The best is always yet to come

That’s what they explain to me
Just do your thing, you’ll be king
If dogs run free  (Dylan)

Fresh off a successful jaunt to Raleigh and feeling good about the Canes chances verse Vegas.....at the start of the playoffs i questioned their defense and goaltending .......i no longer do.........I must admit that should they loose, i will be very happy for Coach John Tortorella.....the beloved former Blue shirt coach.

The Lenovo Center was a gem......they had 2 makeshift bars in the parking lot at the main entrance to the arena and were slinging ice cold cans of Beeer for $5....and since were staying in a hotel we did not have a car or cooler....so this was ideal.......once inside the place was impressive.....felt much smaller than the 18,500 capacity.......we sat in the upper tier in the St Patrick section (317)..........sections 318 & 319 were removed last year and replaced with an open air VIEW BAR with a railing overlooking the ice....pub tables, and flat screen TVS along the walls.....and amongst other things they were serving STORM BREW on Tap.....The Raleigh Durham brewery brewed this beer especially for the arena and Canes fan were allowed to pick the name.......we stayed in a Ramada on the campus and a short walk from the arena.....great experience.

Saw a hysterical interview with Doctor Jill......obviously she has a new book coming out and so now she's talking......she swears that during Joe's debate meltdown she thought he was either drugged or having a stroke.........now most ordinary citizens know; if a person is having a stroke, time is of the essence and every minute counts............so what did Doctor Jill do ?    she took Joe to the Atlanta Waffle House in the middle of the night to shake hands with the natives.......and the next morning she paraded him onstage and praised him for "answering every question" from the night before.......hmm......dam video evidence is hard to argue against.....guess she wasn't too worried about that so called stroke she thought he was having.

Mandani....the Mayor for ALL of NEW YORK......will become the first sitting Mayor to skip the Israeli Day Parade since its' inception in 1964....i hope the tarlovs of the world are happy.......but hey.....when someone tries to tell you WHO they really are......you should listen.

POTUS has accepted an invitation from Jim Dolan to attend one of the Knicks games at MSG in the finals.....must see TV.......hopefully be brings  Tom Homan and has ICE arrest Wemby during the pregame shoot around.

This morning me and my Pal were taking a stroll along the golf course as the sun came up.....he really took his time...sniffing everything....taking it all in......we both watched golfers stretching and prepping by the first tee box....envious perhaps of those that are on the front 9 of life....while we both are somewhere between 17 and the clubhouse........slainte....breathe it all in.....enjoy what you can.

True love can make a blade of grass
Stand up straight and tall
In harmony with the cosmic sea
True love needs no company
It can cure the soul, it can make it whole
If dogs run free

 

going down the road

 feeling bad.

don't want to be treated this way (Trad: GD)

Big win for the hometown Canes last night..........an Overtime W in the Bell Centre in Montreal to remain unbeaten on the road in these playoffs...........5-0 away from Raleigh........10-1 overall in the postseason.....total domination...........i have tickets for game 5 at the Lenovo Center on the campus of the NC State Wolfpack..........it will either be a pivotal game 5 in a 2-2 series.....OR.....Dare i say......a chance for the Hurricanes to capture the Prince of Wales trophy and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals...in any event, Raleigh sb Rockin....and it seems as though Taylor Hall is on a mission to finally raise the Cup....God Speed.

don't want to jinx the Golden Knights, but up 3-0 and things are looking really good for Johnny Torts...a class act, sorely missed by most of Blueshirt Nation......

I'm reading that zohran the idiot is opposed to watch party's around the city for the Knicks during this historic run at a title......he says they are too loud and disruptive.........he is however a BIG proponent of watch party's and relaxed restrictions around the city for the World Cup soccer next month( even though NY is not a host, but NJ is) ....just another example for the argument that he is hellbent on tearing down the old city and replacing it with 3rd world ideals....one big arab bazar and toilet bowl........everyone smoking Hookah and peddling fake watches............hopefully ICE is resting up for a blitzkreig during the World Cup.

I am a little surprised at the ongoing negotiations in Iran.....but i am not conceding.......POTUS and his entire cabinet are headed to Camp David tomorrow for a cabinet meeting.....I have to believe that if Iran does not capitulate to the deal that includes surrendering their uranium and giving up the notion of a Nuclear weapon, and does say by today or tomorrow.......i still feel the Big Hammer is going to drop......these iranians are not reasonable, they see themselves as martyrs, let's make it so........they are hoping that our congress eventually stops funding the military.....not that far fetched......i think Trump really wants diplomacy to prevail, but even he must admit that you can't trust or negotiate with these people....it's way past time......they still think WE are the paper tiger.....let's dispell that notion and dispell a few hundred thousands skulls while we are at it.....

2+3=BEEER

Going where the water tastes like wine
Well I'm going where the water tastes like wine
Going where the water tastes like wine
I don't wanna be treated this a way

There's a battle outside, and it's ragin

 It’ll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls

For the times they are a-changin’ (Dylan)

As i sit here on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, i am both wishing i was in BAR A and also a fly on the wall of the situation room. I think somewhere in the next 24-48 hours the US will strike IRAN and strike them very hard. I Believe Sen Wicker from Mississippi was on the mark when he criticized and warned POTUS to NOT make a deal with Iran (as they can never be trusted) and to instead "Finish" the job that was started.

Trump said on Friday that he was NOT going to attend Don Jr's wedding on Saturday because he felt the need to remain in Washington, and also on Friday the Dir of National Intelligence abruptly resigns to care for her husband that is battling cancer...........but we also know that Tulsi Gabbard is the loudest anti-war voice in the cabinet........coincidence ?   maybe not. 

In any event.....i think after a long cease fire and talks that are going nowhere, it is time for Trump to raise the stakes, attack their energy plants and make the Iranian public uncomfortable.....this is war, not chess.....it is time to go after the Revolutionary guard and start wiping entire divisions off the map.......he can't risk any more defections and another war powers vote;  after yet another recess.....i fully expect the hammer to drop this weekend.

say a little prayer for the Carolina Hurricanes tonight if you can......i have tickets for game 5 next Friday in Raleigh......so long as the Habs don't sweep.

2+3= DEATH to IRAN

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin’
And the first one now will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’

Happy 60th Dano

 oh, we would have raised quite a few glasses celebrating your 60th today , rest easy Dano, you are missed.

Matteau Matteau Matteau

 back by popular demand after a few years respite........

Feel free to add comments as to where you were and what you were doing when Matteau Matteau Matteau struck Gold......

Matteau Matteau Matteau

It was the Friday Night of Memorial day weekend,  the City was electric and pensive,  nerves were on end….. I was scared out of my boots as I walked out of 44 Wall street and  rode the subway up to Mustang Sallys, our traditional pregame watering hole in the spring of 1994…for 5 or 6 weeks we had been coming here before and after the games for burgers and a few beers….but on this night I couldn't even eat…..just stood by the door with Donn and Craig , washing down Budweiser beer like it was going out of style (as if that would ever happen)...Penn Station was abuzz with Commuters getting out of town... happy , smiling travelers with their weekend bags had no idea what kind of sh*t was about to go down, while upstairs in the World’s Most famous Arena the Broadway Blueshirts were about to take the ice for a critical game 7 of the Eastern Conf Finals against the hated, HATED  NJ devils……..I settled into my seat in section 419, row f ,  put two full buckets of said Budweiser Beer under my aisle seat,  rose for Mr Ammorante and the singing of our National Anthem…..and I remember thinking to myself, for the rest of my life, whatever happens tonight, will come flooding back to me every Friday of Memorial Day weekend …pain or glory, we will never forget this game…we will never celebrate this holiday weekend the same way..a small part of me was convinced of pending doom, fearful I would never again enjoy a memorial day bbq, ..we have to win……….first period was a scoreless draw…..more buckets of  Budweiser beer…….getting more nervous as the night wears on, which of course leads to faster drinking…….out to the rotunda between periods…scoreless………staring at the Post office…….please God……House lights come back on, crowd roars, back to our seats…nerves...…..midway through the deuce…….Brian leetch skates in from the circle……broduer defending 7th ave…….Leetchie pulls a spin-o-rama----lets go with a bullet….the light goes on……….the Garden erupts……YES !!!!!................the period ends…….more beer….not celebratory beers, but definitely happy ones….can actually breathe now..back to the rotunda……20 minutes from the finals…..the City knows it…….people are now gathering on the Post Office stairs across the street…….people without tickets are coming to the garden area to share in the celebration, the streets are filling up….I had chills on my neck……I ran into Kenny Coco (the CFO for Waterhouse Securities)…….the last thing he says to me is that when we hold on to win 1-0 , Richter will tie the record for most shutouts in the postseason……..Richter……The Rock of Gibraltar…our MVP....he was going to single-handedly win this thing…….very nervous to start the 3rd period…..it only gets worse….every shift….every dump in…..every whistle…..the crowd is bezerk……watching the clock….praying for an insurance goal…no such luck…gotta sweat it out, ranger style..….10 minutes…get a few more buckets of beer before last call…I will drink these beers during the post game ceremony I tell myself with a silent chuckle, would never say that out loud …for the hockey Gods to hear and strike me down with justifiable lightning…....8 minutes…6 and a half minutes ..5 minutesto play…I start allowing myself to dream…we are soo close……..2 minutes……the place is on its feet……..can't hear the whistle….can't hear yourself think……high fives all around……"THIS IS THE LAST MINUTE TO PLAY IN THE PERIOD"…….BEDLAM…sheer total BEDLAM…the upper tier of MSG is literally shaking…Christmas like  joy on the faces of so many…...goosebumps….chills…..sweating……nervous………30 seconds………broduer to the bench……they dump in…..one last push…….i'm squinting toward the 7th ave net from my 8th avenue seats, glancing at the clock…slowly tick, slower  tock…. tick……tock……..10 seconds……loose puck…mad scramble…..can’t follow the puck……the devils are jumping up and down….why?....the light is on…WTF ?....7 seconds….tie game……..

It was like being kicked in the stomach……..stunned silence……from the summit of Mount Everest to the depths of hell in a single moment..…I left my seat and walked to the rotunda before they had the faceoff……..stood starring at the post office………watching TV Crews with live reporters waiting on 8th ave for the delighted faithful to exit the building…..word spreads that they tied the game….the lights for the cameras start getting turned off…it really just happened.....we are going to OT……..a sad sickness and eerie silence hovers in the building……we are never going to win this damn cup….i said not a word…but I made a promise to myself….if they loose this game, I will never set foot in this building again…..never…for any reason…NEVER.


Me , Donn and Craig barely said a word to each other during intermission……it was like Clavins Funeral home up there……somebody must have died…somebody popular..…we retook our seats…..I could not concentrate…..the first ot was a blur……..I watched the red light behind richter fully expecting to see it go on, kinda wishin it would, so it would end my misery…….everytime they came into our zone I was sure the game would end……….midway through the period , the faithful woke up………”Lets Go Rangers” chants were back……we were exhausted and angry…….but we could not score…….back to the rotunda…..back to the window….this could go on all night..

House lights on...Back to our seats…….double OT …….wornout….feel like I went 10 rounds with Tyson….not sure how much more of this I can take…nerves are shot…..my eyes are tired..…Devils are shooting at 7th ave…….blueshirts are attacking our 8th ave net…..we get a chance, they get a chance…..back and forth and back and forth……3 minutes in.. the puck dances through our crease….it's going in ……..out of nowhere comes leetch……he swats it away…it hits a devil and is heading back towards the empty net….where is Richter?.......I am still not sure what really happened….to this day I think it hit the post….but somehow the light did not go on……somehow the puck did not go in…I can't take this…I really can't…..someone please end this game……..we dump in….they dump out….BUT NO …..we keep in and redirect around the net……not sure who is chasing the puck, watching Tikanen sneak in from the point for a pass……someone is emerging from the boards behind the net with the puck….a devil is hounding him……pass it to TIK I scream inside my head……..NO…..he attempts to stuff it in ……YES !!!!!!!!... YES….YES...

MATTEAU MATTEAU MATTEAU………..STEPHANE MATTEAU…………..and the Rangers have one more hill to climb baby..and it's Mount Vancouver……the Rangers are going to the finals………..the rest is beautiful history……..at 4 minutes and 24 seconds of Double overtime, the Rangers ended the greatest playoff Hockey Series in NY City history……emotionally and physically DRAINED…

As for me……we stayed and watched the trophy presentation without beer…….the Garden was electric again….like New years eve…strangers shaking hands….7th ave outside the garden was a crazy, crazy scene..the busiest streets on the planet were closed to traffic by a Mob of Hockey Fans…Chaos…back to Mustang Sally's….Met half of Bayridge there....a cab back to Brooklyn..…..cars honking horns on the Brooklyn Bridge…….went to PJ's Pub……was still there at 4:00 a.m. …bought beers in the bagel store for the walk home…….people walking up and down 5th ave with beers, stopping traffic..chanting lets go rangers…we want the cup...…..it was crazy…I walked all the way to my apartment on 95th & Shore rd……took a long time….seemed like the whole neighborhood came out to celebrate.

NOPE…..I will never ever allow the Friday of memorial day weekend to pass without reflection on that night….

round and round and round we spin

 To weave a wall to hem us in

It won't be long, it won't be long
How slow and slow and slow it goes
To mend the tear that always shows
It won't be long, it won't be long (N. Young)

I continue to be amazed by the amount of talking heads on TV that continue to question Mandani's intelligence.........the guy is NOT stupid......he does NOT believe that Socialism is the answer, he does NOT care about the future of NYC.....he is the first wave of the demolition team, his goal is to disrupt the Big Apple Cart.....to bankrupt the city and to make day to day life unbearable for the decent hard working people.......he wants to drive out the rich and the blue collar folks alike......he wants to turn NYC into a Sharia Law Paradise......and horse face hochul is along for the ride.

Last week he announced that they balanced the NYC budget........a closer look reveals that is NOT entirely true.........the 2 biggest issues.......they recd an 8 Billion dollar grant/subsidy from Hochul and the State.....AND......they deferred their contributions to the NYC pension funds till 2037....this will cost NYC approx $10 Billion more for the deferral.........the state gave them 8 Billion because Hochul is up for election.....she needs mandani to stay quiet and not drastically raise taxes......until after her election in november......remember this is the same horse face that "paused" congestion pricing......until 2 weeks after her last election.........i'm sure next year the state will not be so eager to cough up another $8 billion..........so just like in the 60's-70's when Lindsey deferred the cities obligations , so that he could fund his social agenda; and the city went bankrupt under Mayor Beam......mandani is kicking the can down the road for the next sucker.........so he can

Open another subsidized grocery store...... again....he is not naive enough to believe that opening grocery stores ( at the cost of 30 million a pop) and then using taxpayer dollars to cover part of the costs for the groceries is going to be a financial success......but again.....it's not supposed to be.......it is nothing more than an illegal tax of 99.5% of the population to provide cheap groceries and buy the votes of the handful of neighborhoods that get a grocery store.

but hey...the Knicks are looking good....so who cares....who's keeping score ?  not me.

2+3=BEEER

It's hard enough losing the paper illusion
You've hidden inside
Without the confusion of finding you're using
The crutch of the lie

Went to the fortune teller

 Had my fortune read

I didn't know what to tell her
I had a dizzy feeling in my head (Rolling Stones)

how this for a prediction market ?

Trump to Xi Xi Ping Pong :  " Stop Buying Iranian Oil.....buy from America and i'll give you a discount"

Ping Pong to the Donn :   "ok.....but we're taking Taiwan next month, stay out of it "

Rubio to Everyone :  "Deal, but then we're taking Cuba at the same time"

Fang Fang :   DEAL

Brendan Murphy:  Did someone say Deal ? ? ? 

and that friends will be the End of Iran and send the DOW to 60 or even 75K.......peace on earth, goodwill towards man, who cares if it only lasts a few years.....get in the deep end with the Blue chips and get out before they blow.

Dum Spiro Spero........while i breathe, I hope

2+3=BEEER

Now I'm a happy fellow
Well, I am married to the fortune teller
Well happy as me can be
Now I get my fortune told for free

while the firelights aglow

Strange shadows from the flames will grow
Till things we've never seen

Will seem familiar ( Hunter-Garcia)

shortly before his passing, Bobby Ace Weir did an interview and was asked about the legacy of the Grateful Dead music......and he seemed to be greasing the treads when he spoke of the where the locomotive was headed after "HE" passed........he was obviously comfortable and even encouraged at the thought of John Mayer driving the ship........he marveled at how the GD music was indeed built to last for at least 300 years.......not hubris......just honest observations....unlike their peers, the GD felt that after the sounds left their instruments they belonged to the universe.......and if you came to one of their shows you were welcome to "tape" it and bring the music home with you......provided you were willing to share it with others........Bob talked about how the original band members always collaborated with their fellow bands and played every benefit or festival that they were invited to..and after the passing of Jerry Garcia, Bob said he felt the responsibility to play with the next generation and find someone to shepherd the music after he was gone...

anyone raised in the 20th century can attest to how quickly music evolves and changes.......parents and their children rarely have similar tastes.........kids tend to reject their parents music as too old or old fashioned to be enjoyed or taken seriously...it's normal.

Last Sunday i was at the Grand Strand Brewery......the Owners/Brewmasters are also amateur musicians ....they have formed a GD cover band.....and on the first Sunday of each month they perform a free show on the plaza-public park outside the Brewery......as i was enjoying a Beach Haze Wheat Beer, half a block from the mighty Atlantic, a warm May breeze waffling across the plaza and the sounds of Samson & Delilah in the air.........i did a 360 and took it all in........and i took particular notice of those enjoying the music........seriously a range of toddlers to Senior Citizens......it's fun music.....incredibly American .....easy to sway to the beat,  or allow it to warm your soul........and i think and pray that Bobby is right.........We will survive, We will get by.

 

Inspiration, move me brightly
Light the song with sense and color
Hold away despair
More than this I will not ask

Faced with mysteries dark and vast
Statements just seem vain at last
Some rise, some fall
Some climb to get to Terrapin

derby Rant 2026

 i am SO HAPPY to be back here talking about the Derby.....a few years back i was a little INTREPIDO about posting such a silly ALBUS of jibberish, as some of my critics called it.... buy one little sip of CORONA DE ORO and i am back like a PAVLOVIAN dog  with a ROBUSTA prognostication....it's funny how these run on analysis seem to revolve around Booze....it's no WONDER DEAN sticks to his DANON BOURBON , a very POTENTE and somewhat INCREDIBOLT cocktail for certain......but gals like the PUMA  are all about their RIGHT TO PARTY and consider it a LITMUS TEST to drink at SIX SPEED and somehow stay ahead of the EMERGING MARKET, so she prefers a shot of GOLDEN TEMPO and a vintage bottle from the GREAT WHITE winery. OCELLI the troublemaker interrupted the party and shouted, give us your picks without FURTHER ADO in the direction of the honorable CHIEF WALLABE....but know one paid heed , all could see he lacked authority to give such orders, he was just a RENEGADE barking a false COMMANDMENT.

and that's how i see it......6-1-12    Commandment then Renegade followed by Chief Wallabee.........alas, i have been very , very wrong the past 4 or 5 years.....

for those keeping score at home, the Derby Rant is celebrating it's 16th iteration ........i can't wait till the martians read this in 250 years and try to figure it out........

2+3= BEEER

They say everything can be replaced

 Yet every distance is not near

So I remember every face
Of every man who put me here (Dylan)

3 assassination attempts on the President of the United States since the summer of 2024, and still the demonrats and the MSM use their dog whistles to activate the anger of their base base...to play on the fears and nightmares of the Trump deranged....hoping a sleeper cell will awake and do their dirty work.....hoping the unstable will cave to the pressure.......comparing notes each day and using catch phrases and code words....(last week it was authoritarian.......sometimes it's hitler......Fascist is another fave)

But the internet is forever.....and some of us will never forget.......so today they remind everyone that violence is not the answer ...wink wink.....and steer the talking points towards gun control or climate change....but they hope , pray and rely on someone , somewhere taking up arms...........so they talk about standing up to Trump, putting a target on his back, placing him is the crosshairs....they talk of the needs for foot soldiers willing to take the fight to the streets......and a complacent media lowers it's collective head and concedes that what must be done, must be done.

And this wasn't a a run of the mill mental patient......a homeless schizophrenic or a deranged person being controlled by the voice of his dog......this was an overeducated teacher of the year.....by all means a rational person persuaded by the "NEWS" he chose to follow/believe.......this was someone that took the time to type out a manifesto and clearly outline his motive and his intentions.........it won't be easy to play the dismissive game and just chalk this one up to more money for mental health initiatives.

God help them all if they ever succeed.

The bigger concern at the moment though is how lax security was at the Hilton and the question of why was this chosen as the host venue. We live in a time of convenience.....where you can check into a hotel via your phone and never need to stop at the front desk.......you can park your SUV in a sub garage and take the elevator up to your room with multiple bags stuffed with whatever.....guns and ammo....or perhaps a homemade bomb.......imagine if the shooter instead requested a room on a lower floor and then planted a significant bomb in that room........the entire Presidential cabinet was in the ballroom.....imagine the damage and chaos if a bomb created a partial or total collapse of the hotel.

Lastly......we are at war.........we are aware of Iranian Nationals that are living amongst us and referred to as sleeper cells.....imagine if this was carried out by a group of professional military assassins, instead of a disgruntled CNN groupie ? 

They say every man needs protection
They say every man must fall
Yet I swear I see my reflection
Some place so high above this wall
I see my light come shining
From the west unto the east
Any day now, any day now
I shall be released

anybody here

 see my old friend John,

can you tell me where he's gone ( Dion)

simple song by the master Dion, but it haunts anyone and everyone that is missing  a friend.

how many laughs, how many stories, how many phone calls, how many BBQ's or trips to the track or rounds of golf or visits to the liev were taken from us way, way too soon.........Slainte Buddy, God Speed.

2+3= an ice cold beer in a styrofoam cup

He freed a lot of people
But it seems the good, they die young
I just looked around and he's gone

so let's leave it alone

 'Cause we can't see eye to eye

There ain't no good guy, there ain't no bad guy
There's only you and me and we just disagree ( Dave Mason)

Rest in Peace to Dave Mason....

can't remember if this recurring character post is called Post cards from the Bean Post Window or Snippets from the Bean Post window....but you get the idea.....at least i hope you do.....and if you are more confused now then 30 seconds ago....just wait.

some observations from the past few weeks news cycle....in no particular order.

Schmucky Chuck Schumer brought a Vote to limit the POTUS war powers funding...a futile effort to stop funding for the Iran excursion without Congressional funding......for a 5th time.......when asked if he thought anything had changed since the first 4 votes and that maybe this time it would pass.....the corrupt senile ol bastard admitted out loud....NO.....i just want to tie the Republicans to this operation epic Failure so they can't try to distance themselves from the war in the midterm elections......so the Senator from the great state of NY is wasting everyone's time basically trashing our military efforts, hoping we somehow FAIL in Iran and running an ad campaign at the taxpayers expense........can anyone say term limits ?  followed by public executions for treason.

Fang Fangs boyfriend had some very serious allegations come to light about sexual harassment and rape....and the ink was barely dry on the story when Turkey Neck Pelosi and Adam Shitt went public demanding ERIC SWALWELL  end his campaign for Governor of California........but no mention of him resigning from Congress........so if you are keeping score at home he is OK to serve congress as an accused rapist , but not to campaign for Gov.....hmmm..........truth is everyone knew for years he was a younger Harvery Weinstein, and everyone knew it was a matter of time before the allegations surfaced......and the unfortunate truth is that the California Gov race was crowded with 5 demonrats splitting the vote.....so they needed someone to drop out , so why not the cringe worthy Swalwell.....but they need him to keep that congressional seat blue.

The Southern Poverty Law Center Indictment should be the biggest story of the new millennium....but it won't be......people from coast to coast who wonder "How did my country become so divided"? have their answer......but nobody is talking about it....

8 months into President Trumps first term ( August 2017) there was a rally in Charlottesville Virginia to Unite the Right and protest the taking down of Confederate Statues ( specifically West Point Graduate Robert E Lee). The protest was met by an unusually large counter protest and violence ensued.....the Unite the right side was provided torches at Night and Nazi Flags during the day.(not something I or anyone i know could support) , the counter protestors were bussed in from near and far with fancy signs painting the right wing conservatives as white supremacist's .....an awfully fast and efficient response to something that had not happened yet........in the ensuing violence, one wacko drove his car through a group of counter protestors and tragically killed Heather Heyer..........this sparked National debate and National division....the left insisted that ALL Trump supporters were KKK White Supremacists and Neo Nazi's.........Trump called Heather Heyer a great woman and offered condolences  to her family.....he said there were bad actors on BOTH sides.....and some Fine People on BOTH sides.....the Media only reported that Trump defended the rally and called the Killer a Fine Person........the 1st of many hoaxes encouraged and supported by the MSM..........in the months after the rally the SPLC  saw their networth jump from 50 million to 820 million...prompted by the likes of Apple's Tim Cook and his 2 million personal contribution.......and people who did not support Trump now had their signature moment to forever hate and try to stop him....after all....he was the equivilent of Hitler...

Here is the kicker.........BOTH sides were funded by the same party......the recent indictment charges that the SPLC was paying the KKK to organize the the Rally on the right, so that they could then prove a need for organizations like them........LOOK....SEE....Racism REALLY IS alive and well and must be stopped.....and we are just the ones to do it.....it is the equivalent of a  Fire Dept  paying arsonists to set fires so that they could in turn argue on their own behalf for more $$$ in the budget to fight fires.............

and the toll this took on the country is still being felt.....but again the MSM is instead questioning the merits of the indictment instead of looking in the mirror and feeling shame for the harm they have done to this great country.

if any spacemen  are reading this in the 22nd century...it is true....although i am sure eventually AI will deny any of this ever happened....they already deny that 2+3=BEEER.

I'm going back to a place that's far away
How bout you, have you got a place to stay?
Why should I care when I'm just trying to get along?
We were friends, but now it's the end of our love song

So let's leave it alone

it's time for Hockey Playoff Prognostication

 i know everyone was probably holding their collective breaths.........so here we go with the first rd predictions:

right off the bat we have the Hometown Canes wreaking havoc on Ottawa...get the brooms

Flyers over the Penguini's and clam sauce

Young Sabres over aging Bruins

Le Habitants over the Lightning 

out west

Colorado over LA

Minnesota over Dallas 

Utah shocks Vegas

The Ducks drill the Oilers

round 2 has the young Habs surviving the equally young sabres.

The Canes continue to swirl and overwhelm The Flyers.

out west Colorado over Minny

and although i was wrong in rd 1, i am now onboard with Vegas over the quacks.

Prince of Wales.....yep.......hurricane strength winds blow through the great white North...Carolina in 5

and Vegas survives a tough series over the Lanche in 6 or 7.

turn on channel 6

the President comes on the news

Says, "I get no satisfaction, that's why I sing the blues" (Weir) 

Gee.....i wonder why Iran went into the negotiations on Saturday with a false set of expectations and bravado......45 days in and their navy lies at the bottom of the gulf, they haver no air defense and our bombers control the skies.....and yet they seem to expect us to cave ?

Maybe, just maybe; they watch CNN.......maybe they believe the demonrats who insist America is loosing or the ones that insist THEY will stop the war effort by cutting off POTUS Power and Funding, maybe they believe Jeffries and Schumer and Sanders......the ones who claim to be against war, but when the President agrees to a ceasefire to allow for peace talks, they insist on telling the world that Trump Chickens out..........

or Maybe they think all Americans are like Barry Hussien, (Spoonjiah) or ole purple heart kerry....and that we will eventually give them pallets of cash to pretend to be our friends and not build a nuclear weapon........

i said it 15 years ago.....the spoonjiah administration truly believed that the only way to keep the evil Israelis in check in the middle east,  was to have a nuclear weapon in Tehran........Barry and friends feel that the Jews are the Real problem in the region.....and that they will have to stop killing the poor palestinians if Iran has the bomb.........they are/were naïve enough to believe that Iran would use the bomb on the Jews and NOT the EU or the west.......stupidity..........the moslem plan is to convert or kill every last human, as long as it takes......

side note.....Congrats to the great Jonathan Quick on his storied career........in typical modest form he refused to announce his retirement until after the final home game at MSG........he did not want the big Dolan sendoff.......he was the consummate teammate to Igor Shesterkin....he stayed supportive and was always ready when called upon..........it was nice to see the Rangers ALL wear QUICK jerseys in the pregame skate down in Miami.....and also classy move by the Panthers to remain on the ice after the game and form an impromptu handshake line to say goodbye to Mr Quick.....an American hero and a Hall of Famer with three Cups on his resume .......2 as a starter in LA, and one as a backup in Vegas...

2+3=BEEER

Then God way up in Heaven, for whatever it was worth
Thought He'd have a big old party, thought He'd call it Planet Earth
Don't worry about tomorrow, Lord, you'll know it when it comes
When the rock and roll music meets the risin' Planet Sun

The lunatic is on the grass

 The lunatic is on the grass.

Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs.
Got to keep the loonies on the path. (Pink Floyd)

the brain is a wonderful thing...sometimes.......it seems the older i get and perhaps the more free time i have since i have ceased working for the man....the more memories from a life well lived come circling back......some frightening.....some regrets.....but mainly the wonderful small details of magnificent, yet simple, adventures.

Case in point this morning over a cup of coffee......i was talking about a local watering hole called the Duck Dive.......and boy is it ever a dive........a shoebox bar on stilts on the main road to the ocean.......3 or 4 packing spaces only and a flight of rickety stairs must be navaigated.....but an incredible Burger, Ice Cold Beer and a jukebox that only seems to play Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker and the Outlaws ( maybe because i dominate the selection process) But Hey.......that's not the point.....and i digress.

This post is really about one of the greatest burgers i have ever had......Saturday Aug 3rd 1985...........i woke that day in the Great Lakes Training Center, having graduated from Boot Camp the day prior, i was now going to enjoy my fist tastes of liberty since early June.......i boarded a commuter train bound for Chicago with two shipmates.....don't ask my how i remember, but i do.....Eugene Heath from Daytona Beach and Steve Slanac from Buffalo NY......we bonded over our 8 weeks of Bootcamp and i told them i was going to meet friends at Wrigley and they were ecstatic to ride along......the Baseball Gods smiled upon me this day as the beloved 2nd place NY Metropolitans were in town for a showdown series against the 1st Place Cubs........but i have talked about that game before....today we discuss THE BURGER.

After arriving in the North End we hope a cab to Clark & Addison.....stopped into a bar for a few cold ones and then walked down Sheffield Ave........as we entered Murphy's Bleachers i was transposed into a wildly enthusiastic version of Heaven.....a gutted brownstone with an open floorplan and bars on either side of the great room....i had goosebumps........we grabbed beers at the first chance and proceeded to walk into the backyard ( Murphy's has changed over the years, but this was the scene in 1985).......we were basking in glorious sunshine and enjoying Ice Cold Old Style Beer and reflecting on the prior 8 weeks of torture......we were standing at a pub table and of course we were in our Uniform of the Day ( Summer Whites) it was clear to everyone that we had no stripes and were recent grads of Boot Camp.......there was a massive grille in the center of the yard and the charcoal smoke was a welcome aroma.......the fella manning the grille was wearing a big White Chefs hat , he had on a Cubs apron, he was in his 40's.......stood about 5 feet 5inches and probably weighed 300 pounds.......he came over to our table and placed three cheeseburgers down ......we started to fish through our pockets for some doe rae me and he put his hand up and so NO Charge......"I was a squid in a prior Life too"  and the burgers were on the house, and they (Murphy's) supported our Troops......

that Burger....that Beeer....that atmosphere.....that moment in time.......euphoric.

I lie awake at night sometimes and i wonder what i ever did to deserve a life blessed with so many moments like this.....this was one of the best......this was America....the same America i had just finished 8 grueling weeks of physical training to defend and protect.....and WE ( me, Heath , Slanac and all our shipmates) were now part of a special brotherhood....we were members of the Armed Forces of the United States of America........and i for one never forgot the gesture ....i have made it my business to buy a round for anyone i saw in uniform in the bars of Manhattan during Fleet week or whenever i may cross paths......we are the greatest nation in the history of this planet and it thanks to everyone, but especially guys like the Chef in Murphy's..........and that BURGER was perfectly charred and delicious....and the Old Style in a 16 ounce "Styrofoam" Cup was rewarding..........i have been lucky enough to be in the Right Place at the Right Time on so many occasions.......and i thank our Maker for every second of this live i have lived.

T minus 24 hours until the Zion National Park Extreme Marathon......hopefully Steve O'Dowd packed a sweater nite T-shirt and can send some pictures partying with the Snakes.

2+3=BEEER

And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear
You shout and no one seems to hear.
And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon.

Good luck had just stung me

 To the race track I did go

She bet on one horse to win
And I bet on another to show
The odds were in my favor
I had 'em five to one
When that nag to win came around the track
Sure enough, she had won (R. Robertson)

i was lost in thought the other day when Cripple Creek came on my ipod shuffle.....suddenly i was thinking about "Larry the Legend" ....winner of the 1995 Santa Anita Derby......at first i couldn't remember how Larry fared in the Kentucky Derby ....and then i kinda, sorta remembered that he scratched before the race because of an injury.......so i had to look it up ....and i was correct.......the article i found said he was poised to be one to the top 3 favorites in the Derby before being scratched a week before the race because of a chipped bone in his knee......i researched further and learned that he returned to racing, but never really regained his form and he retired from racing in 1997.....he lived in peace on a farm for retired race horses and passed away in 2022 at the age of 30.......in the 95 Santa Anita he was 3rd choice and went off at 5-1...and paid $13.20 .......i had him that day....$20 to win, $10 to place and $5 to show..........I was in the Bally Bunion and i watched the race with Charlie Jensen......it was April 8th 1995.

you might be wondering where i am going with this one......so i will explain.....the day prior i called my parents down the shore from work , and when i was talking to my Father i told him that my co-worker Angelo had given me a tip on Larry the Legend.....not insider info, just a guy that was a very very good handicapper and had given me many wins over the years......so i told my father to place a few sheckles on Larry...........and so from the payphone in the back of the Bunyon i called my parents again to see if my Father had indeed bet on Larry.......it was then that i learned that my father had died of a heart attack about an hour or two prior.... no cell phones back then, no way anyone could reach me, no way anyone would think to have called the Bunyon...........in the aftermath i did ask my Mother if he had ever placed the bet......and she had her own acct, but had access to his OTB acct and confirmed his final bet was $5 to win on Larry the Legend.......tomorrow will be 31 years , but somedays it feels like 100.

when you're lost

 in the rain in Juarez

And it’s Eastertime too
And your gravity fails
And negativity don’t pull you through
Don’t put on any airs
When you’re down on Rue Morgue Avenue
They got some hungry women there
And they really make a mess outta you (Dylan)

and so after March departed like a lamb , Easter comes knocking on the first Sunday of April.

Truth be told i never really had a sweet tooth and didn't care much for chocolates......i despise lamb and mint jelly and pretty much all of the Easter traditional foods.....and so about a dozen years ago, we began turnig down invites for Easter dinner....it became our backyard work day in Little Silver....we would clean out the garage and shed, and get all the outdoor bars and seating areas cleaned off and ready to rock n roll........i would pack a massive cooler of beer........light the grill.........light every fire pit and tiki torch ....and listen to a special edition Easter playlist.......

and now i find myself on the Baptist belt...not sure if these heathens even know who Jesus was.....and i have a lawn service that take cares of the yard....and the glorious Bars ended up in landfills in Monmouth County....no takers willing to preserve the History of those landmarks....

But the playlist survived......and tomorrow I will indeed pack a massive cooler of beeers and listen to songs inspired by or about the Son of God.....or mainly just Dylan

2+3= Salvation.......and BEEER.....one in the same

In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes

I bargained for salvation an’ they gave me a lethal dose
I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn
“Come in,” she said, “I’ll give you shelter from the storm”

Day after Day

 alone on a hill

The man with the foolish grin is keeping perfectly still
But nobody wants to know him, they can see that he's just a fool
And he never gives an answer (Lennon/McCartney)

If you are like me and watched some, any or all of the coverage of the No Kings protests over the weekend , you could not help but feel grateful for the amazing gift the Left has given us. They are very comfortable in their own skin, they are not afraid to speak the truth and tell us who they really are, perhaps they are emboldened after comrade mandani won the NYC mayoral election, they feel the country is racing with them towards communism and they are willing to shout it from the rooftops...

alas....NYC is not a true reflection of this country on any level.....what once was the symbol of oppurtunity.....a place where people from all walks of life, levels of education and or religious beliefs; could flourish, prosper, excel and live the American dream..........get a good job, work hard, buy a home, raise a family enjoy the best of the arts, sports and entertainment.........has taken steps or giant leaps towards the darkness......a collection of aimless trust fund brats, ashamed of their own race, riddled with guilt over the privileges' their parents provided, BUT NOT willing to give back the cash or go it alone......instead they take to the streets and protest....they carry their Flags of the month club, and nifty cardboard posters that George Soros paid for, and yet fail to see themselves as sheep......they think they are Freedom fighters and yet they prefer communism or socialism over Freedom....in fact they are terrified of what Freedom means......they would much rather be told where to stand, what to think and how loud to shout, then to live their own lives.........they were sheltered growing up, never allowed to strike out during tee ball......not allowed to keep score and lose occasionally, they filled their days in solitude in their parents basements playing video games with no true consequences ......if they lose, they get to play again seconds later.....don't even have to dig into their levi's in search of a quarter.......little or no physical interaction with other humans....just voices and screen names of other mutants.......they hate everything about themselves and have zero tolerance for anyone that doesn't march to the death drum with them.....they are miserable....their only Joy comes from feeling despair.....I bet they never call in sick to work and go to the track with their buddies after a round of golf and drink a case while betting long shot triples....losers.

So they took to the streets with Russian flags, trying to stop a King that doesn't exist at the urging of :

Chuck Schumer:  46 years in POWER

Nancy Pelosi: 39 years illegally trading off insider news

Bernie Sanders: another Coney Island Jew that hates Israel and Loves Palastine

Maxine Waters: 35 years proving that DEI has no upside.

They did not hide their love for illegals over citizens.......corruption over law and order.....trannies over girls......the Republicans do not need to hire a focus group or pay for a slick campaign strategy......just capture the real images from this past weekend and display them from now until November

2+3= an equation puzzling man for centuries that perhaps only A I can figure out

and BEEER ......of course it equals BEEER , and YES, I will have one.

But the fool on the hill sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head see the world spinning 'round 
'Round and 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round