If today was not an endless highway

 If tonight was not a crooked trail

If tomorrow wasn’t such a long time (Dylan)

The NHL and the Olympic committee reached an agreement yesterday that will pave the way for professional hockey players to return to the Winter Games in 2026. this means Sweater Nite 28 will either be held on Presidents weekend if there is a good qualifying game in the round-robbin... USA-RUSSIA perhaps, as we did for SN IV in Molloys.......or we will delay the festivities until the Friday afternoon semifinals , as we did for Sweater Nite 12 when the USA defeated Finland on a snowy afternoon to advance to the 2010 Gold Medal game.

The 2026 games will be held in Milan , Italy and they are 6 hours ahead of NY....so if my math and memory serve me......assuming they do not alter the time tested Olympic schedule...the first semifinal will be Friday at approx  10:00 a.m. our time........and the second semifinal around 3:00 p.m.   as you may remember in 1980 the US Olympic committee asked that the first semifinal between the USA and Russia be flipped in time slots with the Sweeden-Finland game.....so ABC could air the game live at 8:00 P.M.....and the Russians said No Fargin way......and so ABC made the disgraceful decision to NOT show the game live, but rather on tape delay at 8:00.......the game was also not on Radio.....I was in a bar across the street from the Port Authority (coming home from a ski trip) with Mac, Dermott, Freddie Roc and Whitey...yes, you could get served at 15 in mahattan back then......we pooled our money and were drinking mugs...the bar was jam packed.....and they had 1010 WINS on the stereo....every 5 or 10 minutes they would do a live update from John Montone or Pat Halas or one o those guys  who was OUTSIDE the arena and relaying details......i remember him saying there was a timeout with about a minute to play and the Americans were clinging to a one goal lead....the Bar (Mcanns) was chanting USA USA USA....and then finally he said "Well it's all over in lake Placid, the Americans have stunned Mother Russia" and Midtown Manhattan erupted like nothing i have ever seen before or since.......like Herbie Brooks said....I will take that memory with me to the grave.

The wheels are always spinning Holland.......we haven't even held Sweater Nite 26 and your President & Founder is already stressing over Sweater Nite 28......heavy is the head that wears the crown...but the truth is I LOVE the pressure......25 months and counting.....even if i am living on the beach in South Carolina, i will return to the 209 for the Gala.

occasionally the internet is good for something. There is a guy on Instagram that is worth checking out.......he releases reels every week or so....he is black guy (about 40) and he pretends to be blind with the glasses and a walking stick and he has a STUFFED black lab on a leash....he waits outside bodegas in Atlantic City or Brooklyn or Queens and waits for unsuspecting people to walk by and then he shakes the stuffed dog and starts  woofing at them..WOOF WOOF WOOF...the dogs name is Shadow and he immediately starts screaming Shado relax , Shadow Relax.... he swithces back and forth from his own voice to the fake dogs barking....and the rezction of the people is classic......they are terrified of the fake dog as only stymies could be...his instagram acct is J-Massiah @ jmassiah90 ....he is a comedian in real life........this is the type of stuff our good friend Dano would have loved.....i would have called him every week and worked SHADO RELAX into the conversation....we shared a great curiosity for these Characters of the Night.......and this guy j-massiah is definitely nuts...

2 short weeks until sweater Nite....and we know that 2+3=BEEER.....so drink up and enjoy that strange bright ball in the sky....feels like we haven't seen the sun in a long time.

I can’t see my reflection in the waters
I can’t speak the sounds that show no pain
I can’t hear the echo of my footsteps
Or can’t remember the sound of my own name