270-thousand Sunday newspapers was just beginning.  The Louisville Courier-Journal is the paper everybody wants to look at the day after the Derby, but a circuitry problem stopped the presses and killed all but a few thousand of the sections carrying news and sports related to the Derby.  Only pre-printed sections were delivered to home subscribers Sunday morning.  The paper's web site was fine and contained all the content you'd expect during the publication's most important news cycle of the year, but the actual Sunday hard copy product didn't reach home subscribers until Monday morning.  By that time, thousands of visitors passing through Louisville's airport who grab a copy for the ride home had left town.  A video of Courier-Journal publisher Arnold Garson reacting to the printing press problem was posted on the newspaper's web site Sunday afternoon.  He said the paper fielded "tens of thousands" of phone calls from frustrated readers.

-For the third consecutive year, the Mag Bar (located roughly halfway between the mighty Ohio River and Churchill Downs) closed out our Derby night with an exclamation point or two.  Tequila shots were three bucks. 

-Breaking with tradition, we had Derby night dinner at a really nice place east of downtown.  Normally, we linger late at the track and then wander over to a chain burrito joint on Bardstown.  This year, we exited the races quickly and hustled to the Mayan Cafe to make a 830 PM reservation.  It was a really great spot to unwind after a frenetic losing day at the track.  I had lima beans and pork bathed in a red sauce with heat.  It was excellent.  The guac rocked and the staff there was really cool.  We told them we're coming back next year. 

-On Oaks night, we ate at Dizzy Whizz and boy was that a good time.  Why we haven't hit this place in the past, I'm not sure.  It's a classic drive-in that's been in biz since 1947.  We sat at the counter inside and warmed immediately to the very sweet woman taking orders.  The "Whizzburger" and fries hit the spot and the bill was small.  The night before, it's been tradition to eat as a large group and we again this year ended up at Bourbon's Bistro.  The hook here is the massive bourbon selection.  It's fun looking at a bar displaying more than a hundred bottles of bourbon and mulling over which one should get tipped.  This year, the proprietor of the Bistro chatted us up on the subject of bourbon and let us sample one of his favorites.  He also displayed a valuable bottle of really old bourbon that he consumes on only the most special of occasions.           

-The line to pass through security at Louisville's airport mid-day Sunday was longer than I've ever seen it.  It snaked through a long corridor all the way back to doors accessing the departure curb.  It actually looked more daunting than it was.  It took 45 minutes to get through.  Passengers shook their heads and checked their wrist-watches.  When the guy checking ID's and boarding passes near the metal detectors spent a full minute making extraneous small talk with a passenger in front of me, it generated a rebuke from an impatient line standee.  My pal Marc and his wife left at mid-morning and report it took them only ten minutes to pass security.

The predicted severe weather for Derby Day never materialized.  Just 1.32 inches of rain fell all day and the lightning that was feared didn't happen.  It never got dark enough to warrant use of the new, permanent lighting system although it was reported the track was prepared to flip the switch if necessary.  Heck, the sun actually broke through as horses were saddled for the Derby which allowed the crowd exposed to the elements to watch the race without getting pelted with the light, persistent rain that had fell much of the afternoon. 

-The worst weather occurred just after midnight Sunday morning and mid-day Sunday.  Strong storms and heavy showers flooded roads but didn't seem to impact airport operations much.  In all, Louisville got 3.44 inches of rain on Sunday, shattering a precip record for the date.  

-Normally, the chart on the final race of a thoroughbred card includes the official track attendance for that day.  Churchill's charts say "unavailable" on the attendance line. The main DRF story on the Derby said attendance was "announced" at  155,804.  That's about 40-thousand more people than what Churchill said were at the Oaks Day card.  I didn't get a great look at the infield Saturday, but I'd say 155 is an inflated number for sure.  Churchill's apparent inclination to withhold the attendance number from the chart compiler would make the number fed to reporters less than legit in my eyes.       

-It's been nice to be away from work as the Continental/United merger got nailed down.  There's way too much blown energy and over-the-top reactions in these instances.  I'll have more to say about it later in the week, but I'm just glad I was able to watch this story unfold from afar. 

5-3-10 1550

It'll take a day or two to sort through all the memories of Derby Week 2010 but you likely know how my Derby pick fared.  Awesome Act finished 19th of 20. 

As the horse passed me late in the race, Awesome Act was moving so slow I didn't think he'd finish the full mile and a quarter.  It was anything but Awesome.   

In 19 consecutive Derbies, I have never correctly predicted the first place horse. 

I discounted the winner of this year's big race largely because it didn't seem reasonable for Super Saver's jockey Calvin Borel (pictured above - headed to the winner's circle) to win his third Derby in four years.        

That was flawed thinking.  Borel's daring riding style and emphasis on saving ground by skimming the rail has made a clear difference in each of his three Derby wins.  Borel's score with Super Saver puts him in an elite club reserved for horse racing legends not simply because he won the big one three times in such a short span.  It's how he won these races with horses that weren't necessarily the fastest or most talented in the field that's gonna get him a statue on track grounds someday.        

Super Saver's trainer Todd Pletcher broke his long Derby drought which you knew he would.  After the race, Pletcher said Borel gives horses a five-length boost over the rest of the field when he rides at Churchill. 

In the days prior to the Derby, you could tell bettors have picked up on Pletcher's assertion.  Fans bet Borel blind - much like they did with Pat Day when he was at top of his game. 

In the Derby, fans bet Borel blind.  Super Saver was a thirty dollar horse who paid $18 because of the guy on his back.   

5-2-10 1915

Happy Derby Day. 

Legit and exciting Oaks win for Blind Luck in a photo exam after she sat way, way out of it from the get-go.  I had the Lukas horse Tidal Pool and had my heart beating for a solid minute - but I take my hat off to the winner.

Attendance was 116,046 - an Oaks Day record.   

The weather forecast is bad for Saturday, but not as bad as it was 24 hours ago.  Rain, yeah, but we're hoping the severe storms hold off until we hit the Mag Bar, sipping strong ones. 

The other notable development Friday was Rachel Alexandra's shocking loss to Unrivaled Belle in the La Troienne (pictured above).  No excuse for Rachel who has seen her star fade and perhaps may walk off into the sunset rather than experience another loss. 

I haven't cashed a single ticket since arriving.  The ATM on the grandstand side knows me well by now. 

4-30-10 2245

My visit to Churchill Downs Wednesday brought the first glimpse of a new permanent lighting system installed in the off-season.  

You can get a feel for what they look like in the picture above.

The plan now is to limit use of the lights for selected workout days and four racing dates this year.  Last year, three dates under temporary lights drew big crowds. 

Some Derby enthusiasts are concerned the lights will lead to a nighttime Derby but TSR pal Jimmy M. says he doesn't expect Churchill Downs to alter the Derby post time anytime soon.  You don't tinker with something that has worked so well for so long is the thinking.  Jimmy believes the honchos at Churchill at sensitive to that notion. 

As you may have heard on TSR Radio Wednesday night, Jeff D from Nashville took the opposite position.  He thinks a Derby under the lights in inevitable - and will be done with the bottom line as the lone factor.

Two things struck me as different with the track experience this year - and both could be corrected in the next few days I suppose.  First, there are ugly water stains all over the exterior of Churchill's white facade.  It has rained quite a bit here in recent days, but these are dark marks that appear to have developed over a long period of time and I'm surprised they're not cleaned up for the big week. 

The other problem is several major road and bridge construction projects near the track guaranteeing crippling traffic if they keep routes closed the next three days.  

Admission was just a buck on Wednesday.  I gave 'em a lot more than that with my losing pick four play.  Sixteen ounce Buds were $4.50 (they double on Derby Day) and the pork sandwich that usually comes with chips was a la carte this year.   

Since I'm not sure when I'll be talking to you next, here's my cold Derby triple.  If it comes in, you'll have more cash than you know what to do with. 

Awesome Act
Discreetly Mine
Paddy O'Prado

If you're playing the Oaks, dip your toes into the Tidal Pool.

4-28-10 2240

It has long been a custom of necessity to arrive in Louisville on the Tuesday before the Derby.  If I want to capitalize on the free airplane ride, I need to beat the rush. 

Over the years, I looked forward to getting here before everybody else so I could settle in and get an extra day or two at the race track.

What's different this year is Churchill Downs didn't run any races on the Tuesday of Derby Week.  There was no fanfare from the track on the break from tradition nor was there a story in the Daily Racing Form about this significant change in the racing calendar.

It wasn't until Sunday morning as I watched Churchill's in-house feed on my OTB channel at home that I became aware that Tuesday was dark.  I was shocked.  I guess I shouldn't have been.  

Tuesday got lopped off the schedule because there aren't enough horses to run for a stagnating level of Kentucky prize money.  You don't close the doors on a facility about to generate 275-thousand turnstile clicks over five days unless there's some kind of serious problem.  

You don't abruptly shorten a Derby Week schedule that's been consistent for at least twenty years unless the sport of kings has a crisis.  Or maybe one could take a more narrow view and blame Churchill Downs for stepping away from a day of dispensing purse money while many out-of-town fans have yet to hit town. 

Either way, the elimination of live racing on Derby Week Tuesday left me with kind of an empty feeling. 

That said, I still came down to Louisville Tuesday morning to get the free ride and will use the open day here at the hotel to study data on horses running the next four days.  

Look for my cold Derby trifecta play here on Thursday morning and remember again that I have failed to correctly call a Derby winner in each of the last eighteen runnings of the big race. 

4-27-10 1525

For the second week in a row, a successful Juan Pablo Angel penalty kick gave the Red Bulls a one-goal victory Saturday afternoon at their new soccer palace on the banks of the Passaic River. 

This time, it was a ball off the arm of Philly defender Michael Orozco at the top of his own penalty box that gave the Red Bulls the call producing Angel’s gimme PK goal at 67 minutes of the second half.

The final was Red Bulls 2 Philadelphia 1. 

Considering the Philadelphia Union is a start-from-scratch expansion team playing its first season, the club played a decent game. 

The Red Bulls have played three league matches and a friendly at Red Bull Arena and won all four.  Their overall MLS record is 4-1.    

This was the first Red Bull match played in daylight at their new home and it’s too bad there aren’t more afternoon tilts on the schedule.  Red Bull Arena’s translucent roof with a large open hole over the playing surface let the sunshine blanket the east side of the stands.  Everything including the action on the pitch looked more intensely colorful under natural light and the 4 PM start time allowed lots of young people to attend including the 1.5-year-old daughter of Montclair Mike. 

Dave S. was also on hand for this one and like everybody who sets foot in RBA, he raved about the place.      

Unfortunately, the great reviews of RBA aren’t catching on with sports fans in the big city.  Just 15,619 attended on a picture-perfect late afternoon which is about the same number that showed up a week earlier.  Capacity is 25-thousand. 

Me and Dave rotated our vantage points during the first half and eventually ended up with Mike and his daughter in the northeast corner just a few rows off the field for the second half.  It was a great seat.  We got a good look at Salou Ibrahim’s 50th minute header goal in heavy traffic and the ensuing celebration on the field. 

There appears to be no such thing as an excessive-celebration penalty in MLS soccer. 

Angel is relatively mellow when he puts one in, perhaps because he scores so much.  But Ibrahim (a native of Ghana) wanted love from the fans and pointed at them for several seconds after he scored.  He then shared hugs with a half-dozen of his teammates before play resumed.   

The Philly fans were really great.  They stood isolated from the rest of the crowd in an upper bowl section behind the north goal.  Many among them were members of the official Union supporters group named “Sons of Ben.”  The total number of Philly fans was in the hundreds.  They sang, waved flags and chanted for the Union.  The noise from their section was loud throughout the arena and it was very spirited but well within the bounds of whatever definition of decency you’d hope would exist at a venue with lots of children.  The tone for the Philly fans is set by the Sons of Ben which has a strict code of conduct to maintain membership.    

The Union fans I spoke with praised Red Bull Arena and seemed hopeful their franchise could build a rivalry with the Red Bulls given the fact just 85 miles separates the two teams.

Perhaps it’s the newness of it all for them, but Union fans seemed less jaded, more hopeful and better behaved than the hardcore Red Bull enthusiasts. 

Unfortunately, there’s been a report that a bus transporting Union fans from Chester, PA to Harrison, NJ was struck with rocks outside of RBA on the way to the game.  Sons of Ben member Brad Youtz tweeted about the experience and it appears to be legitimate reporting.

I can regretfully report that rowdy Red Bull supporters took on a hostile tone before the match on the upper level of Bello’s tavern in downtown Newark.  A dozen or so beer-guzzling Red Bull fans made it impossible for visitors from Philly to comfortably enjoy a pre-game beverage session.  That’s unfortunate if we hope this burgeoning rivalry is to be a healthy one.  If Red Bull fans are unkind or verbally/physically imposing to soccer fans from Philly, the same nonsense will end up being applied when New Yorkers visit the Union’s new facility.              

One other observation about the Union:  their road jersey is very nice.  There’s no major commercial endorsement on it and the dark blue and old gold color scheme has a professional look.

-The 75-plus apartments in my six-story building in Queens were the subject of a “mandatory” bed bug inspection Sunday morning.  The building’s management ordered the probe after a confirmed case of bed bugs in an undisclosed apartment.  At about 915 AM, the exterminator entered my tiny dwelling with a small dog specially trained to sniff out bed bugs.  Her name was Molly and she wasn’t much interested in any aspect of my apartment.  She scampered around my main space and left quickly without a discovery. 

-Three punters were selected in this year’s NFL draft.  One punter each went in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds.  The Giants took East Carolina punter Matt Dodge in the seventh round (221st pick overall) and it came as a surprise initially because 44-year-old G-Man punter Jeff Feagles had committed to returning next season.  But now there’s word that Feagles has changed his mind and communicated his desire to retire before the draft.  A Feagles exit would open the door for Dodge if he can boom ‘em in training camp.   

4-26-10 0145

True to its name, the band Woods will play among the beautiful redwoods of Big Sur with several Woodsist labelmates at the Henry Miller Library June 12th.  The show is part of a week-long Woods left coast tour announced this week. 

The band’s highly-anticipated new record “At Echo Lake” is due May 11th.  We’ll get at least one Woods show here in New York before the band goes West.  On May 13th, Jeremy Earl and company play a date on the Lower East Side of Manhattan with MV + EE accompanied by a “psychedelic light show.” 

-Mets closer Frankie Rodriguez will sell his autograph at a Long Island sports card show next weekend for $79 a pop.  He’ll sit at a table at Hofstra University’s Physical Fitness center on Sunday afternoon with a Sharpie and walk away with a good haul after two hours work.  If it’s a bat or a jersey you want signed, that’ll cost you $99 per item.  That same afternoon, Hall of Fame goaltender Billy Smith will sign for $25 per item regardless of what it is.  Admission to event – above and beyond the autograph fees – is seven dollars.    

-Francesa reacted to the addition of Jason Taylor to the Jets roster with cynicism.  Said Mike:  “Football is not an old man’s game.  The Jets are bringing in a lot of old guys.  Taylor and (LaDanian) Tomlinson have a lot of miles on ‘em.” 

-I guess I’ve always been anti-quarterback at the top of the draft, but man, if I’m running the Rams I don’t see how you pass on Ndamukong Suh.  The top three quarterbacks in this draft are hard to split.  Suh is a guaranteed dominant game-changer the first game he plays.  If Detroit gets Suh at number two, it’s a gift to that franchise.  Perhaps, it’s one they deserve after so much misery. 

-None of the mocks I’ve seen have Golden Tate going in the first round.  The Jets are at number 29 overall and wideout isn’t at the top of their list needs-wise.  But if Tate is available, I think I’d grab him.  Everything I’ve read have the Jets taking an offensive lineman, but the other guy that interests me if he’s there is Terrence Cody.  Seems like a Rex kinda guy.  

-I’d agree with the football writers advancing the notion that Dexter McCluster is the Percy Harvin of this year’s draft.      

-My pal Paul in Bloomington, IL went to see his area’s entry in the Indoor Football League the weekend before last.  The Bloomington Extreme play in the US Cellular Coliseum.  I asked Paul if he’d submit a report on the venue and his experience at the game.  It appears below:  

The Coliseum is three years old now.  It has minor league hockey and arena football.  It seats about 7,000.  Football draws about 4,000 a game, hockey about 2,000. 

At the football game, there is loud, blaring music after every play to get the crowd into it.  Beers are $8.50 for a huge 32 oz cup.  The best thing about the games is there is no punting.  The field is 50 yards long, so even if you are at your goal line, you have to try a field goal.  All field goals can be returned like punts.

Bloomington does not put nets up like some other arena football venues.  So any football that goes into the crowd is yours to keep.  All of the kids rush from one end zone to the other to try and catch a field goal or extra point.  The night I went, there must have been 25 footballs that were kept by fans.

The biggest crowds for the Coliseum have been concerts.  Kenny Chesney sold out in 10 minutes.  Brooks and Dunn are here in a couple of weeks, also sold out.  Kid Rock, Def Leppard and John Mayer all sold out.

The Coliseum is great to have here but it has been surrounded in controversy from day one.  Opponents said it wasn't needed since ISU has Redbird Arena that seats 10,000 and there are other smaller concert venues in the region.  Peoria and Champaign are both 45 minutes away.  The Coliseum has been in the red each of its first three years.

Bloomington/Normal also just built a minor league baseball park (The Corn Crib).  The Normal CornBelters open the season in a couple of weeks.  It is an Independent League team.  It should be interesting to see if the CornBelters draw any fans with the Peoria Cubs being so popular.  Got myself a CornBelters hat.

4-21-10 2100

I haven’t been as frantically insistent and impatient about getting Ike Davis in a big league uniform compared to most of my Met fan brethren, but now that he’s here I’m glad he got the call.   

Davis tore covers off balls in spring training.  When Daniel Murphy got hurt the final week before camp broke, Ike appeared to be the logical guy to get the starting first base job.

Reading between the lines, Jerry wanted Ike to get the job but was overruled by Omar and/or Jeff. 

The Met fandom was furious when Davis got shipped to Buffalo.  Fans are all too familiar with the book on Mike Jacobs and there was suspicion about whether the Wilpon’s were trying to delay the start on Ike’s arbitration clock. 

When Ike continued to crush baseballs to start his Triple-A assignment, media outlets here in New York diligently followed his progress.  At Buffalo road dates in Syracuse and Scranton, stringers phoned in Ike updates to WFAN. 

Steve Somers repeatedly played an old Dwight Eisenhower campaign radio commercial containing the catchphrase “We Like Ike.”  Francesa implored the Mets on a daily basis to bring up Ike if for no other reason he believed it would infuse a dose of energy into both the lineup – and the home crowd.       

So when Jacobs did nothing but make bad-looking outs culminating in a really ugly at-bat against Felipe Lopez in the 20-inning nail-biter Saturday night, the Mets could no longer justify keeping Ike in Buffalo. 

There was too much noise about Ike and too much quiet coming from a Met lineup hitting .224 through two weeks of baseball. 

Ike’s MLB debut against the Cubbies Monday night included a base hit in his first at-bat.  When the baseball was thrown back into the Cub infield, it was tossed over to Met first base coach Razor Shines.  Normally in these instances, the souvenir is rolled into the dugout and held for the player to put on his mantle.  Shines did something different.  With Ike on first base, Shines tossed him the keepsake for inspection – and appreciation.  Ike smiled and tossed it back to Shines who then threw it underhanded into the dugout before play continued.  I found the Shines move heartwarming.    
   
In Ike’s third at-bat, the big lefty got every bit of what looked like a Wells change-up over the middle of the plate.  It had home run trajectory, but like most balls to right field at the new ballpark, it died well short of the wall. 

You hope Ike doesn’t get frustrated by Citi Field’s imposing dimensions and wall heights.  Keith Hernandez said on WFAN Monday afternoon that he hopes Ike focuses on hitting line drives. 

Ike also will have to hone his approach to hitting lefties.  His minor league numbers against left-handers are bad.  Omar says Ike will not platoon while he’s here giving him plenty of chances to see southpaws.

The intriguing question now is what will happen if Ike does well.  What would that mean for Murphy? 

Based on the fan’s reaction to Ike’s second hit in Queens Monday night, Murphy may find it rough reclaiming the first base job once his knee heals.            

On Ike’s first night as a big leaguer, he gave the Mets a spark.  At least for a while, we get to watch him develop on the big stage.  I believe the expectations on Ike are too high considering he’s struggled at the plate for parts of his two-year minor league career before this year.  But there is something to be said for a big first baseman with a big stroke adding excitement to a team that seems to need some youthful exuberance.     

4-20-10 0135

A tie-breaking score off a penalty kick in the 90th minute kept the Red Bull home record unblemished at their new Harrison, NJ soccer palace Saturday night.       

Red Bull striker Juan Pablo Angel blasted it into the upper right hand corner of the net from short range as the game approached its conclusion.  Fans threw rolls of toilet paper on the field after Angel’s goal.  A couple minutes of extra time later, the horn blew.  The final was Red Bulls 2 – Dallas 1.    

Angel was given the penalty kick chance after his teammate Sinisa Ubiparipovic was taken down by Dallas defender Daniel Hernandez in the large box in front of the Dallas net. 

The success rate on penalty kicks is nearly nine in ten, so it was a surprise when Angel was stopped on an earlier penalty kick taken in the 64th minute.  On that attempt, Angel went low left.  Dallas keeper Dario Sala guessed correctly with his movement and snuffed it.

Red Bull fans nervously raised their red team scarves when Angel approached his second penalty kick opportunity.  Since the ball is launched in such close proximity to the goal line, all the keeper can do is play a hunch and cover perhaps one-tenth of an otherwise open goal.  Sala looked silly on Angel’s second chance, again guessing low left while the ball sailed the extreme opposite direction into the giant net.       

The match was the second regular season home date for the Red Bulls after two weeks on the road.  The crowd size (13,667) was much smaller than the near-capacity turnout at the season opener three weeks earlier.  I’m guessing Red Bull management is concerned with the sharp drop-off so early in the season.  Yeah, it was chilly, and yeah, Dallas lacks a big-name draw, but 13-grand on a Saturday night in a brand new facility with serious buzz is not good. 

Maybe this franchise can only really count on the same 15-grand that showed up on average at the Meadowlands for most of the team’s history.  Maybe word is spreading that the new arena has a serious lack of parking, keeping the suburban car crowd away.  I don’t know what it is. 

I met up with the Heckler for pre-game beers at Bello’s in downtown Newark.  We reluctantly walked out of the bar for the walk to Red Bull Arena as Mets/Cards entered the ninth inning.  After the soccer game, we hustled back to Bello’s to catch the final three frames of the 20-inning classic. 

The dramatic nature of the Met game turned out to be a serious distraction as we sat at the Red Bull match.  Rather than concentrate on the event at hand, I glanced obsessively at the baseball “gamecast” on my cell phone. 

Section 232 was empty and devoid of spirit as we watched the first half from my assigned seats, so the Heckler and I decided to change it up in the second half.  We slipped down into section 112 and had a wonderful view of Red Bull goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul (pictured above) getting peppered with shots. 

The tall, long-armed keeper from Senegal has been consistently effective keeping balls out of the Red Bull net this season and he was the difference-maker again Saturday night.  Coundoul made several flying stops down the stretch and got help from the crossbar on one heater aimed at his net. 

Coundoul has also been noticeably more expressive about the alignment of Red Bull defenders as the season advances.  In four contests, Coundoul has given up just three scores.

-The Manhattan-bound E train made local stops as I rode it to catch the Path at World Trade Saturday afternoon.  That’s not unusual, but what was funny was the automated female-sounding voice announcing upcoming station stops.  Some kind of malfunction prompted the voice to repeatedly announce that we were approaching the “Sutphin Blvd.” stop which is on the Eastern end of the E line near JFK airport.  Each time the erroneous announcement was made, I exchanged laughs with a Scandinavian-looking kid who like me got a big kick out of being told we were nowhere near where we were actually located.

4-19-10 0120

Got a new pair of Derby shoes today…

Sharif at Macy’s did the fitting.  He assured me the shoes were built to withstand the weight of the large amount of cash I hope to walk out of Churchill Downs with in two weeks. 

TSR Radio will again air a special one-hour Derby week program from Louisville the Wednesday night prior to the big race.  It’ll go on at 8:30 PM in the East. 

-After long deliberation, I decided against buying the MLB Extra Innings package this year.  Cost was a slight factor, but what nudged me more than anything was my new-found dedication to the Red Bulls.  I didn’t have time for both.  I’ll miss the late nights after work with Vin and the Dodgers, but the Mets, Yanks, and MLB Network/ESPN telecasts are plenty.  I still get all the games on radio, too. 

4-15-10 2230

I’ve mentioned here in passing over the last few years that my off days often require a visit to the prosthetist.  It’s an ongoing necessity that my artificial left leg – and the accessories that make it work – are maintained, replaced, repaired, fine-tuned or examined. 

I bring this up because I’ve had the same prosthetist for twelve years now and when I went to see him Tuesday afternoon, he was celebrating a significant accomplishment I consider worthy of mention.  

My prosthetist Chris is a Long Island guy who until a year ago bounced around several prosthetic shops on the Island, learning and practicing his craft.  Since late in 1998, he’s been my leg guy.  Every time he moved on to a new opportunity at a new facility, I’d follow him.  His base of operation was often hard to reach, but his compounding knowledge of my prosthetic needs made it impossible for me to seek a more conveniently located practitioner.  I accumulated lots of miles on the Long Island Rail Road to reach him – and the trial and error of our efforts to find a comfortable fit wasn’t always easy – but for once in my life I had a health professional that viewed me as more than just a file or number.  He’s a good guy - about my same age - and I decided I’d stick with him for the long haul.   

A year ago today, Chris took a big risk.  He ventured off on his own and opened his own shop.  He did it from scratch with saved and borrowed money.  He found space on the ninth floor of a non-descript, somewhat run-down building in midtown Manhattan.  There were strict constraints on his ability to bring loyal patients with him, so he recruited new ones the old-fashioned way.  He took out print ads in the newspapers, built a web site and worked serious overtime to attend functions frequented by amputees and their doctors. 

On Tuesday, when I went to see him at his shop in the shadows of the Empire State Building, there was a vase of flowers in the receiving room.  His wife had sent them that day to commemorate his one-year anniversary in business. 

Chris beamed when we met.  He exclaimed that he now had more than fifty patients and he said he believes he is well on his way to making his new business successful.  “It’s been the hardest year of my life,” he said. 

On the walls of the examination rooms and main space are framed, eight-by-ten color photos of a diverse clientele of amputees displaying the artificial limbs built by Chris and his technician Brian. 

For me, it’s an easy, twenty-minute subway ride to see Chris these days. 

Now it’s Chris who’s taking the long ride on the Long Island Rail Road to reach his shop.

4-13-10 2230

At what point will the addition of guys with behavioral problems backfire on Rex and the Jets?

Edwards, Cromartie and now Holmes are big-impact players sent here for little in return.  In the case of each individual, the acquisition feels worth the potential disruption to the full unit if the Jets get to the Super Bowl.   

I guess what I’d be concerned about now is whether the Jets are adopting an organizational philosophy overconfident in its ability to manage multiple adult men who have proven to be disruptive or disrespectful to their previous employers.
    
The red flag couldn’t fly much higher on Holmes.  The Steelers dumped him for basically nothing despite immense talent, a reasonable paycheck and Santonio’s pretty prominent place in team history.  If Holmes was manageable in the eyes of a fair and patient Mike Tomlin, he wouldn’t be sent packing for a fifth-round pick.   

Rex and the Jets get a great pass-catcher, no doubt.   Opposite Edwards, Holmes will give Sanchez some serious opportunities to fire the 30-yard dart.  But there comes a point when an otherwise well-built roster-on-the-rise risks implosion with too-good-to-be-true imports seen by the Jets to be final pieces in the championship puzzle. 

-On his radio show Monday, Francesa replayed audio of the Georgia D-A’s announcement detailing the decision against filing criminal charges against Ben Roethlisberger.  While the Steelers QB escaped legal entanglement, Francesa was quick to hammer Big Ben’s conduct on the night in question.  “Any guy who has to take advantage of a drunk woman is a disgrace.  Case closed.  If you need a guy standing guard outside a room, you know you’re up to no good,” said Francesa. 

-My pal The Guz attended his 27th consecutive Cubbie home opener Monday afternoon.  In a text message, The Guz said he bought four standing room tickets at $17 per from a scalper – and ended up sitting in box seats along the first base line.

4-13-10 0130

The tumultuous, 82-game NY Rangers regular season came down to a shootout. 

It was Flyers-Rangers on a Sunday afternoon in Philly and somehow it wasn’t on NBC.  Winner makes the playoffs, loser goes home. 

I listened to Kenny Albert/Dave Maloney call it on the radio sitting at work with a die-hard Ranger fan. 

King Henry stood on his head for the Rangers in this thriller.  There’s no way the game should have been close with all the rubber fired on the Ranger net. 

The Blueshirts got a first-period score from their Scrub line – a unit that carried the team down the stretch.  It was a fourth line of hockey misfits that made this final game of the regular season mean something, and it was the fourth line’s best player Jody Shelley who recorded the lone goal for New York. 

Since this was a regular season hockey game tied at one after a five-minute OT session, it was time for a shootout. 

On the radio, Maloney exhaled after 65 minutes of well-played, intense hockey and then groaned that such a critical game would be decided by a “gimmicky” three-round puck shoot.  Maloney lamented the fact the fourth line for the Rangers had effectively lost their say in how this game would end. 

Shelley wouldn’t participate in the shootout, that’s for sure.       

Worse, neither would Marian Gaborik or Chris Drury even though they’re both considered elite hockey players. 

No, the three Ranger players who participated in the shootout and decided this game were Erik Christensen, PA Parenteau and Olli Jokinen.  The first two guys are anything but complete or elite hockey players and here they were deciding whether the Rangers go to the playoffs. 

The Flyers ended up winning the shootout 2-1 and that was that. 

Maloney echoed the sentiment of what many Ranger fans were probably thinking.  “Somehow it doesn’t seem right that a whole season comes down to a skills competition,” said Maloney.  “All that work comes down to that.”       

-For a split-second, it sounded like Nantz snickered a little when he announced that Tiger had recorded a final round score of 69.  Maybe it was just me hoping for a snicker.  Either way, it’s pretty crazy Tiger and KJ Choi put up identical scores each of the four rounds they played together.     

-Credit Peter Kostis for an excellent one-on-one with Tiger after he was done in the scoring trailer.  Kostis had Tiger off-balance for the first time all week.  Kostis also asked the question a lot of golf fans wanted to hear but one that many reporters wouldn’t ask in that spot.  Kostis simply wondered what was next on Tiger’s competition schedule.  It was such a simple question but elicited a pained, evasive answer.   

-The bright red sunburn on the face of Lee Westwood is gonna hurt for days.   

-Hard to believe, but Joe Girardi said a pitch-count limit would have forced the removal of CC Sabathia even if his no-hit bid went into the ninth inning Saturday in St. Pete.  Turns out CC gave up a two-out single to Kelly Shoppach bottom eight to lose the no-no, making Girardi’s quandary a moot issue.  Sabathia was at 111 pitches at that point.  It may have taken him upwards of 130 pitches to complete the game – which is apparently too much for the big guy in just his second start of the season.  Still, it’s hard to imagine CC allowing Girardi to kill a no-hitter in the name of a pitch count limit.

-The AP has printed a list of 2010 team payrolls for MLB’s 30 clubs.  The Mets are at $132.7 million.  The Cubs are at $146.8 million.  You can’t really call the Mets the big, bad spenders right now. 

4-12-10 0130

It’s weird.  I didn’t plan on watching horses jump over fences in the Grand National Saturday morning, but I pulled a double at work and had the television tuned to HRTV all morning.  I was trying to catch replays from the previous day’s action at US thoroughbred tracks when HRTV abruptly started showing races from the UK. 

I had the volume down on the TV and was listening to the main BBC radio channel to hear Masters coverage and didn’t know what was coming.   

I had no advanced knowledge the Grand National was being run – and really – I would have avoided it had I known. 

But suddenly, there it was.  Both on TV – and on the radio.

The Grand National is one of the biggest steeplechase – or “jumper” races in the world.  Forty horses run four and a half miles over 30 fences for a purse worth nearly a million British pounds.  The race has been run on a grass course near Liverpool since 1839. 

Me and most of my horse racing pals believe “jumper” races compare closely to a deliberate staging of a train wreck.  It’s inevitably inhumane to many of the participating animals and dangerous for their pilots.  

Animal rights advocates want the sport banned. 

And really, there’s no better case for the sport’s abolition than the running of the Grand National.

A field of 40 horses was narrowed to less than half that as the equine participants crashed to the ground because of fatigue – or an inability to properly time jumps over daunting obstacles.

It’s eight minutes of total chaos and it’s a horrible sight to see.  The fences and ditches that must be cleared in the Grand National require an athleticism and stamina that is clearly beyond the ability of most of the field.   
 
On Saturday, horses were landing face first on the ground from failed jumps.  Those that fell had scary exposure to oncoming traffic.  Jockeys, too.   

I’ve seen jumper races at Saratoga run at half the distance of the Grand National.  They were ugly, but nothing like this.  Of the 40 starters, just 14 finished the race.  Several horses got up from crashes and ran on without a rider.  Others just lay there sprawled out - squirming in pain.  

On the radio broadcast carried by the BBC, the race caller interspersed Premier League scores as the Grand National was being run.  Between attempts to inform who was leading the race, the announcer updated listeners on the Hull/Burnley match. 

Don’t Push It won the race. The veteran jumper rider Tony McCoy was aboard the winner.  It was McCoy’s first Grand National win in fifteen attempts.  The notion any jockey would risk his body to run in this race fifteen times is alone enough to celebrate McCoy’s win. 

But like I’ve said about the emerging sport of mixed martial arts, it’s impossible to celebrate a venture that meets the definition of cruel and inhumane.   

-The MLS expansion team in Philly drew 34,870 for its home opener Saturday.  The Philadelphia Union has a schedule front-loaded with road dates.  The team is playing its first two home games at the Link before moving to a brand-new sold-out soccer-specific stadium in Chester, PA.  You can add Philly to the list of MLS franchises thriving at the moment. 

4-10-10 2215

The plush getaway place owned by my brother’s pal is eight miles due west of the mighty Atlantic.  I was only down there for 36 hours, but a stiff and salty southeast breeze off the ocean blew the whole time and had me in a vacation frame of mind.  

I went down Tuesday afternoon and returned early Thursday.  My brother and his family are there the whole week.  

We didn’t do much but lounge around and wonder what my nephew’s next move would be. 

My sister-in-law made a killer chicken salad served up on tortillas the first night I was there.  We went out for dinner the second night.  The grouper filet on top a pile of greens at Leftover’s in Jupiter was excellent.  As we sat down at the strip mall restaurant, the host handed my nephew a container full of crayons and a coloring page.  That’s a smart restaurant move if you’re trying to pull in parties that include kids. 

-The radio voice of the Yanks was roundly mocked for his Curtis Granderson home run call on opening night, so John Sterling changed it up the second time around.  Granderson’s tenth-inning blast off Papelbon in Wednesday night’s Yankee win prompted Sterling to sing “The Grandy-Man can, The Grandy-Man can.”  The adapted form of the Willy Wonka tune is especially funny because it forces Sterling’s deep voice into melodic territory way beyond his range.  On opening night, Sterling’s call of a Granderson home run went like this:  “Oh Curtis, You’re Something Sort of Grand-ish.”  Few baseball fans including myself immediately understood Sterling’s intention on that call.  Turns out it’s inspired by the Broadway musical Finian’s Rainbow.  Sterling retained the theatre reference on Granderson’s second homer, adding the Willy Wonka word-play.  I’m assuming he’ll drop the Finian portion altogether now that there seems to be broad consensus that singing Grandy-Man is the way to go.

4-8-10 1700 

Tim Lincecum’s fastball was slow on the gun Monday night, but it didn’t make him any less dominant.  Lincecum’s heater was low 90’s throughout, but the two-time Cy Young award winner had serious loop on his sinker and the Astros lineup was chopping at the change.  ESPN2 gave us the game, one of four contests the ESPN family televised on MLB’s true opening day. 

The roof was open in downtown Houston and Barbara Bush occupied a seat behind home plate.

Lincecum’s hair is as long as he’s had it as a big leaguer and he seemed unusually jovial on the bench before and during the game.  On a day when the sports world had so much going on, I’m not sure there was an individual athlete who was more fun to watch than Tim Lincecum.     

-The officiating crew working Duke-Butler clearly had a game plan going in to keep the whistle quiet whenever possible.  There were two or three very hard uncalled fouls in the first half that merited a whistle.  But overall, I loved the fact two great defensive basketball teams were allowed to play a very physical brand of hoop on the game’s biggest stage.  The stripes stayed out of the way until about five minutes into the second half when players started trying to take advantage of the lax officiating.  At that point, the refs started to call the game straight and the fouls started piling up.  The Hayward charge midway through the second half on a nice move inside was a blown call but really, the game was very well officiated.  My palms actually sweated in the final couple minutes of the game.  It was that exciting and dramatic.  The half-court shot by Hayward – and the fader he took on the possession before – both nearly went in.     

-I was hoping for a better price, but I’m down with a decent-sized wager at 5-1 on Tiger missing the Masters cut.             

-I’ll leave behind 80 and sunny and head a thousand miles south this morning for more 80 and sunny.  My three-year-old nephew is on spring break and he has invited me to watch him dig holes in the sand.  Back in a few days…

4-6-10 0200 

I think I’ve figured out why the small, $1 package of Oreos I regularly buy from the workplace vending machine always contains broken cookies.  It dawned on me Sunday afternoon that the eighteen-inch fall (and resulting impact) from the third row position on the grid of snacks is more than the black-colored biscuits can withstand.  Next time I see the vending machine man, I’m gonna ask him if he can move the Oreos down to the first row above the receptacle where one grabs the snack from. 

-A couple observations about Seattle’s Major League Soccer franchise, which lost at home one-nil to the Red Bulls Saturday night.  The first thing you have to say without question is that Seattle is the healthiest, most supported organization in the MLS right now.  In just its second year in existence, Seattle has 31,600 season ticket holders.  There were 36,066 on hand at Qwest Field for the Red Bull match and many of the fans stood the entire game.  They were wild and spirited.  The Seattle Sounders play in an American football stadium with the upper deck closed off, but it’s clear professional soccer is big in Seattle.  When you consider the Sounders aren’t playing in an ideal building for soccer, it’s remarkable how popular the team is.  One reason for that is Freddie Ljungberg, the Swedish sensation who had a lengthy and productive career for Arsenal.  Ljungberg still has serious game at age 32 and is in the second year of a two-year deal said to be worth ten mil.  Ljungberg was easily the best player on the field Saturday night.  He’s very physical.  Against the Red Bulls, he played dangerously hard and was an intimidating force.  I wouldn’t want to have the ball with Ljungberg coming after me.  He looks like a bouncer at a Chelsea nightclub.  He’s a villain to the tenth degree if you’re playing against him, but an easy-to-root-for hero if you’re a Sounders fan.    

-You already know what kind of coach he is, but the thoughtful public comments about Brittney Griner from Geno Auriemma the last few days show you what kind of ambassador he is for women’s basketball.

-The internet’s irresponsible dark side brewed up some pretty horrible written words about Griner since she emerged so prominently on the national scene in the last week or so.  I don’t get how that stuff mixes into indexed coverage otherwise legitimate, but to those who publish cracks about Griner’s appearance I say this:  You’re seriously sick.      

-If Matt Howard doesn’t play tonight, you can forget about Butler playing within 15 of Duke.  

4-5-10 0145

The national TV broadcasts of Kentucky Derby prep races like the one you may have seen on NBC this weekend include a new, recurring segment that’s actually a pretty decent idea.

To spice up the telecast – and to spark interest in the Derby – Churchill Downs is underwriting a promotion that gives a briefcase of cash to an on-track patron to wager on the feature race. 

During the one-hour Santa Anita Derby/Wood Memorial broadcast Saturday afternoon, a woman named Janet Farlow from Whittier, CA was handed ten-thousand bucks cash to bet on the California circuit’s premier Derby prep race. 

Janet appeared to be a fun-loving woman and seemed to enjoy the attention.  She wore a t-shirt emblazoned with a peace sign.  Janet was chosen at random from a collection of paper entries filled out by fans entering the track.  In two separate appearances during the broadcast, Janet wiggled her hips and hammed it up for the camera as viewers awaited her decision about how she was gonna bet the ten grand.

Janet settled on putting the entire sum in the form of a win bet on race favorite Lookin At Lucky.  The promotion requires the cash to be used on a “win wager on a single horse.”

The rules don’t allow taking a slice of it to spend on beer – and there’s no making a multi-race wager or show bet. 

Looking at Lucky left the gate at odds of eighty cents on the dollar, so Janet was looking at 18-grand if the horse had won. 

You probably know what happened.  Lookin at Lucky had to put on the brakes twice in the race to avoid collisions.  He raced well despite the trip trouble but lost by seven lengths. 

Next week, a fan at Keeneland will get a briefcase filled with ten-grand to bet on the Blue Grass Stakes – and then on Derby Day, a fan at Churchill will get to make a hundred-thousand dollar bet with house money. 

I’m hoping to be the guy that gets the Derby Day shot and I already know how I’d bet it. 

-NBC horse racing analyst Gary Stevens is usually pretty good, but he blew his analysis of Awesome Act after the Wood was run.  Stevens said Awesome Act’s third place finish left the horse short of the graded stakes earnings necessary to gain entry to the Kentucky Derby.  That’s incorrect.  Awesome Act had $210K in the bank going into the Wood and he picked up another 75-grand for his third place finish Saturday.  He’ll be way above the minimum threshold to get in.  Stevens also made a crack that Eskendereya’s impressive romp in the Wood made it futile for Awesome Act to even worry about getting into the Derby.  Had Stevens watched the Wood closely, he would have seen that Awesome Act was never really asked to run at full throttle.  Prep races mean different things to different horses and their trainers.  Yes, Eskendereya looks tough to beat but Awesome Act lost a shoe after leaving the starting gate.  He’s also a horse that prefers watching his competition move quickly ahead of him so he can fly past them late.  In the Wood, the pace was dawdling.  It won’t be that way in the Derby.  If you’re a fan of Awesome Act – and I am a big one right now – you love Stevens and the guys making these simplistic takes that rally around the obvious horse.  They’re all gonna talk about Big Eskie’s big stride while Awesome Act gets four weeks of preparation in the shadows.  In the last eighteen years, I have never correctly predicted the winner of the Kentucky Derby.  This year will be different.  Book it right now.  At a win price in the double digits, Awesome Act gets it done the first Saturday in May.  

-How ‘bout those Red Bulls?  They stay undefeated and untied with a one-nil road win Saturday night over a tough Seattle team.  Rookie Red Bull middle defender Tim Ream had another take-notice effort by putting clamps on the lime-green Sounder shirts.  The soccer ball was bouncing all over the place in this match because it was played on an artificial surface.  It's a much different game on the fake grass.  Less artistic, too fast, kinda out of control.  The Red Bulls played without their head coach Hans Backe on the sideline.  It was reported by a local soccer blog that Backe stayed back at the team hotel with a stomach ailment.  On the Fox Soccer Channel broadcast, Backe's problem wasn't specified.

4-4-10 0200

Bettors are evenly divided about whether the Mets are better or worse than a .500 team this year.  The over/under Met regular season win total at the off-shore books is set at 81 with equal 15-cent juice on both sides.  The Yankee number is posted at 95 and a half.

-The betting prop I’m dying to see is the one that allows action on Tiger missing the Masters cut.  That should be a juicy opportunity and one that I think is worthy of a serious play.       

-Only six horses are entered in the big, grade-one Kentucky Derby prep race at Aqueduct this Saturday.  That’s a major disappointment – and hard to understand – considering the Wood Memorial has a $750K purse and a rich 85-year tradition.  It’ll also be a beautiful day Saturday, guaranteeing a fast dirt track in Ozone Park, Queens.  Perhaps even-money favorite Eskendereya has scared off the competition?  Whatever the reason, the slim Wood field is another negative New York horse racing development in a recent string of them.         

- Of all the must-see sporting events coming at us in the next few days, the one I’m intrigued about more than any other is Brittney Griner’s appearance in the second Sunday night semi in the women’s Final Four.  Griner has amazing raw talent and is really fun to watch.  She has 35 blocked shots in four Baylor wins this tournament.  Just a freshman, Griner is a legitimate six-eight.  Her offensive skills need polishing, but she has remarkable speed, strength and length.  Baylor has zero chance of stopping U-Conn’s amazing 76-game winning streak Sunday night, but to see Griner put her game up against one of the best teams in women’s college basketball history will be very interesting.       

3-31-10 2215

A Times story updating the investigation of a double-murder in the subway last weekend included what I’d consider a shocking revelation. 

The piece printed Tuesday under the headline “Lack of Video Slows Hunt For a Killer In the Subway” says police believe the suspect bolted from the Christopher Street station in the Village.  Problem is, there’s not a single surveillance camera capturing movement on the platform, turnstiles or exits at the Christopher Street stop.  With no camera feed to look at, cops have resorted to a traditional canvas of the area and the distribution of fliers seeking information. 

Even more surprising in the Times story is an assertion (sourcing the MTA) that “nearly half of the subway system’s 4313 security cameras that have been installed – in stations and tunnels throughout the system – do not work, because of either shoddy software or construction problems.”

Not that you want cameras covering every inch of our existence, but I always kinda assumed the subway system was being watched.  I guess not. 

So just a day after two stations in Moscow get ripped apart by bombs, the world gets word that New York’s great subway system is easy pickins. 

3-31-10 0130

New York’s popular new Roman Catholic archbishop is undermining his credibility among forward-thinking members of the church with an awkwardly-worded, newly-issued defense of the Pope.   

At the end of Timothy Dolan’s first Palm Sunday mass as New York City’s top Catholic at St. Pat’s Sunday, the Archbishop made a statement comparing criticism of the Pope’s past handling of pedophile priests to the suffering endured by Jesus Christ. 

Said Dolan:  “Palm Sunday Mass is sure a fitting place for us to express our love and solidarity for our earthly shepherd now suffering some of the same unjust accusations, shouts of the mob, and scourging at the pillar, as did Jesus.”
 
A copy of Dolan’s comments can be found on the web site of the Archdiocese of New York.  Dolan’s end-of-the-mass sermon seemed to take dead aim at the New York Times.  The Times has run several stories in the last week suggesting among other things that Pope Benedict enabled a known pedophile priest to continue as a predator in a subsequent church role with full access to young parishioners.  Benedict was known as Joseph Ratzinger at that juncture.  His title was Archbishop of Munich. 

The Times reporting has been detailed and well sourced but Dolan went out of his way to discredit the newspaper’s coverage.       

“What deepens the sadness now is the unrelenting insinuations against the Holy Father himself, as certain sources seem frenzied to implicate the man who, perhaps more than anyone else has been the leader in purification, reform, and renewal that the Church so needs,” said Dolan. 

If Dolan has blind faith in the Holy Father, he should probably keep it to himself.  A decade into this crisis, most rank-and-file Catholics are tired of denial and blame-shifting by the men charged with spotting and stopping the horror. 

Dolan was installed the Archbishop of New York on April 15, 2009.  His warm and gregarious personality gained him immediate praise because it was sharply different than that of his perpetually glum-faced predecessor, Edward Cardinal Egan.     

Dolan was warmly embraced by his new flock when he came to this city.  But if he continues to spout off like he did on Palm Sunday, he’s gonna blow it all. 

3-30-10 0130

After attending the first real match at the brand new 25-thousand seat soccer stadium in Harrison, NJ, I concur fully with the giddy fans saying the place is really special.

Red Bull Arena opened a week ago Saturday with a sold out “friendly” between the Red Bulls and a prominent Brazilian club (FC Santos).  I couldn’t make that date, but glowing reviews poured in that night from the New York area’s soccer fandom. 

This past Saturday night, Red Bull Arena hosted the first game to mean something in the standings.  It was the MLS opener for both the Red Bulls and Chicago Fire. 

Montclair Mike joined me in section 232, high above the rabid Red Bull supporters group positioned behind the south goal.  The supporters group is a wild crew of mostly guys who stand the entire match.  They wave large flags, throw streamers, toot on horns and sing songs.  The group’s boisterous support of the Red Bulls sets a tone that inspires fans seated elsewhere in the building.  I’ve not been to a sporting event in recent memory that had such a sustained high-level crowd energy and spirit.    

You’d think it would be annoying, but fans stomp on the arena’s aluminum floors to generate a thunderous sound that actually elevates the vibe.    

I’m not sure all the metal flooring is good in a lightning storm, but soccer fans at RBA use it to great effect.       

The building’s sightlines are excellent and those sitting in the lower level are really close to the action.  The natural turf field is visually appealing.  It’s an expensive surface to maintain vs. the fake stuff but soccer is meant to be played on fresh blades of grass. 

In American football terms, my two season tickets are upper level end zone seats.  But because the venue is so cozy, it’s still a great view.  There are no blind spots.  If there’s a knock at all, it would be the two flights of stairs connecting the main concourse to my seats in the upper bowl.  There are no services on the upper level, so you need a little dexterity to carry two large beers ($9 each) from the main level up to my seats.       

The translucent roof protecting the seating area from weather includes a hole big enough to let the sun shine in during the day.  That’s apparently how the grass grows so nicely.   

It was 39 degrees at kickoff for this match, but the chill didn’t seem to have much bite in the upper level.  It’s like the old Cowboys football stadium in that regard.  The weather is allowed to come in but there’s some level of insulation or protection from the harsh stuff. 

I didn’t really get a chance to explore much, so there are still many aspects of the building I need to discover at future matches.  But I can tell you the concession stands are stocked with Portuguese food items, a nod to the nearby Ironbound neighborhood.  The staff working the concession stand I visited at halftime struggled to process orders in a timely manner, but I’d expect they’ll improve as the season rolls along.   

Attendance was announced at 24,572.  The actual number of seats filled was no more than 20-thousand.  And it was very much a late arriving crowd.  Even the Red Bulls have gone on record in acknowledging that parking is sparse.  While the arena is surrounded by barren, undeveloped land, somehow parking got left out of the equation. 

There are ways to avoid the parking headache.  The most obvious and easy maneuver is the PATH train.  The Harrison stop is at RBA’s doorstep.  Or even better – get off at the Newark stop and enjoy a pub and/or restaurant between Newark Penn and RBA.  That’s what we did. 

I met Mike at MMM Bello’s on Market Street near Newark Penn for a pre-match brew.  Mike parked in a downtown Newark public garage.  About an hour before the match, we left the bar and marched over the bridge connecting Newark and Harrison wearing our Red Bull scarves.  The Passaic River separates the two cities.  Yeah, Harrison is a bleak wasteland of dead industrial age remnants, but the ten-minute walk from downtown Newark across the river to the arena evokes the tradition of European futball fans making celebratory marches through neighborhoods to reach the grounds of their favorite team. 

MMM Bello’s seems to be the go-to spot for the fun-loving legion of Red Bull supporters.  It was nothing but soccer fans before and after the match at this two-level tavern.  Sixteen-ounce plastic cups of PBR were $2 and Buds in the same container were $2.50.  The owner of this joint is sitting on a gold mine when you consider the Nets just added 40 plus dates a year just down the street.  Bello’s doesn’t have a complete monopoly on pre-game for the Rock and RBA but it has the market seriously cornered.  Until I’m steered elsewhere, I’ll continue to patronize Bello’s and head for the upstairs bar where it’s less congested. 

I should probably mention that the Red Bulls won Saturday night.  One-nothing was the final.  The 28-year-old Red Bull midfielder Joel Lindpere from Estonia had the lone score.  Lindpere is a new acquisition and appears to be a solid player.  Thirteen different countries are represented on the 27 man Red Bull roster.  The flags of many of those countries were waved by fans Saturday night.

The guy who really stands out as a solid player for the Red Bulls is rookie middle defender Tim Ream.  He reacts to oncoming threats with great poise and is very good at disrupting the opponent’s effort to organize an attack.  Ream isn’t afraid to keep the ball in play in front of his net.  He appears to have confidence in his footwork and ball-handling and doesn’t panic.  Ream was selected with the 18th overall pick in the most recent MLS draft.  He attended the soccer factory St. Louis U.        

Former US National team warrior Brian McBride played the first 79 minutes of this contest for the Fire before getting a seat.  McBride had a couple scoring chances but it appears there’s good reason he’s not a World Cupper this time around.  He retains a great nose for clean-up chances and is as wise as they come on set pieces, but at age 37, McBride has been running up and down soccer fields for a long time now.  He participated in a big way in three World Cups and will forever be remembered for playing with a bashed face against Italy four years ago.   

What’s fun about the prospect of seeing each one of New York’s sixteen home games in such a wonderful facility is the opportunity to learn more about the sport.  I’m really just beginning to understand how the game is played and how the rules are administered.  That’s fun and I’m excited about the rest of the season. 

After the match ended, a half dozen Red Bull players came to our end.  They raised their hands above their head and clapped as a way of saying thanks to the fans who cheered them on during the match.

Me and Mike walked back into Newark over the Passaic and had a final round at Bello’s.  We parted ways at a reasonable hour.  My PATH train ride to World Trade was twenty minutes and it was another half hour from World Trade back to Queens.    

-More than a dozen older women stood on sidewalks outside St. Joan of Arc in Jackson Heights Sunday selling palm leaves turned into art.  As noon mass let out, the huge crowd of St. Joan of Arc parishioners celebrating Palm Sunday filed out onto 37th Avenue and perused the diverse market of what I would describe as palm art.  Mass attendees already are handed a palm leaf on the way out the door, but the vendors outside the church were selling something completely different.  They were leaves fashioned into crosses.  Some were adorned with floral arrangements or small pictures of iconic church figures.  Sales appeared to be brisk.      

3-29-10 0140 

I was in Chicago last week when my Queens neighborhood went to the polls to vote in the big special election to fill the senate seat vacated by the expulsion of Hiram Monserrate. 

It’s old news now, but I should mention for the sake of this site’s developing historical record that Jose Peralta won in a landslide over Monserrate - and a third candidate Robert Beltrani. 

I voted a week early at the Queens office of the NYC Board of Elections in Kew Gardens.  It was the first time in my long history as a dedicated voter that I cast an absentee ballot.  Only twice before in 25 years had I ever voted for a Republican, but I did so in this case, marking the box next to Beltrani’s name. 

I did so because I knew there was no risk to Monserrate winning, and because I didn’t want to be associated with promoting the candidacy of Peralta, a rising star in the city’s Democratic party machine. 

Like many of the local elected officials, Peralta has directed significant public funds into a “non-profit” that appears to be a sham. 

Beltrani lost badly, netting just seven-percent of the vote in the special election.  He will now go back to being an administrative law judge. 

Peralta goes to the state senate now where he can presumably access more taxpayer money to pump into his phony shell of a do-good side-shop that does little to enrich the community.

It’s funny.  The residents here got so excited in the run-up to the special election because they had a chance to shut the door on Hiram Monserrate’s shameful political career.  But in doing so, voters totally overlooked Peralta’s self-enrichment shenanigans. 

The more things change, really, the more they stay the same. 

3-24-10 2245

It’s hard to believe it took this long, but the NFL will finally allow postseason games tied at the end of regulation to be decided fair and square.  No longer will a flip of the coin determine the winner of playoff football games.  I believe the college OT format was the best way to go, but I’m cool with a guaranteed possession for the coin toss loser after that team yields a cheap field goal. 
    
-A couple days ago, Jets owner Woody Johnson told the Post’s Bart Hubbuch he opposed a change in the NFL overtime rule.  But when it came time to vote on the rule change, Johnson joined an overwhelming majority of league owners in supporting the new postseason OT format.  It’s possible Johnson moved off his position to help leverage the upcoming vote on whether New York gets the 2014 Super Bowl.   

-Nets fans have Thursday, June 24, 2010 marked on their calendars. That’s the day results of the NBA draft lottery will be revealed.  At 7-63 overall, it’s all but a sure thing the Nets will close out the current season with the worst record in the league.  With that distinction, the Nets will have a 25-percent chance of gaining the number one overall 2010 draft pick when ping-pong balls are processed.  The Nets are guaranteed no worse than the fourth overall pick.  John Wall of Kentucky is the guy the Nets would pick at number one.  In addition, the Nets have cap space room for two max-out contracts in ’10-’11 and return legitimate pieces in Brook Lopez, Devin Harris and Terrence Williams.  The Nets could become an immediate beast of the East should the lottery break right.  Throw in the fact the team will play at least the next two seasons in Newark and there’s much to be excited about.  The media focus here has all been about the Lebron-to-the-Knicks possibility, but really, the franchise with the greater potential upside right now is the Nets.  Let’s hope those ping-pong balls bounce the right way.

-Since I haven’t said so yet in a definitive way, I’m gonna predict right here, right now that Lebron will be wearing a Knicks uniform this fall.  I’m not saying it’ll be nirvana once he arrives, but I’m predicting the arena between Seventh and Eighth Aves. pulls King James in.

-There’s been some solid and interesting on-the-scene coverage of Brooklyn promoter Todd P’s ambitious indie-rock festival just-completed in Monterrey, Mexico.  Todd P doesn’t like what’s been written (he’s expressed that concisely on his Twitter page), but it sounds like the festival’s biggest problems were beyond his control.  It should be remembered Todd P goes where other planners of music parties won’t operate.  He operates on the fringe.  I’m guessing he took a significant financial loss for his Monterrey effort.  The shows he puts on here in New York break rules – and take chances - so kids can see bands in environments more conducive to the true sprit of rock and roll.  Hopefully, the heat he’s getting on Monterrey won’t take the spring out of Todd P’s step.

2-24-10 0055

TSR’s friend and regular TSR Radio contributor Jeff D attended Monday night’s stop on the Woods/Real Estate tour in Nashville. 

Woods played multiple gigs at the just-completed SXSW festival in Austin and has a week’s worth of shows left to go on a two and a half week run of dates.  Monday night’s Nashville show was held at The End, near the campus of Vanderbilt University.  

Jeff filed the following review on Tuesday:   

The sign on the marquee at The End read simply, “REAL ESTATE.”  Woods would be opening for their label mates on what the Woods Family blog is calling the “No Rain Tour.”

I arrived at 9:45 PM and paid the $7 cover.  The club is a small venue with standing room in front of the stage for about 60 people, about eight tables with chairs at the side, and an L-shaped bar with 10 stools in the back.  The venue has a cozy, scruffy vibe and a good sound system.  Pavement played on the PA.  

About 30 people were there when I arrived, and 30 to 40 more would show up.  The crowd was mostly in their 20s and about evenly gender-split.  They were polite but not overly enthusiastic throughout the night, typical of Nashville club attendees.

I grabbed a Bud ($3.50) from owner/bartender Bruce, a 30-year fixture on the local scene, and took a seat at the bar.  PBRs were $2 ($1 for band members).  I recognized Woods leader Jeremy Earl 3 stools down, drinking a can of Fat Tire and chatting with a fan.  His speaking voice is noticeably lower than his onstage vocal.  He was wearing the same hat and tan pants with black paint spots pictured in TSR’s accounts of the Brooklyn and Chicago gigs.

East Nashville upstarts And The Relatives opened at 10:15.  The very young quartet played an energetic but undistinguished set of original indie-rock that ended at 10:50.  During the break, Earl and sound effects / tape loop guy G Lucas Crane began setting up their equipment onstage, so I knew Woods would be next.  I bought another Bud and headed for the floor.

Woods opened with a six or eight minute instrumental that showcased their more experimental side, setting the tone for the remainder of their brief set.  They played four songs off Songs of Shame: To Clean, Rain On, The Hold, and Down This Road.  On Rain On, the bass player moved to drums, and the drummer played rhythm guitar.  They played two nice songs I didn’t know that featured loping bass lines and an almost-country feel.  Earl’s high-pitched vocals were strong, and his guitar playing skillful but concise, on those six numbers.

The set was dominated by three longer selections:  two instrumentals and one with vocals followed by an extended jam.  Earl’s guitar took a backseat on those tunes to Crane’s effects – at one point Earl was playing a repetitive rhythm chord while Crane’s gadgets became the lead instrument for what felt like way too long.  Crane brings something really unique to the band, and he’s interesting to watch onstage.  But his dominant role on the longer, more avant-garde material felt gimmicky and eventually became annoying.

After the final longish jam, which included the drummer hitting his sticks on a guitar neck, the set was over.  It was 11:50.  Woods had played 35 minutes, the same length as And The Relatives, who have recorded a single EP.

I was disappointed with both the length and content of Woods’ set.  Perhaps the opening act cut into their time, or maybe they were just worn out from a long weekend at SXSW.  In any event, this truncated, listener-challenging set had to be well below their usual standards.

I stayed for the first three songs of Real Estate’s set.  Though far less musically accomplished than Woods, their tunes were pleasant and focused, if insubstantial.  I wouldn’t be surprised to hear them on a Volkswagen commercial in a year or two.

3-23-10 1600

As expected, my congressman Joe Crowley voted in support of the health care reform legislation that gained narrow passage Sunday night.  Crowley delivered a 45-second speech summarizing his position on the House floor at about 820 PM. 

Even though his Queens district has large numbers of new residents from other countries, Crowley made no mention of a provision in the bill banning undocumented immigrants from buying into newly-created insurance exchanges at their own expense.  The hostile and unnecessary exclusion wasn’t included in the original House health care reform bill and was viewed until this past week as a poison pill by members of Congress with large immigrant populations. 

Since Congressional democrats were unwilling to ride out a Senate filibuster on the cleaner House bill – or hybrid legislation that keeps out the anti-immigrant exclusion – you’ve got lots of liberal house democrats swallowing mean-spirited policy to gain what’s hoped to be the broader good.  

Chicago congressman Luis Gutierrez was among several prominent liberal congressman to acknowledge and openly discuss his quandary in recent days.  Call it a cave, if you must.  But the way Gutierrez explained it, he’s accepting the anti-immigrant language because he believes defeating health care reform would “cripple” the Obama presidency.  He also said he has assurances from the President that immigration reform legislation will get its day – and will include efforts to rectify the provision in question.    

At least Gutierrez is attempting to articulate a nuanced position.  Crowley’s statements in support of the senate bill omit any acknowledgement that the legislation he voted for includes a profound exclusion impacting many of his constituents.   

3-22-10 0130

When the Kansas full court pressure started to suffocate Northern Iowa in the final five minutes of their intense Big Dance second-round battle, I thought it was gonna end the way most of these games go.  The bigger, more athletic, talent-laden super-power eventually wears down the feisty mid-major. 

But then Ali Farokhmanesh violated all protocol after springing loose on a successful inbounds play late in the game.  He found himself all alone with the ball on the wing.  He fired a trey with a fresh shot clock on what could have been his team’s final possession.  There were 35 seconds left on the game clock (shot clock was at 28) and Northern Iowa was up just one.  Not a single U-N-I teammate had crossed the mid-court stripe when Farokhmanesh decided to shoot.  If he misses the shot, it’s a horrible decision.  There would be no offensive rebound and Kansas could wind it down for a final play to win. 

Farokhmanesh was so wide open, it was scary.  He was almost too wide open.  But instead of waiting for something less sure to develop, Farokhmanesh squared and launched.  It was a seriously ballsy shot – and it was true.    

Assuming Northern Iowa takes care of its ability to solve the full-court press, I don’t see why they can’t make the final four.  They play great defense. 

I really enjoyed seeing Bill Self lose his battle to intimidate the refs after Sherron Collins was whistled for an obvious charge with about two minutes to go.  Self’s team was beat by a squad that is more fundamentally sound – and I was glad to see the refs intercede when KU injected undue brawn.        

I’ve never been a huge Kevin Harlan fan, but he did a wonderful job describing the action for CBS.  It would have natural for him to start cheering for U-N-I in the second half, but Harlan called it straight the whole way and never got in the way of an amazing basketball game.   

-Every year, you get the inevitable complaints about CBS efforts to switch us in and out of different games.  The viewer wants to be punched in on a game that means something and has the chance of an exciting finish.  Sometimes CBS is juggling three or four contests, weighing local market allegiances against action that is obviously more alluring.  Here in New York, CBS stuck with KU/UNI the whole second half and totally avoided even brief cut-ins of Baylor/ODU even though that game was close until the final three minutes.  It was an example of not trying to do too much and it was the appropriate decision I thought.  My only beef is minor.  At the end of Murray State/Butler, CBS cut out the moment the buzzer sounded.  Instead of giving us 45 seconds to digest the disappointing final possession for Murray State, we got switched cold into Tennessee up 15 against Ohio as the game entered a timeout.  It felt really abrupt.  I mean, give us 45 seconds showing the looks on the faces of the Murray State kids and then switch us over to a game that’s out of hand and about to hit a commercial.    

3-21-10 0115

Woods unleashed a serious and memorable rock and roll performance Monday night in Chicago.  It was an evening that reached such a high level of intensity, I felt really thankful to be a witness.   

I now regret making a fuss about the band's inclusion of a Blind Melon cover three nights earlier.  That indiscretion by the band is totally forgotten now after Woods hit a near-capacity Windy City crowd with 70 minutes of no-nonsense sound-bending accompanied by visually gorgeous displays of top-level craftsmanship.

I am totally blown away by this band from Brooklyn.  I can't stop replaying memorable snippets of their live show in my head.  My thoughts in recent weeks inevitably go down wooded pathways both day and night.

The Monday night gig at Lincoln Hall near the campus of DePaul University was even more rewarding because of the difficulty I had reaching Chicago.  The 48-hour nor'easter that pummeled NYC Saturday and Sunday took scores of flights off the weekend schedule.  By the time Monday rolled around, there were hordes of leftover customers from cancelled flights trying to skip town.  I couldn't find an easy, logical ride all the way on my home team carrier, so I had to improvise. 

I caught a Newark to Cleveland trip - then jumped on a Southwest flight out of Cleveland into Midway. 

The CTA's orange line train got me downtown - where my pal Photo has a crash pad - and the red line train transported the two of us up to the DePaul neighborhood in time for dinner.   

We ate decent Thai food at a joint three doors down from Lincoln Hall.  Real Estate hit the stage right after we walked in.  It's easy getting drinks.  There are bars everywhere you look - and three dollar Busch Light tall boys were easy to carry two at a time.  Size-wise, I'd compare Lincoln Hall to Bowery Ballroom.   

The spacious upstairs deck was filled with people more inclined on chit-chat than watching the band. 

I caught Woods bassist Kevin Morby outside the venue before the show and we shared the following exchange:

Me: "Hey, I was at the Brooklyn show a few nights ago.  How are 'ya?"

Morby:  "Good.  Thanks for coming." 

Me: "That Blind Melon cover was really brutal." 

Morby:  "Brutal in a good way?"

Me:  "No.  Brutal in a bad way." 

Morby:  "Well, you might leave at the end tonight, because we're gonna do it again."         

Me:  (laughs)

Woods went on at 11 PM sharp and front man Jeremy Earl was on fire from the start.  A serious jam on The Creeps had people in the crowd shaking their heads.   Effects man G Lucas Crane (pictured above) had a clear punch in the sound mix and added so much to the performance.  It helps a lot as a fan if you are positioned in a spot where you can watch what he's doing.  Because he sits on the floor in front of the drum kit, people standing on the floor often are unable to get a look at Crane.  That's unfortunate, because he's a thrill to watch. 

When the main set was over, the crowd's urging for an encore was strong, but apparently not enough to prompt the band's return.  Despite Morby's proclamation of a Melon repeat, it never happened. 

As Crane was packing up his equipment, Photo asked him where the encore was.  "We weren't feeling it tonight," said Crane with a smile. 

The next night, Woods played Lawrence, KS.  After that, it's multiple spots in Austin for South By Southwest.  My pal Jeff D says he's going to Monday's (3-22) show in Nashville.   

If there was any beef to be had with the Chicago show, I guess it was an observation Photo made about the Shure Green Bullet microphone used by Earl.  Photo said he concurred with fans near him that the distortion created by the mike overly muddies Earl's unique high-pitched voice. 

On Woods' recordings, Earl's voice is near crystal-clear.  The Green Bullet used on stage makes it hard to decipher lyrics, especially if they aren't already ingrained in your head.  

As Photo and I walked out onto Lincoln Ave., we decided the night still had room for more fun.  We jumped in a cab bound for The Bob Inn, where we were met by our old pal Fireside Jim.  In a city loaded with great bars, I'm not sure there are too many that have better vibes than The Bob Inn.  Drinks were served, stories were told, fun was had, bar was closed.      

The cab back downtown made a stop at Jim's Original on Union just south of Rosie.  Photo ordered a sack of red hots (casing on) and fries to take back to his apartment for late-night munchies.  Next thing I know, it was almost noon the next day.    

Among other highlights on this trip:

-We got the whole family together on the north side of Chicago Tuesday night.  My Mom served up a big batch of her famous "Beer Stew."  My nephew spent much of the evening simulating the sounds of a dinosaur before the prospect of cupcakes diverted his attention.  Rather than being scared, my two nieces seemed amused with their cousin's dinosaur antics. 

-We did lunch with my 101-year-old Grandpa Wednesday at his favorite dining spot - Egg Harbor.  That was followed by a tightly-contested three-round rummy tile tournament at my Grandpa's assisted-living apartment in Northlake.  When you enter Northlake (near O'Hare) the city limit sign says:  "City of Friendly People."  Indeed.   

-My folks and I caught a 4 PM showing of the Hurt Locker at a 12-screen multiplex in Carpentersville Wednesday.  We all agreed the film was fantastic and worthy of a trophy.  An usher holding a bowl of hard candy stood outside the theatre's exit as we walked out.  For dinner, we avoided the St. Pat's scene and ate pizza at Luigi's in Huntley.  It was a perfect thin-crust pie in a hospitable environment - and it was the perfect way to cap a great visit.       

-I didn't realize Les Grobstein was back as a regular voice on Chicago sports talk radio until I caught much of his late-night show on WSCR Wednesday night.  He was still on the air when my Dad was driving me to O'Hare Thursday morning.  The Grobber said he was slated to do a marathon 10:30 PM to 5 AM on-air shift Thursday night into Friday before heading up to Milwaukee for the Big Dance quadruple-header at the Bradley Center all day Friday.  Grobstein had been banished from the Chicago airwaves for misusing a media credential several years back and I lost track of him.  It was nice hearing him talk sports on this trip.  He's a unique guy.  He attends every imaginable Chicago sporting event big and small and he deserves a slot on Chicago radio.   

3-18-10 1545

Monday night in the Windy City was one serious blast of a good time. 

I need another day or so to write it up.  The late-night Jameson's shots on West Fullerton have temporarily flipped off my recap switch.

3-16-10 2200

A random thought or two on the shape of this year’s NCAA tournament field:

+We could get an incredible East regional final.  It’s lined up to go Kentucky vs. West Virginia at the Carrier Dome a week from Saturday.  That would be some kind of game between two schools with rabid fans from adjoining states.  A WVU win over Kentucky to gain the final four would be a huge deal to the people of West Virginia.  

+The best first-round matchup is Temple/Cornell.  Those two teams will play a visually appealing 40 minutes of intense hoop before tons of empty seats in Jacksonville and I’m guessing nobody west of the Mississippi will get more than five minutes of the game on television.

+CBS again insisted on showing more than a dozen live feeds of NCAA tourney teams celebrating their bracket assignment.  A three-second time lag destroyed the effect, forcing Greg Gumbel to preside over awkward pauses each time a team was shown.  Worse, when it was time to pull up the East Tennessee State squad’s reaction to their first round assignment, a player from that school got right into the camera and grabbed his crotch for a national audience to see.  There are whole lots of better ways for a TV network to fill an exclusive sixty-minute window than showing clips of young people watching TV.     

+Much was made about Syracuse getting stuck in the West region as if it’s some kind of disadvantage relative to Duke’s placement in the South.  But really, the pod format keeps the Cuse near home for the first and second rounds and their path to the final four has fewer land mines than Duke’s. 

+It’s not a big deal, but there’s no way Cal should be an eight seed vs. Louisville as a nine.  The two teams play in the first round and I’m guessing Louisville will be a solid favorite in the game. 

+I was initially surprised that Minnesota got in at 9-9 in the Big Ten, but then looked at their schedule and realized Illinois doesn’t have a case for superiority.  The Gophers beat Illinois in Champaign and knocked off Butler on a neutral early in the year. 

+I know Seton Hall looked dull against the Irish when it really counted, but I’m convinced they’re a better team than Cal, UTEP and Minnesota.   

+My pick to win it all is the winner of WVU – Kentucky.  If the Wildcats advance to the final four, they’ll have a giant home court advantage. 

+I’d love to see Northern Iowa knock off Kansas.  Really, I’d love to see anybody knock off Kansas.   

And, unrelated…

-Like Arlington Park in suburban Chicago, the Fair Grounds in New Orleans doesn’t announce an official attendance figure on live racing days.  New Orleans Times-Picayune reporter Bob Fortus (sourcing “track officials”) put the number at “more than 12,000” for Rachel Alexandra’s disappointing 2010 debut Saturday afternoon at the Fair Grounds.  Meantime, Santa Anita reported 20,315 turnstile clicks on Saturday for Zenyatta’s return to the races. 

3-14-10 2330

The great rock band Woods revealed a silly, sophomoric side late in their otherwise excellent gig Friday night in Brooklyn. 

About sixty minutes into a captivating set of psychedelic, guitar-driven tunes covering material new and old, Woods was joined on stage by label mates Real Estate for a strictly interpreted cover of Blind Melon’s early 90’s hit “No Rain.” 

The youngish crowd that filled most of the main floor went wild, dancing deliriously as if plates of fresh string cheese and phish food were being handed out.        

I stood there in a state of distress - wondering where the Woods band I fell in love with a few months ago had gone to. 

A Blind Melon cover? 

Is a stunt of this magnitude enough to ruin my Woods fandom? 

I hope not.  I certainly didn’t see it coming.  Woods front man Jeremy Earl (pictured above) is such a wildly talented and serious musician and songwriter.  You don’t expect him to sign off on a goofy throw-away tacked onto the back end of a set list highlighting the band’s truly unique abilities.   In this case, Earl was a full, willing participant.  He rotated into a stool behind the drum kit, banged on the skins and grinned for the duration of a tune that sounds even worse than it did in 1992.   

I suppose the crowd reaction validates their decision to include it – and it’s possible Real Estate’s pursuit of saccharine sound motivated the choice.

Friday night’s show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg was a sellout.  A large downstairs bar gives the venue plenty of breathing room.  It’s very comfortable and easy to get a drink since the place was renovated a few years back. 

Woods went on at about midnight.  It was the first show on a two-week Woods/Real Estate tour that stops in Chicago Monday night.    

I’ll be there for the Chicago show.  I’m not quitting on Woods just yet.       

-Congrats to Brooklyn’s Zamal Nixon, who helped the University of Houston notch their first NCAA tournament bid since 1992.  Nixon is a junior now.  He comes off the bench and plays the point.  I was able to watch Nixon play for Boys and Girls HS and it was exciting to see him on CBS Saturday in such a big spot.  Go Cougars. 

3-14-10 0130   

Playing on a tender knee, Big Luke was the key producer in ND’s Big Dance ticket-puncher Wednesday night at the Garden. 

I had ND well inside the top 65 before the night started, but ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi had been floating the suggestion the Irish needed a win over the Hall to get in.

Personally, I believe both Seton Hall and ND deserve a spot in the NCAA tourney.  I’d go nine deep in what’s easily the toughest conference in college hoops.  Problem is, the selection committee has probably drawn the line at eight, and looked at ND-Seton Hall as a play-in game for the final invite. 

Harangody (pictured above - #44) had his minutes rationed, but was a clear difference-maker in the crucial Irish win.  The Hall had no answer for Big Luke’s slash and shoot.  Simple as that.  I can’t imagine Harangody as a great pro, but he can certainly dominate a college game and I’m not really able to explain why.  He just plays the game really hard and really smart.  

Seton Hall’s out of control head coach makes it easy for the committee to take just eight even though the squad from South Orange could do some damage as a ten or eleven if they got in.  Don’t underestimate the power of that Times hatchet job on Bobby Gonzalez over the weekend when the committee puts all the evidence on the table.

I got a $40 ticket for this double-dip last Saturday, a few hours before conference seeds were set.  My pal Brent and I sat in several lower level spots and got booted from each of them until we settled in the 200 section for the nightcap. 

Edgar Sosa (pictured above) had a great night for The Ville in the second game but the Cardinals couldn’t grab boards on the basket it was defending.  Cinci and Brooklyn’s own Sir Lance-A-Lot notched the upset before a crowd I’d describe as sedate for a conference tournament. 

Rebounding was such a glaring problem, I’d recommend pool players give Louisville a quick exit in their bracket plays.  Otherwise, let Big East teams go for long rides in the Dance. 

Enjoy what’s left of this week of conference tourney action – and of course – have fun when the big games start this time next week. 

3-11-10 0230

Ol’ Mizzou football in the Bronx? 

It’s a decent chance my Mizzou Tigers will play in the newly created college football bowl game at Yankee Stadium at least once in the next few years. 

Details of the new Pinstripe Bowl were announced Tuesday.  For at least the next six years, the Pinstripe will field the sixth best Big Twelve team and the third best Big East squad (not including BCS participants).  This year’s game will be played December 30.   

Sixth place is dipping pretty low considering you usually have at least two BCS programs out of the Big Twelve each year.  I’d rather have the Tigers be a better football team and play on New Year’s Day or later.  But you gotta think that it’s within the realm for Mizzou to sit behind seven other conference schools and end up in the Big Apple for one of these contests. 

In fact, had the game been played in 2009 based on the current criteria, Mizzou would have played WVU.
 
How ‘bout Mizzou vs. Rutgers with 50-thousand at the Stadium on a cold and snowy late December night?  Wouldn’t that be fun? 

George Steinbrenner could flip the coin and by that time Ronan Tynan will have cleared the slate enough to sing God Bless America.

The Pinstripe Bowl won’t be the first football game ever played at the new Stadium.  That distinction will go to Notre Dame and Army who will play this year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. 
 
-Imagine the spectacle and potential for fireworks if my ousted state senator Hiram Monserrate accepts an invitation to participate in the candidate forum set for Thursday night here in Jackson Heights.  A community organization is hosting the event at a neighborhood public school.  We’re less than a week away from a special election to fill the state senate seat left vacant by Monserrate’s expulsion.  Monserrate was booted by the state’s upper legislative chamber after he was convicted on a misdemeanor count for roughing up his girlfriend.  The clear front runner to win Monserrate’s seat is Assemblyman Jose Peralta, who has a load of campaign cash and the endorsement of virtually every important Democratic Party machine operative in the city.  The attacks on Monserrate have been merciless since he entered the run to replace himself.  Will he appear Thursday before a crowd of Peralta supporters to explain why in the world he deserves a return ticket to the office he disgraced?  It should be very interesting if it happens. 

3-9-10 2245

The loud cries of opposition to NCAA men’s basketball tournament expansion seem to be rooted in grave concern about dilution of the regular season. 

I’ve heard it over and over again from writers, broadcasters and regular college hoops fans over the last couple months.  If you expand the Big Dance from 65 to 96 teams, it’ll water down the regular season. 

I guess it’s hard to argue that point, but I’ll take the extra 31 NCAA tournament games and be glad to take a chance on whatever consequences may come.    

The more teams in the Dance - the better.   

What’s special about the NCAA tournament is the David/Goliath single elimination battle.  Going to 96 teams adds 31 more David’s.  The tourney’s top 32 teams would be rewarded with rest during the extra round of play.  The first round would only consume two calendar days which you’d assume would be nestled into the Tuesday and Wednesday after selection Sunday.   

I love it.  There would be two additional jam-packed days of college hoops and your bracket pool would be that much more fun.  For those lamenting the loss of “bubble talk,” you could replace it with what would surely be more heated discussions of seeding and the balancing of outer ends of the bracket.  It’s something the selection committee would have to be extra careful about.    

ESPN is expected to pay the king’s ransom required to obtain a 96-team tournament when the NCAA has opt-out rights on its current CBS deal after the 2010 tourney.  I realize the basketball establishment seems to be uniformly in opposition to tourney expansion, but since when do the czars of college athletics pass on a larger slice of cash?   

The one sentiment I totally sympathize with is “why mess with such a great thing.”  I understand that concern.  I just don’t think it hurts the tournament to add teams.  If you play extra games, people will watch and enjoy the extra two days of action. 

3-9-10 0200

All three of New York City’s major daily newspapers left out a crucial fact Sunday from their recaps of the NYC public high school basketball championship game. 

The game was played Saturday at Madison Square Garden and it was won by Boys and Girls HS.  It was the Brooklyn school’s first basketball title since 1979 and it’s the first team ever to win a city title with a woman (Ruth Lovelace) as the head coach. 

All of that stuff made it into the copy written up by reporters who covered the game for the Times, the Post and the Daily News.     

What failed to make it into all three stories was a sad and important detail.  For the third consecutive year, the general public was barred from attending the game. 

A melee in the big crowd assembled for the 2007 title game (which later spilled into the streets) prompted city education/athletic officials to ban public attendance at subsequent public high school championship games.  Only folks with ties to participating schools (or those with connections at the Public Schools Athletic League) are allowed to attend the game. 

The Garden’s capacity for hoops is 19,763 - yet the PSAL allows only hundreds in the door for their most important athletic event of the school year.  Rather than work to secure the facility, they turn it into a private and empty fortress inaccessible to regular hoops fans. 

It’s a disgusting way to operate a taxpayer-financed segment of the public school system – and it deprives the game’s participants of a rare chance to have their skills and sportsmanship appreciated on a big stage.

For those who were forced to watch the game on television, you had to wait about 24 hours after the outcome was decided to see MSG’s tape-delayed Sunday morning broadcast.   

I tell ya, if I was mayor, the first thing I’d do is make sure every single public school athletic event was open to the public.  If I was the current mayor especially, I would personally attend these events and make sure they were safe.  To treat high school athletics as a burden or something to insulate from public view or accessibility is horribly misguided.  Unfortunately, in this city, high school sports get short shrift.     

-The Met regular season schedule is front-loaded with home dates this year.  Sixteen of the first 22 games will be played at Citi Field.  In his Sunday column, the Post’s Joel Sherman said lots of April home games aren’t good for this Met team.  “It probably would have best suited these Mets to be on the road often early to try to build some momentum away from a home stadium likely to have an embarrassingly high number of empty seats and a quick-trigger hostility, both based on the disillusionment that lingers from last year.”

-Ben Stiller was flat-out funny in his spot as Oscar presenter.  Dressed as an Avatar character, Stiller handed out the Oscar for Best Makeup.  His routine and goofy costume got so much audience laughter, it made you forget there was a winner to be announced.  Before he finally did announce the winner, Stiller recited some alien-language and then promised in English that he wouldn’t distract from the acceptance speech.  “I will stand as far away as possible from the winner so as not demean their moment of triumph,” he said.   

-Since Mo’Nique got the Oscar everybody predicted she would, I’m not sure it was necessary for her to get vaguely conspiratorial in her acceptance speech.  Had she lost, she may have had a beef.  But don’t throw a dart at the Academy when you win.  At least Mo’Nique had a plan when she got to the podium.  You can’t say the same for Jeff Bridges.   This year’s best actor went up with the idea he’d pay homage to his parents but had his big moment go awry with a disjointed jumble of thoughts that ran long, producing the Oscar show version of the gong.  

3-8-10 0155

Less than five hours after working Saturday’s thrilling WVU-Villanova game for CBS, Gus Johnson was behind the mike for the brutal Knick loss to the Nets at the Garden.  Johnson told radio listeners of the Knick broadcast he used Amtrak to get from Philly to New York after the Nova game. 

-New York’s Irish-American newspaper The Irish Echo had a big scoop a few days ago.  Echo reporter Ray O’Hanlon wrote a story revealing Ronan Tynan’s decision to bolt New York City for Boston.  Tynan owned this city for a decade, belting out stirring versions of God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch of big games at Yankee Stadium.  He was adored by Yankee fans and had carved out a career and routine that appeared impenetrable as long as his deep pipes held up.  Unfortunately for Tynan, he made what was interpreted as an anti-Semitic remark in his Manhattan apartment building last fall.  The ensuing media coverage killed his Yankee gig.  The public’s reaction also made life difficult for Tynan here.  He told the Echo that people in NYC became hostile and unfriendly to him during basic chores and outings in the city.  So, he’s moving to Boston to escape the ill will.  Is it possible we could see Tynan singing at Fenway this season? 

-Awesome Act will run one more race before the Kentucky Derby, but his Saturday performance at Aqueduct in the Gotham puts him in the discussion of intriguing potential Derby entrants.  Running on a dirt surface for the first time in his career, Awesome Act rallied from the middle of a ten-horse field and appeared to be running on an easy-cruise setting as he crossed the line.  The time wasn’t great, nor was his field of competitors.  Additionally, the Gotham winner rarely goes on to capture the Derby.  But Awesome Act caught my eye (I watched coverage of the Gotham on TVG) for the way he behaved before his victory.  Just a couple days after an airplane ride from his home base in England, Act warmed up on Aqueduct’s racing surface without the standard escort horse used by most race participants in this country.  Act displayed all the traits of a supremely happy and confident runner.  His prance – his head tilt – and the soft swooshing of his tail all gave him the look of a winner.  He took a bundle of late money, too.  I know you’re probably saying all good horses look nice before a race they win, but something about the way this guy carries himself appears special.  Next up for Awesome Act is the Wood Memorial in four weeks. 

3-7-10 0130

Sports Illustrated soccer writer Grant Wahl toured Red Bull Arena last week and walked out very impressed by the new stadium in Harrison, NJ.  In a column posted online this week, Wahl calls it “the most advanced, state-of-the-art soccer stadium in the Western Hemisphere.” 

-The MSG Network put out a news release this week saying the entire slate of Red Bull home games would be televised in high definition this upcoming season.  Never before has MSG carried a Red Bull match in high-def.   

-The soccer broadcaster most closely associated with play-by-play descriptions of matches involving the US men’s national team has been left out of ESPN’s World Cup television plans.  JP Dellacamera is not among the four play-by-play men ESPN will use on its live television broadcasts of 64 World Cup matches.  While Dellacamera will contribute to ESPN radio’s coverage of the Cup, it’s unfortunate he won’t be in the television booth when USA takes on England.  Instead, American viewers will likely get the British-accented voice of 64-year-old Martin Tyler, well-known for his calls of Premier League action.  

-The same guys running the justifiably popular pizza joint Artichoke Basille’s on