Friday, February 17, 2012

The LuLac Edition #1949, February 17th, 2012


"Maybe I'm Amazed" logo.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED


MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that I had the very good fortune to meet Gary Carter on a number of occasions in my life. When I was writing a newspaper column on sports, I visited the Phillies at the Vet. They were playing the Expos and I wanted to meet Gary Carter, “The Kid”, the All Star Catcher. He was speaking with Harry Kalas (corrected) at the end of the dugout and was having an intense conversation. Since I didn’t want to interrupt him or worse yet, not get to talk to him, I simply lurked. After 15 minutes, Carter came my way and asked if I wanted to talk to him. I replied yes. He then said, “I’m sorry I didn’t get over here sooner but I was talking to Harry about something really important. I hope I wasn’t holding you up”. I was momentarily speechless and got on with my interview. Carter answered a bunch of questions about long forgotten games and incidents of the 1980s. But what was memorable to me was his concern about “holding me up”. Carter died at the age of 57 from brain cancer. He was one of the good guys.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…….that Whitney Houston who was a talented individual is being portrayed as someone who died before her time. Truth be told, she kind of hurried that along with her drug abuse. A friend of mine made the point that she didn’t have a drug problem until she met Bobby Brown. Their relationship drama rivaled that of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s in the 60s…but with less talent.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that Judge Dave Lupas let a convicted felon go on vacation to Mexico after she was busted in a county wide drug sweep in 2010. She had to petition the court for this special privilege. I just wonder if Lupas even read the petition. Lupas has been the victim of a decade long whispering campaign that included things like he wasn’t the brightest bulb in the lamp, that his family’s money got him elected and that he really didn’t have the chops to be a judge. Unfortunately this ruling just reinforces those nasty thoughts.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that my good friend Bill Kelly from WVIA TV & FM did not know that “Roderick Random” was a journalistic institution dating back to the founding of the Scranton Times in the 1880s. The “Roderick Random” column is featured every Saturday in the Times Tribune and is ghost written by the Times premier reporters. Borys Krawczeniuk writes it now but the venerable Joe Flannery wrote it for years. Bill Kelly was one of my very first bosses and it is a rare day when he misses something. (And then again maybe he didn’t, old radio guys have been known to “not know” while “knowing” to draw a subject out. Anyway, State Of Pennsylvania is a “must see” program for anyone interested in public affairs. Tonight’s show with 5 area news reporters (See LuLac Edition #1947-under Media Matters) will be repeated Sunday at 1pm on TV 44.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that the Colbert Report was off the air and I really didn’t care. I always fast forwarded anything the man had to say because he was just downright silly. He’s getting paid a fortune for what literate drunks say to each other in bars on any given night.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that the Obama budget has cut bacteria testing in produce. This is pretty rich to me. The First Lady is running around the country urging people to buy fresh fruit and veggies and the Professor In Chief does this. Do they not talk to each other?
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that Mitt Romney seems to be getting more and more like the clumsy widower on a first date. Some of the stuff coming out of his mouth is strained, over rehearsed and just plain strange. Maybe some Zoloff would help.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that it has been a little more than a year since Christy Kapel departed these modest woods. Hear she’s doing well in Cleveland.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that the Montrose Council members started shoving WBRE’s Joe Holden after one of their public meetings. One guy said that he was on Council for over a decade and never made it a practice to talk to the media. Gang, despite what the brochures say about the blueberries and the trees, this is the sticks we’re talking about. It reminds me of a former co worker from that area who used to tell us never to call her on Saturday when she was out shopping because “Rick doesn’t talk on the phone. Ever”. When we asked why, her response was, “He just never uses the phone”. When we pressed her and said what would happen if she had a medical problem , she said, “He’d run for help. He’s pretty fast”. It’s a different world up there and reporters like Holden are regarded as “revenuers”.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED……that many charities in the state are benefiting from people who want to give gifts in Joe Paterno’s memory. That outpouring of support is certainly solace to the family and certainly is a testament to the entire body of work that was Pateno’s life.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…that WNEP TV weathercaster Joe Snedecker and I share the same birthday. On Facebook, all the rage a month ago was to post the song that was number 1 the week you were born. That song for me was Eddie Fisher “O My Papa” but I always found it ponderous. So I posted Perry Como’s “Wanted”. But here’s one that was riding near the charts a few months after I arrived.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED….that the following musicians endorsed these candidates. The lead singer of MegaDeath Dave Mustane is backing Rick Santorum. Gene Simmons of Kiss is backing Mitt Romney. Barry Manilow and Kelly Clarkson are backing Ron Paul. And this is who is backing Newt.

MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that Jeremy Lin, the newest star on the formerly floundering New York Knicks has had wild rumors abound about his personal life. The latest and thank goodness most inaccurate one is an arranged meeting with Kim Kardashian. Knick fans, and I’m one of them, would kidnap him for his own safety if that were true.
MAYBE I’M AMAZED…..that ESPN/ABC’s Monday Night Football jettisoned former Eagle star Ron Jaworski who is a walking encyclopedia of the game. “MNF”, the originator of a 3 man broadcast booth now only has John Gruden and Mike Tirico

12 Comments:

At 1:29 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Your story about Gary Carter was very nice. Carter was a true gentleman. I had the pleasure of seeing him play many times. Did you meet him when you were writing "The Strike Zone" column for the Dispatch?

 
At 1:32 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Another one of the good guys, and there are so few, passed away.
Gary Carter was a catcher right up there with the best, and he was switched to catcher at a late stage in the pros!
He guided pitchers as well as anyone and hit in the clutch. He was the rock, co captain of those great Mets teams and a Gentleman. Too soon gone.
My Dad was a Mets Fan and he was my Dad’s favorite Met.

Pete

 
At 1:35 PM, Blogger David Yonki said...

IN RESPONSE
Your story about Gary Carter was very nice. Carter was a true gentleman. I had the pleasure of seeing him play many times. Did you meet him when you were writing "The Strike Zone" column for the Dispatch?
YES, THE LATE PIDGE WATSON GAVE ME A CHANCE TO OPINE ON SPORTS IN THE EARLY 80s. HE ALSO ALLOWED ME TO DO A FEATURE COLUMN CALLED "PITTSTON PRIDE". THE SPORTS COLUMN GAVE ME A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO MEET A LOT OF BASEBALL PLAYERS OF THAT ERA AND MY OWN. I WILL ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL FOR THAT OPPORTUNITY.

 
At 7:29 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

On the Obama-Mrs. Obama produce thing:

This is sheer brilliance by the President. Here's what he's hoping for one night at the White House:

(Flush)

"How's it going in there Michelle??"

(Retching, gagging, the sound of chunkies hitting the porcelain, and then mumbling)

"You say something, Michelle?"

"@#$^^!@% BAD RADISHES!!!!"

(Bathroom door opening and closing)

"Aren't you sick too, Barack?"

"No. I'm sitting here with a big-ass bucket of wings from Dan's Keystone Grille. Some nut in Plains sent them to me. Here, take a whiff!"

(Running feet, slamming bathroom door, more retching)

"Hey, there's bleu cheese and celery in here, Michelle. I'm getting greens AND dairy."

(Splashing. Cussing in abundance.)

"Honey: Take the rabbit food off the White House menu and I'll tell you where I stashed the Pepto."

Underestimate this President at your peril...

 
At 7:58 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

As a Phils fan, I hated Gary Carter as an Expo and as a Met. To me, he was always like Gomer Pyle trying to be Pete Rose. But, I respected him, and the guy competed game in game out..no matter what the standings. Definitely gone too soon....and ...lastly this Phils fan has to tell ya...It was Harry Kalas..not Callas...are you thinking of Charlie?

 
At 9:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I attended the Grammys many years ago as an employee of a major record label. It was strictly an industry event then and not the splashy fan oriented thing it has become. I was also an eligible voter as a member of NARAS. I wrote liner notes. I did not actually vote however as the label I worked for collected my ballot. We had two artists in contention for a top award. So as not to split the vote a coporate decision was made as to which artist the label would support. Our ballots were collected and mass voted in several catagories.
The Grammys like other Awards were, and I'm sure still are in a sense "fixed". Thats how new artists win numerous awards. Does anyone remember Christopher Cross? I have no doubt Adele is talented, but its another example of too much too soon. Its all engineered to some extent! And thats the name of that tune.
I dont watch or put any stock in Awards Shows.
Cassidy

 
At 12:00 AM, Blogger David Yonki said...

IN RESPONSE
.It was Harry Kalas..not Callas...are you thinking of Charlie?
NO, IT WAS MARIA CALLAS. BAIN FREEZE, GOOD CATCH, THANKS. CORRECTED.

 
At 12:03 AM, Blogger David Yonki said...

JIMMY @ 729PM:
If the Prez had Dan's wings every night, he'd be a very happy man. We have to get there soon. Good post. Thank you.

 
At 12:09 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

My friend reports that our short time weather girl is doing very well in Cleveland with a show of her own of some kind.
She was clearly just passin thru this area. Good for her.

 
At 5:45 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yonk, I'm beginning to worry about you. How can you flip past Colbert, especially because he is too silly? Slapstick and silly has gotten poor and working hard Americans through some pretty bad times. We need humor. What about Lucille Ball, the Three Stooges, Bud and Lou, Married with Children, Laurel and Hardy, Jerry Lewis, just to name a few. We need silliness and slapstick in our lives. Hell, one look at our county government or at the Republican line up of presidential candidates and you should welcome Colbert and his silliness. Yep, I'm beginning to worry about you. THIRD TRY, THIS NEW WORD VERIFICATION SYSTEM SUCKS.

 
At 3:48 PM, Anonymous Pope George Ringo said...

Re: Cassidy: Boy do you jog my memory! I remember when Christopher Cross won a mass load of grammys back in 1981. I recall an article by the music critic of the late Sunday Independent asking "Does anyone really think Christopher Cross deserved all those Grammys?"
I may be wrong, but I believe that there is a best new artist curse as far as Grammys are concerned. Most winners of the aware end up going on into obscurity...i.e. Chris Cross.

 
At 4:57 PM, Blogger David Yonki said...

IN RESPONSE
THIRD TRY, THIS NEW WORD VERIFICATION SYSTEM SUCKS.

YES, THE NEW WORD VERIFICATION IS CHALLENGING. IF YOU GET FRUSTRATED, E MAIL ME AT
YONKSTUR@AOL.COM. IN THE SUBJECT LINE, WRITE LULAC COMMENT.

 

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