From Where I Sit

Viva La San Giuseppe!

    Greetings one and all. it's been nearly a week since I last posted any news so I wanted to jot down some quick thoughts before I drift off to slumberland tonight.

    Today is St. Joseph's Day which is a fairly important celebration for Italians and Italian Americans. Celebrating the feast of St. Joseph, the man considered to be the foster father of the gentleman known as Jesus of Nazareth, St. Joseph is also the patron saint of the worker. Those who toil day by day to keep a roof over the heads of our families and food on our respective tables. In Italy, St. Joseph's Day is more or less thought of as Father's Day due to his relationship with Jesus. Here in America, the Italian Americans always celebrated the day with, what else, a huge feast! The tradition was, and is (to the extent that it's still practiced), to host a St. Joseph's Table filled with all kinds of food but all meatless dishes, of course. What used to happen was the community, or church, or whoever hosted the event, would find a homeless family or some individuals down on their luck and invite them as the guests of honor. They would represent the Holy Family. After the feast, whatever food was leftover was given to the poor.

    My family attended a St. Joseph's Table at my wife's Aunt's house today. What she did was have a community till where we all contributed a couple of bucks and then she's going to donate the money to a local food cupboard for the underpriviledged in our community. A nice idea, a wonderful feast and excuse to get together, and a nice tradition to introduce to the young kids to teach them about helping those who aren't as fortunate.

Congrats to those multiplying Cranes

    I know it sounds like a growing aviary but I forgot to mention in my last post that our friends Jason, Jennifer and Bernie Crane welcomed a new bird into the nest last week. John Flanders Crane was born last Saturday, March 11th. Here's a picture of John with his big bro' Bernie. There's more to see at Jason's website over in the left margin under my "Hot Spots." Congratulations to all the Cranes, winged and wingless, everywhere!

Strange Signs

    Speaking of that strange bird Jason Crane - because he apparently has nothing better to do with a full time job, 2 previously existing websites, a new baby in the house, and a 3 year old son who's always ready for a little action, he's gone and started another website/blog! It's called Signwall.com and it's a collection of old signs from around Rochester, although I'm sure this will grow fast to parts beyond Rochester, that were either painted on buildings or carved in stone, etc. I can't do it justice by trying to explain it so just go see it. It's actually pretty cool. I'm sure you can get to it from his site or go to www.signwall.com. I'd try to link you up from here but I need more lessons from Prof. Crane.

March Madness, Spring Relief

    I'm not a huge college basketball fan although I do enjoy watching some of the games in the NCAA tournament because they're usually pretty entertaining. However, for me the best thing about March Madness is that it means that baseball season is right around the corner.

    As I mentioned on a recent post, I've cancelled our cable TV, or at least a large part of it. I'm seriously considering signing up for the MLB.com on the computer for the season's ballgames, highlights, condensed games, etc. Just curious if anyone out there has purchased this service in the past and, if so, were you satisfied and pleased with it? Please drop me an e-mail if you have any relevant info or experiences to relate.

Frank & Joe

    It being St. Joseph's Day, let me mention Frank Vignola and Joe Ascione. That's their CD over on the left, "The Frank and Joe Show: 33 1/3." If you like really swinging, hip, articulate, instrumental jazz then you MUST give these guys a listen. Frank's a first class guitarist and Joe's a first class percussionist/drummer. I've only seen them perform together once but I was absolutely blown away! Last year, I got to see and hear Frank Vignola perform with another fabulous guitarist, Gene Bertoncini, and they, too, brought down the house. If anyone out there is like me, and usually feels that there are no longer any truly special entertainment talents in the world today then give these guys a listen. The music is fun, the rhythm is exhilarating, and the execution is top-notch.

    For the late-era baby boomers like myself, you'll especially enjoy their rendition of the theme from the cartoon "Spiderman" that we all watched as kids in the late 60s and early 70s. Some time soon, I'll add their 2nd CD, "The Frank and Joe Show: 66 2/3" to the links at left. In the meantime, here's a picture of the CD cover. I hope they're working on "The Frank and Joe Show: 100 rpm" for the coming year! The CDs are on the Hyena label - great stuff!

    That's it for me, I'm off to watch a little Dick Van Dyke or Hogan's Heroes and then to bed!

Kirby Puckett: On Field Inspiration

    Someone asked me this weekend why I hadn't mentioned Kirby Puckett last week. It wasn't a snub, in fact, quite the contrary. I wanted and needed a little time to think about Puckett, his career, his untimely end.

    I was a huge Kirby Puckett fan. From day one, you could tell that Kirby Puckett was something special. He played with a rare enthusiasm we don't often see from our professional athletes any more. You knew, just by watching him, that he was living a dream and he knew it! Perhaps that why we all loved him so much, why we rooted for him to succeed. Those of us who grew up wanting nothing more than to someday play Major League Baseball don't necessarily begrudge those who were born with more talent or bigger bodies or faster legs. We're not jealous that the chosen few were chosen over us by fate. No, what we resent, is that those who do make it to "The Big Show" don't seem to appreciate it. Unbelievably, they don't realize that they are living out ALL our dreams. Once they make it, they forget all the guys they left behind in the dust of Minor League ball, College and/or High School baseball. Many of us, who may have loved the game as much, or even more, but just didn't have the same skill level as the pros, continue to follow the game throughout our lives and wonder, "what if?"

Kirby Puckett never forgot. He played every game as if he had just stepped onto a Major League field for the first time. That humility, combined with his total effort and hustle, is what made us all root for the little fireplug guy who looked more equipped to be selling beer in the stands than running down flies in the outfield.

I remember how heartbroken I was when he was forced to retire because he was losing sight in his eye. I had already learned long before that life wasn't fair but I was still shocked, and perhaps angry, that the guy I saw as a perfect example of what a ball player should be was being forced to end his career on such a defeated note. All the more reason I was so thrilled when he was voted into The Baseball Hall of Fame just a few years later.

Then, with the darkness that began to take his sight, he seemed to lose his way in life. There were family problems, legal problems, weight problems that led to health concerns. I certainly never knew just how bad things had gotten for Puckett. More than likely, I probably I didn't want to know. I'm uncomfortable referring to athletes as heroes but, at the very least, Kirby Puckett was an inspiration. He was a professional baseball player and, as such, he conducted himself on the field with class and sportsmanship. No doubt his example on the field made an impact on fans who loved the game.

I can't speak for the other areas of his life because I know little about them. I only remember that he was a joy to watch and while the memory of his career and accomplishments will continue to inspire, his spirit is, and will be, sorely missed.

Catching Up

Wow, lots to catch up on this past week.

OSCARS

First of all, I think the Oscar telecast was awful and I think it had very little, if anything, to do with Jon Stewart. I may sound like a Stewart apologist, and perhaps I am, but I have never seen a more uptight, humorless, pompous crowd than I saw in the Kodak theater on Sunday night. The new Hollywood crowd has none of the glamour, class, excitement, or sense of humor of those that have gone before them. I often say "stanno tutti morte" which means, everybody's dead. Just my way of expressing the opinion that few in the entertainment industry today live up to the legacies of their predecessors.

The only member of the colony that in any way exudes the charm of old Hollywood is George Clooney.

Charlieze Theron, or however the hell she spells her name - I have news for you dear: You're young, beautiful, rich, and you already have an Academy award. It's OK to smile!!! God, all we had to do was look at you in that black funeral shroud with the big crow on your shoulder and we were all laughing hysterically. The least you could do was crack a smile.

Sorry to see that Dolly Parton has officially joined the "Oops, Too Much" Club with Joan Rivers and Mary Tyler Moore. This women now has two sets of cheeks and neither of them are on her face!

Are there two larger egos in all of Hollywood than Spielberg and Hanks? Tom, get a hair cut.

Memo to the academy: No matter what you do, your shows are long and boring therefore lose the classless undercurrent of music under each winner's acceptance speech and give everyone 2 minutes to thank whomever the hell they want. They just won the damn Oscar, for cryin' out loud.

By the way, if Spielberg had won for Best Picture do you think they would have cut off his microphone before he was done speaking?

I hope, and fully expect, to be watching the Oscars in ten years and still see Mickey Rooney sitting in the audience with that big smile on his face.

BASEBALL

I'll certainly have much more to say about this on a future post but for the time being let us just say this: Rafael Palmiero, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds are all cheats, phonies, and frauds. I'm sure almost all, with the possible exception of Palmiero, will make The Baseball Hall of Fame but that doesn't mean they're the best that ever played. These people, and many of their contemporaries, really do not deserve to even have their names mentioned in the same breath as Mays, Williams, Aaron, Clemente, Ruth and a host of  others.

As more guys like Bonds and McGwire get into the Hall of Fame, the only thing that it will accomplish will be to make The Baseball Hall of Fame less and less relevant.

TELEVISION

Watched a new TV show this week called "Sons and Daughters." It was actually pretty funny which is unusual for ABC, the home of Hapless and Feckless or is it "Hope and Faith?" Anyway, this show seems to have some potential. Let's hope the network gives it more than 5 minutes to catch on.

One of the stars is Max Gail. Gail is best remembered, by me at least, as Sgt. Stanley Wojohowiecz (you just spell it like it sounds!?) of the 1970s sitcom "Barney Miller," another ABC program and one of the funniest and best written shows EVER on television!!

It was good to see Max Gail again. I was also happy and impressed that he has allowed himself to age gracefully. He looks older but good. Ya hear that, Dolly?

OK, that's enough. That's what happens when I wait almost a week to update.

"What's Up Doc?"

    I cancelled our more than 100 channels of worthless Time Warner cable TV a couple of weeks ago and since that time the family has been living on a few major network shows ( we still have basic ABC/CBS/NBC & Fox) and lots of great DVDs. I have accumulated a fairly substantial collection of DVDs in the past year or two so my entire family is now reaping the benefits instead of just me.

   For example, in the past week, I think my kids and I have watched about 15 episodes of "The Andy Griffith Show." In addition to Andy, the other big hit with the kids has been "Top Cat," the Hanna-Barbera cartoon from the early 1960s. This was the 'toon based on "Sargeant Bilko," as opposed to "The Flintstones" which was based on "The Honeymooners." Anyway, my older son is quite enamored with Top Cat, Choo Choo, Benny, Dibble, and the whole gang. 

    However, tonight my daughter wanted to watch a movie so we put some choices into a hat and she picked "What's Up Doc." The Bogdonavich film, starring Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, and Kenneth Mars from 1972 is a particular favorite of mine. It was the first "adult" movie I ever saw at the theater. By adult, I mean something that wasn't a cartoon or wasn't made by Walt Disney.

    My father was not much of a sports fan but he did love movies, so when I was a kid that's what he and I did together - see movies. Usually it was a cartoon picture or a Disney film like "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" or "The World's Strongest Athlete." Somehow or another, one night we went to the Drive-In and saw "What's Up Doc." The movie is essentially Bogdonavich's tribute to the Screwball Comedies of the 1930s and 1940s. All I remember is my father laughed so much that the next week we went back to see the movie but this time with my sister and mother. 

    For that reason, and because I also happen to think it's very funny, it has maintained a special place on my list of all-time favorite films. Not surprisingly, my kids loved the movie, as well. In fact, when it was over my daughter said, "that was really good - can we watch it again soon?"

    Rated G, this movie is a great example of a family film. It has slapstick comedy and car chases for the kids, it has innuendo, double entendre, and subtle insult comedy for adults. And, it even has a little music and romance. What more can you ask for?

Sunday Music Festa/Otto Show OSCAR SHOW   

   Tomorrow is the annual "Oscar Show Special" on my radio program. I'll be playing Academy Award nominated, and winning,  songs drawn primarily from the first year that a Best Song was chosen, 1934, until around 1984. I can't begin to describe how awful I think the music has been over the past 20-25 years.

    I will be watching the annual awards ceremony tomorrow but not because I've seen many of the films. One reason I'll be watching is because Philip Seymour Hoffman is a native of Rochester, New York so all of us here in his hometown feel as if we somehow have a stake in this year's award. The other reason, the main reason I'll be watching will be Jon Stewart. As I've already stated on this blog, I think Stewart is the funniest comedian, satirist, talk show host we have in America today. I don't think any host of the Oscars ever gets credit for a job well done but I hope he is such a smash hit that the academy will have no choice but to bring him back again. Anyone but Billy Crystal or Whoopi Goldberg.