I plan to play for the Bees basketball team in January, if I can get off of the disabled list and the league does not schedule late evening games.
And on January 24th, I learned that the Baseball Writers Association of America elected four baseball greats made it to the Hall of Fame: Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome, and Trevor Hoffman. Congratulations, guys. In addition, the Veterans Committee (now called the Modern Baseball Era ballot) elected Alan Trammell and Jack Morris to the Hall of Fame. Congratulations to these two baseball greats, making it a total of 6 for the 2018 group of inductees.
During February and March I have been watching spring training baseball games from Arizona and Florida, as well as NCAA and NBA games on television.
On March 14th, Ed Charles of the 1969 Mets passed away. I got to meet him on two occasions at Bethpage Ballpark when he visited as an old timer for the Quality Services for the Autism Community (QSAC) benefit ballgames. RIP, Ed.
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Since I did not feel like going out on the evening of March 21st, I watched Southeastern Conference softball: the Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. the Central Arkansas Bears. The Bulldogs won, 7-0. While enjoying the game I saw how few of the players of either team had “traditional” names, as opposed to people born in the middle of the 20th century.
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Sadly, another Mets great left us this month – Rusty Staub, Le Grande Orange, passed away March 29.
When I got back to the firehouse after the Delta call on Bayberry Road I watched some TV and then had to try and have a conversation with one of our members. He hates the Mets and their fans. I reminded him that 90% of today’s Yankees fans are only around since 1996.
At the end of March I took out a book from the library titled Game 7, 1986 by Ron Darling. I did get to meet him at McFadden’s in 2012 and today enjoy his broadcasting the Mets games on TV. After a few days of reading I got to the part where Davey Johnson took Ron Darling out of the game and replaced him with Sid Fernandez. I know that I watched that game but don’t remember that event. But I do remember that the Mets won the game and the Series.
On April 12th, the Bees softball team had its kickoff lunch (pizza party) to kick off the 2018 season. The members introduced themselves, and we discussed the rules of the league (Yorkville Sports Association), and had the new members sign waivers. Our Opening Day is April 19th, so check back for the results.
Before Opening Day, the Bees had batting practice on Tuesday April 17th. After clocking out that evening I went with some teammates to the Chelsea. One of the partners got a car service and we headed down Park Avenue to 29th Street and then west to 12th Avenue and eventually to the batting cage at the Piers. Chelsea has changed a lot in the last few years, but I do find the neighborhood interesting. Probably the 2nd choice if we were ever to move to Manhattan. We had one cage for 90 minutes, but I had to leave at 7 to get the 7:30 train home. While in the cage, I missed a lot of pitches and now have a lot more practicing to do. But it was still fun. Opening Day was two days later against the Renegades over at DeWitt Clinton Park #2. It was an early game (6 PM) so I could not clock out at 4:55 to get the car service to the field. Therefore, I got my exercise walking from my office on Park Avenue to the field. Besides keeping score for the two teams, I was an extra hitter and came to bat twice: got to base safely on a fielder’s choice in the first at bat (but since the bases were loaded, the man on 3rd was forced out at home). In my second at bat I hit it just beyond the pitcher who threw it to the first baseman (1-3 play). But since the infield, outfield and the bats were not performing well, the Bees lost 17-5 and were at the wrong end of the mercy rule. After the game we went to the American Retro Pub for some pub grub and drinks. Then I left and headed to Penn and grabbed the 9:35 home but fell asleep on the scoot and woke up in Great River. It was the third time that I fell asleep and missed my stop since 1979.
On May 2nd after work the Bees had a game in Central Park with Debevoise & Plimpton (D & P). It was early, so I got there a bit late. D & P was already ahead 6-0. I just kept score but since D & P scored a lot more to our mere 3, the mercy rule was called against us and we lost 17-3, making us 0-3. I then headed to Central Park West & 96th Street for the subway, waiting long enough to miss the 7:30 by a few minutes. That meant the local home.
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The Bees' next game was on May 7th at a field on the real Great Lawn near the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Like the prior game, I only kept score since we had a good turnout (13 people in the lineup - 7 of them women). Our opponent was Societé General, and while the Bees did not have to worry about the mercy rule, we still lost, this time 11-10, making us 0-4. I then headed to the subway at Central Park West and 81st Street, and like the last week, missed the subway, and then the 7:30 express, and then took the local home. There was a late game on May 21st, but I had the fire department meeting, so I missed that. Anyway, the Bees lost miserably again, making us 0-6.
After work on May 30th, I headed to Central Park‘s North Meadow for a Bees softball game. It was a rematch with the Bear-Sharks form Opening Day, and like Opening Day, they beat us again. But only 8-5 this time. The Bees are now 0-6. All I did was keep score, and after the game headed to Central Park West & 96th Street to catch a C train to Penn. And then the 8:08 to Babylon where Ellen & Eileen picked me up.
The Bees' next game was on June 7th at DeWitt Clinton Park, with first pitch at 5:45. We would be playing a team called Buffalo S'Wings. Buffalo took an early lead but the Bees came storming back and went ahead 4-3. But it was too good to last when Buffalo went ahead 7-4, and by the end of the regulation time (7th inning) the score was tied 9-9. That meant extra innings. Since Buffalo was the home team, they had last licks in the bottom of the 9th and wound up winning 10-9 on a walk off hit. The Bees are now 0-7 (one game was rained out).
On the evening of June 16th, Ellen, Eileen, and their cousin Susan headed to Bethpage Ballpark around 5:30 and since Ellen has a handicapped parking tag, we parked close to the stadium. Once inside I bought a program/scorecard and then we hit the concession stands. Before the First Pitch the Ducks honored Captain Raguso of the Commack FD, the FDNY, and the NY Air National Guard. Captain Raguso was killed in Iraq earlier this year when his helicopter crashed. I had thought that the Ducks were playing the Road Warriors, but it turned out to be the Lancaster Barnstormers. The Ducks took the early lead, but the Barnstormers came from behind to lead 5-2, but the Ducks kept clawing back and, in the end, won 6-5. There was also some fireworks display during and after the game. The downer was that they often played music (and loud) during announcements, and during the fireworks display.
After work on June 22 I headed up to Central Park’s North Meadow for the Bees’ doubleheader, arriving at around 6 PM when the top of the 1st inning was over. The Bees’ opponent in Game 1 was a team called Purple Power. When the Bees came up in the bottom of the 1st inning it was 8-0 in favor of Purple Power. But the Bees scored 7 runs in the bottom of the inning, and then lead went back and forth until it was 15-13 Bees in the bottom of the 6th inning. The game was called after that since it was 7:15 and we had game 2 coming up, against Translate This! But since I wanted to get home at a reasonable hour, I left after game 1 to hear to the subway and Penn. I was on the 8:30 train and it seemed like a large percent of Manhattanites were on it with me.
The Bees played On Deck again, on July 12th, at Riverside Park up near Morningside Heights. The field was next to the West Side Highway, and beyond the Highway was the Hudson River. However, on the field the Bees got pummeled by the On Deck team, 15-4. After the game I joined some of my teammates at a pub near the fields for some pub grub, beer, and soda. Then I had to trek up a hill and two staircases to Riverside Drive and then to the subway at 110th Street. I got to Penn 10 minutes too late to grab the express home, so I took the local to Babylon and had Ellen pick me up.
After work on July 19th I walked to DeWitt Clinton Park to participate in the Bees’ final game of the season. Our opponent was a company called Ipero. They wound up winning 10-4, making us 1-11 for 2018. Like they said in Brooklyn, “wait until next year”. After the game we walked over to the American Retro Pub for some pub grub. I had to leave as soon as I was finished eating and walked to Penn to grab the 9:35 home. On July 23rd, PBS TV broadcast a show about Ted Williams. While Ted did like to use 4 letters words a lot and was a non-believer, I still find him a true patriot, a good ballplayer, and a great outdoors man. Watching that Boston Red Sox footage made me want to visit New England again. Then the next day after work I hopped the #4 train to 86th Street and walked past both Loyola and Regis high schools to the real Great Lawn for the Partners/Associates Softball Game. As with prior years, I kept score for both sides, and the associates won, 19-6. Then we headed to Paola’s at Madison & 92nd for a nice sit-down meal. I got a car service home, right to the door.
While I have not played any softball since the end of the Bees' woeful season, on September 11th (I wish it was another date) I went to a post season get together with my teammates at SNAFU on East 47th Street. SNAFU does not service any food, so it's bring your own grub, which we did. I enjoyed their company until around 7:40 when I walked across town to Penn to get the 8:30 train home.
Saturday September 22nd was Islip High School’s Homecoming Day. Since Eileen is an Islip HS alumna, why not take her to the events? So after lunch we watched the homecoming parade on Main Street. The Islip FD led it and then the student bodies from the various schools, the band, and finally the floats went past us. Once the floats went by, we walked over to the high school to enjoy the makeshift carnival and the game against Hauppauge High School. I ran into several people whom I know, from either the LIRR or the IFD. The Islip High School Boosters Club was selling shirts, so I got Eileen an XL shirt for her, to show school spirit. At 3 PM the game started, and it was all Islip. They were ahead 28-0 at half time. That is when we left to walk back to the car, since Eileen was getting restless. But we did have a good time.
The Lawyers Basketball League will be starting up again this month, and I agreed to play for the Bees again. On November 16th, we had a pizza lunch at the Firm and I got to meet some of my future teammates. I told them that late games are out for me since I got a long ride home. The Basketball Bees were supposed to play a game on December 11th at the Lyceum Français, but not enough guys showed up to field a team so we forfeited.
On the afternoon of December 29th I started to watch the Notre Dame-Clemson football game at the firehouse before the 3 of us left for dinner at Rare650, and while there I watched the last quarter. Notre Dame got skunked, 30-3. When we got home, I watched the St. John's U-Seton Hall game and the Johnnies were leading until the last few minutes when Seton Hall came from behind and won, 76-74. It was fun while it lasted.