Rant #122: Some Random Thoughts ...

Here are some random thoughts for today. None of these deserve a full blog piece, so I thought I would pile them all together.

"This Is It" is No. 1 at the Box Office: So I see that the Michael Jackson concert film "This Is It" is the top grossing film at the box office.

Top grossing, this is it! With the knowledge that Jackson died just a few hours after most of these scenes were filmed, to be able to sit there and watch this ... well, moviegoers must be crazy, sick themselves, or both. If I want to see him, I want to see him when he was young and so, so talented, before he became a freak. I guess that is what YouTube is for.

Jon Gosselin Finds Religion: The reality TV star has seemingly found religion. Evidently, he is half-Jewish, and in his time of turmoil, he is turning to his Jewish roots (on his father's side) to try to deal with his demons.

All I have to say is this--Who is Jon Gosselin anyway, and when will he and his former wife and his girlfriends and his kids and everyone else associated with this nonsense go away somewhere so we don't have to hear about this idiocy anymore?

Lou Dobbs' House Gets Shot At: Happily, the bullet didn't hit anybody. It could have been an errant shot from hunters, but if you believe that, I may have a bridge to sell you.

You just know that somebody was trying to send Dobbs a message, but that message could have killed someone.

Yankees Win, Even Up World Series: All I can say is that this makes me happy. If they had gone to Philadelphia down 2-0, they would have had a steep hill to climb, but one that I think that they could have pulled out anyway.

What can I say. I am a die-hard Yankees fan and I think that they can win this thing--in seven games.

Rant #121: Let the Woman Talk!

I hate to put up another World Series-related rant (especially since the Yankees lost to the Phillies in Game One of the series), but here goes.

Yesterday was a historic day for a number of reasons. One that pretty much went un-noticed is that when Yankees radio broadcaster Suzyn Waldman uttered her first words on the WCBS-AM telecast of the game, she became the first female broadcaster to work a World Series game in a broadcast booth.

Yes, there are hundreds of female sports people covering all the sports on ESPN and on local and national outlets, but Waldman--who also holds the title of being the first woman broadcaster to regularly cover a professional baseball team, and perhaps a pro team period, in her duties with the Yankees--is the only lady to do it.

Professional sports broadcasters are a select group to begin with, and it had been a group without a female member until Waldman entered the Yankees broadcast booth a few years ago.

She is not the first Yankees broadcaster to break down the walls, though. Bill White was the first African-American to cover a professional sports team in the broadcast booth when he came to the Yankees in the early 1970s. He was part of the famed, and very much loved, classic Phil Rizzuto, Frank Messer, and Bill White trio that covered Yankees games into the 1990s.

Anyway, Suzyn Waldman, a cancer survivor, deserves kudos for her latest accomplishment.

Sure, she can be screechy and annoying at times--and broadcast partner John Sterling often ignores her entirely--but let's give credit where credit is due.

Congratulations, Suzyn--let's hope you become the first female broadcaster to announce a win for the Yankees in this World Series!

Rant #120: I Would Do Anything For World Series Tickets (Well, Almost Anything)

As a die-hard Yankees fan, I would love to be at Yankee Stadium for the first game of the 2009 World Series tonight.

But I don't have a ticket.

Nor do I know anyone who has an extra ticket.

In my case, I would love to take my family to the game. My daughter is away at school, so that means I need three tickets. I will even sit in nose-bleed seats; it doesn't really matter.

However slim my chances of getting World Series tickets, I won't stoop to the low that Susan Finkelstein dropped down to in her attempt to get tickets.

This die-hard Phillies fan allegedly offered sexual favors in order to score some tickets.

She posted on Craigslist--another site to hate for me--and said the following:

"Diehard Phillies fan — gorgeous tall buxom blonde — in desperate need of two World Series tickets. Price negotiable — I’m the creative type! Maybe we can help each other! S."

Well, a cop went undercover to find out just what she meant. He said he had one ticket, and that he knew another cop who had a ticket. The curvaceous blonde (well, at least according to her ad she is) said that if she could get his ticket, she would take care of him too.

The cop sprung into action, and arrested Finkelstein for prostitution.

By the way, I have relatives with the same last name, but this Finkelstein is not one of them.

Anyway, I still want tickets, but I am not a curvaceous blonde offering any gratuities in exchange for the tickets.

I just want tickets.

Is saying "Please" enough?

Rant #119: Baby Love, Not Baby Smarts

Oh, how I cringe when I see something that is pitched to parents to make their little toddlers into something that they aren't. Evidently, I am not alone in my cringing.

The New York Times reported Thursday that Disney is offering a refund to buyers of its “Baby Einstein” videos, which did not turn babies into little geniuses, as Disney claimed that it would.

In a letter threatening Disney with a class-action lawsuit for "deceptive advertising," public health lawyers hired by the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood cited a study which found a link between early television exposure and later problems with attention span.

Well, I don't know about that, but why do so many parents go out of their way to try to create their own little Frankenstein monsters?

Television is polluted with numerous ads (especially when there is time to fill on Sunday mornings) for videos and other devices to make babies smarter. Rather than let kids develop on their own, these things claim to make your kids smarter than the average kid--giving them the tools so they can think like a Harvard graduate at a few months old or begin reading Kafka before they can say "Mama."

Yes, I am pushing it a bit here, but the fact of the matter is that these devices are really nothing more than babysitting tools, so that mom and pop can do other things and not watch--or interact--with their toddler at certain times during the day.

A baby will absorb everything--even TV--to a certain extent, but these devices guarantee that your child will be smarter than the average kid who doesn't use these things.

Are today's parents so stupid that they buy into this? Why do little kids need to be able to read at a 12th grade level before they are fully toilet trained? I don't know. I guess the allure of being a "genius" really strikes these parents as an attribute that they want for their kids.

For me, give me your standard, spit-and-dirt-and-piss-and-poop little baby who will learn at his or her own speed. I had two of these types of kids, and they both have worked out fine.

Sure, we used the TV for entertainment purposes--my daughter loved "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" to the consternation of my ex-wife, who claimed our daughter would turn into a lesbian if she continued to watch the show (I kid you not--this is absolutely true, and is in the record at Family Court in Nassau County, New York!), and who has had a couple of boyfriends since, and my son was into Barney as a very small child--but that is all the TV was for, entertainment. And never did I plop my kids in front of the TV for many, many hours at a time.

I guess everyone is so busy today that they just do not have the time to play with their kids for hours on end. I know that I didn't have this luxury either, and the same can be said for my wife (not my ex, but the woman I will spend the rest of my life with, the mother of my son). But mixed in with the TV was playtime. I can't tell you how many hours I spent playing with my daughter's Turtle figures and playing with my son's wrestling figures when he got older. Sure, like most parents, there was only so much I could take--and I often reached my limit--but I did it as much as possible.

So to all of you parents who want little geniuses--just play with your kids, it's the smartest thing you can do for them.

Rant #118: It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This (Again)

This was an extremely busy weekend for myself and my family.

We traveled to Oswego, New York, to visit my daughter who goes to college there. The trip there was horrid, because we hit rain at every turn ... and not just rain, but torrential downpours.

I saw my daughter, and she looked good. She is a senior, set to graduate next May, and she wants to be an elementary education teacher. I hope she can get a position, what with so many teaching positions being cut all over the country.

I saw her apartment, and was pleased with what I saw. She does not live on campus, and her apartment is pretty nice.

We settled down to watch the sixth game of the American League Championship Series on Saturday night, only to see that the game had been rained out. I was hoping that the rain that followed us had tagged along with us and moved away from the Bronx, but it was not meant to be.

So, back home on Sunday night (the trip was fine, the weather was great), I settled down to watch the sixth game, and was very pleased that slightly after midnight, the Yankees had won their 40th pennant, beating the pesky Angels 5-2. As I write this, I am pretty bleary eyed, but it was worth staying up and watching the whole thing (and watching the post-game celebration).

Now, it is on to the World Series, and this should be a good one. The Yankees and Phillies are very similar teams. They both have adequate pitching, and both rely on the long-ball. The matchups are terrific at every position, and the games should be a lot of fun to watch, even if you aren't a fan of either team.

During the game last night, Fox periodically flashed up the Giants' football game score. They ended up losing, but I know they were doing this as a "public service" for all of those poor, unfortunate souls who decided to vacate their Sunday night football fix for baseball. The Giants lost, and I grieve for them ...

RIGHT!

It's still baseball season, my friends, and until the last out is registered in the 2009 World Series, it will continue to be baseball season.

The Yankees in seven. I can't wait until Game One on Wednesday!

Other observations: In a post-game interview on the field, Fox baseball analyst Ken Rosenthal brought up some negatives from the Yankees past as he interviewed Derek Jeter. "You haven't been to the World Series since 2003 and you haven't won a World Series since 2000 ... ." Then Jeter remarked, "You would have to bring up all the negatives," and he looked agitated throughout the entire interview.

Jorge Posada was being interviewed by Kenny Albert in the champagne-soaked clubhouse. He was standing with his kids, and AJ Burnett was squirting him unmercifully with champagne while being interviewed. Posada turned to Burnett (off camera) in the middle of the interview and shouted, "AJ!" and then something in Spanish. I didn't know AJ Burnett knew Spanish, but I don't think you had to know the language to understand that Posada was really upset over his teammate's behavior.

Finally, New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg was standing with an assemblage as the various trophies were being passed out. Having no business being there in the first place--he is really a Boston Red Sox fan who really doesn't like baseball too much--he kept on getting on camera, shifting himself so he would be in full view of the camera. He was dying to get some air time, as he is running for mayor again and still is being criticized for running the city like an emperor and casting off the term-limits rule in his favor. Happily, Fox and Albert did not bite, and Bloomberg looked ridiculous as he sashayed into camera view.

Let's go Yankees!

Rant #117: Let's All Do "The Mouse" For Soupy Sales

Well, another icon from my youth is gone.

Soupy Sales passed away. He was in his 80s and had been in ill health.

If you are under 50, I don't think you can possibly understand the cultural significance of Soupy, but I will try to explain.

Soupy was a kids' show host in the 1960s, when every station in America seemingly had their own legion of kids' show hosts. They would show episodes of The Three Stooges, The Little Rascals, and they would talk to you as if they were your father or grandfather, telling you what was right and wrong.

In the New York viewing area, there were two hosts in particular that fit that mold: Captain Jack McCarthy and Officer Joe Bolton. Each was in the "grandfather" mode, and each day after school, everyone would turn on their shows to both hear their wisdom and to see the Stooges and Rascals.

And then there was Soupy. He was sort of the rogue in this stable, as he wasn't grandfatherly, and even if he imparted any wisdom, it was with a sly wit. He was sort of a thorn in the side of anyone with a "true-blue" feeling of right and wrong, and his show delivered Soupy's meaning of life with a mischievous streak that could not be found on those other shows.

And he had White Fang and Black Tooth and Pooky and many other characters, and his show was hilarious.

And he had pies. He became so nationally well-known that everyone wanted to get pied--even Frank Sinatra.

And he had a semi-hit record, "The Mouse," which helped bring him national fame. It was a top 20 record in New York, and it landed him on a number of variety shows in the 1960s, including The Ed Sullivan Show and Hullaballoo.

He also had the top rock acts on his show, as he was quite musical himself.

Soupy's humor treaded a very thin line way back when. Once, he innocently asked for kids to send him "those little green papers" in their dads' wallets. He received one dollar, was suspended for his actions, and all of us kids forgave him even if our parents didn't, and watched him when he came back.

By about 1966 or so, he had become too popular for the show. He went on to do movies, and later did a lot of radio, a medium where he started out his career decades before. He was also omnipresent on just about every game show that there was in the 1960s and 1970s.

But it was as a kids' show host that I will always remember Soupy. And yes, I use just his first name, because by coming into my living room every day on my family's old Dumont TV, he became my friend, albeit through that box in my living room.

I actually met Soupy about 20 years ago. We talked about his divorces, my own divorce, and videos that he was putting out at the time. He said much of his footage had been lost, but that people contacted him all the time about finding stuff in their attics and garages. He was truly happy that some of this material survived, and you can find a lot of it both commercially and on YouTube.

Anyway, rest in peace, my friend. This guy, who is 52 years old now, will always be a kid at heart because of you.

Rant #116: Zipper Up For Safety, Zipper Up!

Why is it so difficult for some famous guys to keep their pants on when dealing with the opposite sex? I really don't understand it.

The latest such incident involves Steve Phillips, current ESPN analyst and former New York Mets GM. He supposedly had a three-week affair with some lowly recent college grad who has worked for various sports-oriented services during the past few years.

The problem is that this lady has an extremely big mouth. She has blabbed to anyone who will listen (and you known the media loves this stuff, so they listened) that she had this relationship, and she even had the audacity to contact Phillips' wife and try to contact his child on Facebook (another reason to hate that service).

Anyway, Phillips has taken a leave of absence from his ESPN gig, and his wife as filed for divorce.

Believe me, Phillips does not deserve anybody's pity. He has been caught doing this before, when he was the Mets GM.

And the woman does not deserve anybody's sympathy either. She has said something to the effect that she would do anything to get ahead, and I guess that means sleeping with the proper person.

A few weeks ago, David Letterman got into the same scrap, and throughout recent history, many, many others have been tripped up and fallen hard when their affairs became public. Some have been able to get up and brush themselves off, like Ted Kennedy; others have taken a nosedive into oblivion, like Gary Hart.

I simply do not understand why these guys can't foresee problems when they get involved like this. I know that young ladies may be very tempting to them, but you have to resist the temptation. "Look, but don't touch" should be their motto, but it isn't.

And these young girls, as I said before, really don't deserve any sympathy from anyone. I mean, don't you think they know exactly what they are doing?

I guess it's just that when you pair up males and females, you are going to have indiscretions.

I just wish that the guys would think of their wives and families before doing this, and I just wish the women didn't think they needed to do this to get ahead in the world.