No Place Like Home On The BBC America

BBC America has one of the more intriguing TV series on in Copper. It is about an Irish police detective and Civil War veteran in New York's 5 points area in 1865. Right away the series got my attention because my great-great-grandfather and mother lived there in 1865! I soon became a regular.

The plots sometime seem a little far fetched and also just a tad off historically but the acting is a tour de force with great US character actors teeming up with British, French and Canadian actors. (The series is filmed in Toronto.)

While watching last night, one of the characters said he had lost his faith in God because of what he witnessed at the Battle Of The Wilderness in 1864 in Virginia. My father's great grand uncle Bernard Finan was wounded in that battle. Wow, I thought that was cool. But the best was yet to come.

Later on in the show, at a wake, a young orphan girl tells the lead, she is fine,"Living on a farm with a nice family on the banks of  the Hackensack River in a place called New Milford." I replayed the scene 3 times in order to make sure I got it right. I did!! New Milford had hit the BBC!! At least BBC America!! My hometown had arrived!! It's last claim to fame was when a local liquor store/florist (Yes you read it right.) "won" a free business makeover on some cable channel. Oh and a town resident got in trouble on Undercover Boss!!

Well in reality while New Milford calls itself the "Birthplace of Bergen County", it didn't come into existence as New Milford till 1922. I was hoping that the waif's father would be called Steve Kelly and would be dashingly handsome. Alas it was not to be.

I'm sure the producers got the name out of a google search but who cares? New Milford has made it to the big time. Where it belongs.

I Need A Vacation

I need a vacation and yet no one is cooperating!! At least the people I want to visit.

The folks at work understand that is time for me to take a little break. Yet as of this Friday, not much going on. I am supposed to go away for 5 days starting in a week.

First stop Rutgers Football in Fresno State. My problem I have not yet been cleared for a media pass. Even if I don't get one, I plan on going. I just hate waiting. I was was then going to Lake Tahoe to see my nephew but he is going back East that weekend. Change of plans.

Off to see a friend of mine in Sacramento instead but not in town either. Okay A's game Friday night. Then a colleague on Saturday. Off to see an Uncle in San Jose Sunday but he is checking to see if he will be in. He is 82!!

So so far I have had 2 people say no, one say maybe and Fresno State University put me on hold. Now I realize it will work out in the end but I may need a vacation after the vacation.

A Shank

An article in today's New York Times paints a less than stellar portrait on the goings on at the Clinton Foundation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/14/us/politics/unease-at-clinton-foundation-over-finances-and-ambitions.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Why should we here in the Coachella Valley care about this? For the obvious reason that the Clinton Foundation has teamed up with Humana to takeover our PGA Golf tournament. It is pretty clear from the article's intonations that the Foundation has had problems in the past with both finances and administration. Flying Natalie Portman's dog first class is not exactly a heart warming moment.

The 64 thousand dollar question is what the Humana CEO Bruce Broussard is going to think once he reads the article. Humana is after all, the one paying the freight for the event. I'm sure that someone from Humana may be on the phone to the Clinton Foundations headquarters in New York and soon.

The good news in the article and it rings true is that Hillary Clinton can not allow what some view as her inevitable march to the White House to be derailed by this. Also it seems Chelsea Clinton is stepping in as well. It behooves them to bring order to the chaos either real or perceived.

The Clinton Foundation along with Humana helped save our PGA event when it was nearly dead. Let's hope that today's news is just a minor setback. The Humana Challenge brings millions of dollars into our Valley and helps many charities as well. Here is hoping this gets straightened out soon.

Sleep

Why is it the older we bet the harder it is to sleep late. And I am not talking about 2PM like some teenager, I mean 8 O'Clock like normal people. I am aware that my occupation in the media leads to some bizarre times going to bed and waking up. But right now, my body clock is set on 4:30AM.

Last night, I stayed late at work. Home by 10:30P and no need to get up before 7A. Yet 4:30A came around, (I do get up at that time most days.) and up I was. I did fall asleep till 6:30A. But still the annoyance.

On the weekends, it is a little better. I am lucky to get up by 7A. Yes 7A. That is just ridiculous. But I am sure I am not alone. Knew a retired milkman as a kid and he used to get up at 4 no matter what.

I know I should be grateful to have a job to go to at 4:30A. But it couldn't just be a little later?

Same Old Mets With A Smile

Again the radio Gods have inflicted on me the joy of working at night again. This time it is a Monday night and the New York Mets , the team of my youth, have come to town. They of course are cannon fodder right now, a lousy club managed by a good man, Terry Collins.

I grew up a Mets fan. When I was only 5 I met Ron Hunt and later Al Jackson, players who figured prominently in Mets lore. This blog is really about my Dad and what he did for his kids.

My father's older brothers were all New York Giant fans. He grew up a Yankee fan and his favorite player was Lou Gehrig. He even convinced his mother to be a Yankee fan. Up until her 90's, my grandmother listened to Yankee games on the radio.

My older brothers Tom and Dan were 10 and 8 when the Mets were formed. For some reason they became enamored with those horrible 1962 New York Mets. The worst team ever in baseball. And my father did something remarkable; he dropped the Yankees to become a Mets fan!!  Dad always claimed he did so because the Yankees were boring they won so much!!  He said he got a kick out of the Mets.

Due to my brothers and my Dad, I became a Mets fan. There was the heaven of 1969 and 1986 but there have been mostly horrible years.

Every year till he died my Dad would say in the spring that he was done with yet another awful Mets team. Yet every year he would be watching till at least hockey season. When the Mets were on the West Coast, he would scan the crowd on TV and look for my late brother Tom and me. In 2004, I impressed him with my stint as the pre-game guest on the Angels Radio network.(They were desperate.) But then again, he was more impressed when I called into the Mets post game show on WJRZ radio to ask whether Claude Osteen and Darryl Osteen were related. I was 7 and they weren't.

At the end of his life, Dad's favorite Met was Danny Murphy. I think he just liked the name. Well tonight Murphy got up with the bases loaded and 2 outs. I thought smack one out for Dad. Murphy popped out to end the inning. Somehow dad would understand. I hope he is telling Lou Gehrig the sacrifice he made. Even the Iron Horse probably approves. While shaking his head.

Sunday Night Baseball And Bud Furillo

Some of the pleasures and pitfalls of working in a small media market can be some bizarre hours. This is one of those times. Due to some vacations and other conditions, I find myself board operating tonight's Dodger game vs Tampa Bay. And you know what, it isn't that bad.

I am so impressed by the announce team of Charlie Steiner and Rick Monday. Of course Vince Scully is no slouch. Plus right now the Dodgers are playing such phenomenal baseball that it is actually fun right know.Right now they are unbeatable. They are knocking down foes left and right.

Baseball is a game made for radio. You can sit back and listen to the stories and be amazed that it always seems to take 3 hours. Right now I would love to be talking with my old sports mentor Bud Furillo, Bud I think would love Yasil Puig and Clayton Kershaw.

But for all the Dodgers are doing right now, Bud would beckon to me and say quietly, "Kid we need this in September too." Of course the Steamer would be right. He always was.

Bad Day

Ever have one of those days. This day has been nothing but bad news. The dog next door decided to bark all night. My 15 year old friend who is like a stepson to me had to go the hospital for migraines. Meanwhile work has been a little on the off side. I received some "constructive" criticism and what an oxymoron that it.
Also we are shorthanded for a while and our engineers are working very hard to fix my radio station. They are doing yeoman's work but it is a struggle.

One thing I have learned though is that you can always start your day over. And also to stop thinking about myself. Those firefighters who are showing tremendous courage are heroes! They are not having a good day as they battle the Silver Fire. Dean who is suffering from those migraines is not having a good day. Depending on who you believe, for about 156,000 people worldwide, this is a very bad day because today they die.

I am safe, I am alive and I have a myriad of great friends and supporters. Time for me to take a little break, go home and restart my day. And have a good one for those who can't!!

Media Grownups

The recent decision of the Riverside County DA not to prosecute officers involved in the shooting death of Robert Shirar back in May of last year is not surprising. The CHP had put the officers involved back on duty last June. Also the Indio PD which played a role in the investigation came to no dissenting conclusion.

The family of Shirar is of course looking to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the CHP. Shirar was unarmed at the time of the incident. And what happened next after the incident is what annoys me.

It took 3 weeks for authorities to say Shirar was unarmed. They knew that in less than an hour. You can bet if he had a gun, a news conference would have been held the next day with the local had of the CHP displaying said weapon like a trophy.

Sometimes just like there are rookie reporters and media in a small market such as Palm Springs, there are rookie media or small market types in Law Enforcement public information as well. It is not the first time I have seen something like this done in our desert.

Holding back information like this is not a public service rather it is a sign of immaturity. It leads naturally to suspicious thoughts on the part of many in the public.

I for one believe the CHP really needs to look at their media policies. They blew this one.

Hairy Proposition

You know I, like many other men have never liked shaving. When I worked in jobs where I didn't have to worry about it, I enjoyed the freedom of not shaving.

I haven't shaved for 2 weeks and now a beard is starting to appear< But unlike a cool beard like Hugh Laurie had in House, mine is streaked with white.. It also hasn't grown easily. Plus it is itchy. On the other hand I was told I looked like a college professor. I like that.

Remarks have either been supportive or downright derisive. I myself remain non-plussed about it.

Today though I dib buy extra razors. it could be that time for the beard has come and gone. We shall see.

Down The Block

When I was 4 years old, my parents were looking to move from central New Jersey to be closer to New York where my Dad worked. When they were looking to buy a house at 227 Grand Street in New Milford, they asked whether there were any Catholic schools in the neighborhood. Mr. Strauss, the home owner said, "Yes, St. Joes is down the block."                                                                                                                        

And it was down the block I would go to school starting in September 1965 till June 1973. It was there I met so many boys and girls who unknowingly would help shape the person that I am today. In those years, I learned how to tie my shoe as well as my multiplication tables. I would learn how to play tag and kickball plus street hockey. I would witness cruelty, child abuse and courage shown by little boys and girls in stressful situations. I would instigate and lose fights on the playground. I, a boy with 5 brothers, would learn about those strange creatures who smelled nice and wore pleated skirts. I would make friends and share a bond with people for life just like me.

Much has been said and written about the foibles of modern social media. But with all the bad comes some redeeming features. One of them is the ability to find and get in touch with old friends. A few years ago, I was invited to join the St. Joes Class of 73 Facebook page. I joined it immediately. I was soon "Down the block" again. Nicknames such as Bubs, Stymie and Crazy Pete plus mine Esteban or Este or Boner (Don't ask) came back to life and were soon being transmitted from Sweden to California. The years and miles fell away as I heard from classmates who were now grandparents!! When did that occur?

As usual in matters like these the women took the lead in organizing a 40 year St. Joes reunion. My mother would always say, " All the men act like big shots but the women do all the work." As usual, Mom was right.

This weekend in Oradell, New Jersey, men and women will gather at the above mentioned reunion. There down the block from my old home the sound of laughter will ring out with the discussions of "Rumbles on the playground" or "Ali Frazier" or the "Palmer Method". Names that used to inspire terror like Brother Terence or Sister Joseph will be met with shudders and gratitude that they have ascended or descended to their just rewards.

I am sure a few tears will be shed for our departed classmates. There will even be a tour of the old place.

Unfortunately, I will be at my desert home this weekend. I have a variety of things to attend to. But on Saturday morning I will take a few minutes to go back to New Jersey if only in my mind. I will drink a Yoo Hoo and have a buttered roll for breakfast. I will ignore the strange looks I will get in doing so. Because I am tough. I am a St. Joes kid and we don't scare easily.

I salute all you other St Joes kids and if ever needed, remember I will always be down the block.