Almost Heaven

 West Virginia

Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, growin' like a breeze (J.Denver)

Whatever you think or feel about Soccer, you have to love the spirit of a team of men representing the USA in the World Cup. On home soil, in the summer of our 250th year.....this has a story book feel to it.

Last night the boys in Red, White and Blue survived the refs and Bosnia.........the zebras disallowed 2 of our goals for offsides , and i am in no position to argue about the validity of those calls ( most bizzare offsides rules in all of organized sprts) and we also had to play a man down for most of the 2nd half after a questionable Red Card was issued to one of our star players ( Balogun, for those of you keeping score at home) .....and unfortunately he will be suspended for the next game..........could you imagine Messier missing a playoff game because of a penalty he took in the prior game ? ....absurd sport.

If it's Tuesday weld, it must be Belgium...............or something like that.

Monday night we take on the belgiuminians .....and it feels like we just lost to them in the last world cup.......nope that was the Dutch in 2022.........mustve been 2018...........nope, we didn't qualify for that World Cup......... in yet another episode of where does the time go.....we lost to Belgium 12 years ago in the knockout stage of the 2014 WC........I do know that i was in the Dubliner on Stone Street for the game with my former Head Linesman and a crew.....not 100% sure who else was there.....feel free to add a comment below if you were there......2014 was a good World Cup....watched most of it in Texas-Arizona in Hoboken.....but we gathered on Stone St for the knockout stage.

anyway God Speed to the Lads.......

I.........I

I Believe...........I Believe

I Believe that we will win.........I Believe that we will win

stock market disclosure.....although i was touting a DJIA melt up with the conclusion of the war......and it still may happen.....but i am taking a cautious path......i moved an additional 20% out of equities and into Money Market yesterday.....i think the country is starting to suffer from Trump fatigue.....I still support him , but i am disappointed in POTUS and the Republican party.....they had 2 years to get the important stuff done and they failed miserably......i think we get slaughtered in November and then things will grind to a halt.....def no rate cuts this year....B of A still predicting 2 or 3 hikes instead.....i'll put a nice nest egg on the sides gaining 3.5-4% interest........i also still buy the series I bonds through Treasury direct.......i am waiting/expecting for that one event that sends the markets tumbling...hopefully nothing bad happens around this weekend....but hey, we are at War....and we know there are plenty of Loyal Iranians living on our shores....so stay safe.......at some point most likely i will put that 20% back in at a deep discount......just pray its not at anyone i know expense.

I can't be a hypocrite and complain about the Scotus decisions handed down , especially Comey-Barret......there is a difference between common sense logic and deciding Right from wrong, and interpreting the constitution ......SCOTUS job is NOT to write the laws....but rather to decide legality.

Birthright citizenship may very well destroy the Country.....but it is up to Congress to amend that ......and take it away.....the 14th amendment was put in place after the civil war to grant Citizenship to the children of freed slaves( the parents were not citizens) and that was the right thing to do at the time.......they did not envision global travel or our enemies trying to manipulate that.....but it is NOT the role of SCOTUS to make that decision......just as they must uphold the 2nd amendment and not except the argument that the framers could not envision automatic weapons......it is the role of Congress to write the laws.......but just as they slept for the past 50 years and did nothing about abortion, immigration or even gun control....they certainly will not get anything done on Voting or Birthright Citizenship.....but to get mad at Scotus would be the equivalent of blaming a meter maid for not catching the Son of Sam..............when we all know it was Charlie Higgins Sr that eventually caught the Son of Sam.........who knows, maybe he was hanging out in a shoe bar .

side note.....it is interesting to see the leftist democrats getting devoured by the further left socialist's and communists in their own party........seeing Jewish Congressmen Dan Golden being barred from a coffee shop in downtown Brooklyn because he supports Israel.....or the other fruitcake in California getting chased out of a park ....he supports lgbtq-lmnop ......he decriminalized the act of knowingly giving someone aids through sex.....he backs trannies in all sports.....but he is obviously a jew ....and so the Hammas wing of the demonrat party chased him away.......it would be hysterical if it wasn't so frightening.........Schumer and Jeffries say NOTHING.......but they wil probably expect us to stand up when the crowds come for THEM.....

anyhoo......i'll be back with a Patriotic ....AMERICA 250 message before the 4th.....stay safe, drink plenty of icey cold fluids.....and remember that  2+3=250

Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads

Then time will tell

 just who fell

And who’s been left behind
When you go your way and I go mine (Dylan)

ah yes, time will tell whether I or Chris Drury was right.......i am not a hockey scout but i know how to read a scouting report. It is clear to me by the transactions of the past 72 hours that Chris Drury is trying to keep his job in the short term......and may not have the long term health of the Blueshirts in mind.

I read the mock drafts and i was hoping one of the two Defensive studs would fall to number 5........imagine my shock when both Carson Carels and my choice Chase Reid ( a 6ft 3 American born stud who will a Norris someday)were both still on the board........now imagine my utter despair when Drury passed on both of them to take a Albert Smits from Latvia........the good news is he is a Defensemen and most scouts think he can step in a play next year......the bad news is he is NOT Chase Reid or Carson Carels.....he does not have the upside potential of the other 2.......i personally think Drury is trying to get back in the playoffs to keep the wolves at bay and buy himself some time.......i hope i am wrong.

The bean counters at the NHL network gave us a poor grade of C- ,  but at least they seemed to have a plan......their first 4 picks consisted of 3 defensemen and a Goalie.......they then went out a and traded for a much needed Goal scorer in Pavel Dorofeyev from Vegas....... they gave up quite a haul, they are getting back a young 25 year old scorer (30 goals a year) with playoff experience and coming from a winning culture...18 points in 31 career playoff games.......and Free agency opens this week , so i will reserve judgement.....but they gave up two 1st rounders and a 3rd to Vegas.....so again it feels like Drury is mortgaging OUR future to benefit his present.....

my gut tells me that in 10 years we may look back on this draft and weep...........like watching Brett Howden tear up the Playoffs this year for the Golden Knights.......another guy Drury gave up on....oh well...time will tell.

side note....i think the USA mens team can advance to the elite 8.......if not further.....

side note....mandani got his rent freeze.......can't wait until January when the residents of rent controlled apartments are crying because they have no heat, nobody is shoveling the sidewalk and the elevator is broke......but hey, you get what you pay for...

The judge, he holds a grudge
He’s gonna call on you
But he’s badly built
And he walks on stilts
Watch out he don’t fall on you

every time i think about back home

 it's cool and breezy 

I wish that i could be there right now

just passin time ( N. Young)

well, unfortunately i will not be able to come home this weekend for the PC's Monmouth Park trip, and i will not be returning to beloved Brooklyn for the 250th Birthday of this great nation......all my grand , delusional plans about revisiting the Bicentennial were met with shrugs and yawns.....and so i have now set my sights on Blisstock.

I have been assured that Blisstock will happen on Saturday Sept 19th, and the following day is the annual Chris Hoban run at Xaverian High School......I am busy booking trains and hotels and i now expect t o be in Brooklyn the 17th through 20th........Thurs 9/17 is shaping up as a Bayridge day drinking day......Friday holds the possibility of Golf ....stay tuned

I saw a pathetic advert on Instagram from the 9/11 Museum....they are now selling engraved cobblestones for anywhere from $125 to $2,500 (depending on placement) so you can honor a loved one forever........not trying to be cynic....just envisioning NYC in another 20, 30, 50 years.....controlled and run by moslems.....holding picnics on the WTC plaza.......urinating into the fountains and mocking the dead cobblestone remembrances.........I purchased a brick at the entrance to MSG about 25 years ago.....it was to benefit their Garden of Children foundation and i paid homage to my favorite MSG moment.....MATTEAU MATTEAU.........my brick would be on the steps leading into the main entrance forever.........yeah, never forget too........it lasted 10 or 15 years until they redid the entrance and decided NOT to put the bricks back down.......oh well.....like PT Barnums says "there's a sucker born every minute"  

i remained thoroughly disappointed with POTUS.....it is clear to me that he is entering this 60 day rain delay with Iran to lower gas prices before the midterms.......he didn't drain the swamp, he's drowning in it..........well, as PT Barnum says......yeah, you know the thing.

wish me luck....this Saturday in Southport NC i will attempt a 5K........i have not run a race since the Spring Lake 5 over 2 years ago.........but i am in the gym 4 or 5 days a week and have been laboring on the treadmill, so  i know i will finish......just hope i don't finish last.

2+3= BEEER

Everybody seems to wonder
What it's like down here
I gotta get away
from this day-to-day
running around,
Everybody knows
this is nowhere.

Once i thought i saw you

 in a crowded hazy bar,

dancing on the light from star to star (N. Young)

we have been saying it for years, but here we go again.....Hockey is different.

The Carolina Hurricanes and coach Brin'Damor have been flirting with the cup and building to this moment for the last 8 years......many of times the press and most fans have said they will NOT win the Cup without a legit goalie.........Freddie Andersen just wasn't the Goalie to get it done...

This year again they entered the playoffs with Andersen between the pipes....and i said in private that they are good enough to get to the Conf Finals, and may the Cup Finals; but they won't win with Freddie in net.

This year through the first 3 rounds he was unbeatable.....came up huge in the clutch and help carry the team through the first 3 rounds with a 12-1 record........BUT......suddenly in the finals he was human....the Golden Knights put 5 on the board in the opener and seemed to have his number....in a wild period of game 3 they put 6 pucks in the net (2 were disallowed ) in the 2nd period and Freddie was lifted.

In stepped Brandon Bussi......a 26 year old journeymen minor leaguer with 0 post season career wins...a kid from Long Island that had bounced around the minors after college and was picked up off waivers back in October.........and he shut the Knights down in the 3rd period and first OT before giving up a fluke goal in double overtime........so he earned the right to start game 4 and was brilliant......same in game 5.....and last night earned the shutout in the Cup clinching game.

a strange turn of fortune for Andersen who was an incredible 13-2 before being yanked......but he didn't sulk, hang his head, bitch to the media or complain.....he was part of a team and so was Bussi.......like Taylor Hall he wanted to win a cup by any means, whatever role was asked.

Last Night after Winning on the strip....the Stanley Cup was handed to Captain Jordan Staal.....after skating around triumphantly with the Chalice raised high for all of Nevada to see, it was time for Staal to pass it off to a teamate........guess who ?      Yes, of course....Freddie Andersen.......and nobody was more pleased that Brandon Bussi ......yep....Hockey is different.

You are like a hurricane
There's calm in your eye
And I'm getting blown away
To somewhere safer where the feeling stays
I want to love you but I'm getting blown away

GoNYGoNYGoNYGOOOO

 

Congratulations to the Original Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam and to Knick fans everywhere....hard fought, well deserved title to a good group of guys that really earned and deserved this title.....Jalen Brunson stands in complete contrast to all the imposters of other NY teams that accept Millions of Dollars and shrink and implode in the spotlight....he scored 45 points (15 in the 4th quarter) of a championship closeout game.......that is a star worthy of his contract......

watch out now, take care

 Beware of greedy leaders

They take you where you shouldn't go
While Weeping Atlas Cedars
They just want to grow, grow
Beware of darkness (Geogre Harrison)

Although the ink on the deal is not dry, and we are still dealing with leaks and nobody knows for certain what the final deal will look like......i have to say the POTUS is making a critical mistake if he follows through on any deal at this point.

I am very dissapointed with the Donn.....i hope he proves me wrong, but it sure feels like he is following in the steps of Bush and Obama....right off the cliff.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has more power now than before this conflict started in late February ( if thats possible) stories coming out of Tehran tell of the militia and IRG cracking down on the people....enforcing the Hijab rules, jailing and killing citizens for no reason, taking control of food and money........the clerics that are trying to make deals with the great satan are NOT in charge.....they will roll over immediately to save their own necks.

We have come this far.......fuck the deal, fuck the midterms......it is time to start wiping out the IRG, destroying the infrastructure and providing small arms to the general public so that they can finally rise up and challenge the powers that be.......level the playing field.....back off....and let their civil war play out.......think i'm crazy  ?  

The only time the Iranian war machine was quiet or held in check globally was when they were preoccupied fighting Iraq for 10 years........no money or time to spend on fighting Israel and everyone else.......but of course the first of many critical mistakes by the USA was when George the father drummed up and ignited the Persian Gulf War...........Iran must've thought they were dreaming.....the Great Satan in America wiped out their heated rival next door............as Mick Jagger would say, they found someone to do their dirty work, found some sucker, found some jerk......and not coincidentally in the early 90's is when the Iranian proxies sprouted up.....Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthi Rebels. If they have a civil war on their hands, they will not have time, money or energy to pursue nuclear weapons or sponsor attacks in the Middle east.

If Trump signs a deal it will bail out the bad guys.......nothing will change.....it will be just another rain delay in the great nuclear weapon ballgame...it will send/reinforce the message to both enemy and allies in the region that the USA does not have the stomach for prolonged conflict....for all his bluster , Trump is just another cut and run Biden clone if he signs a deal.

We should be assembling a coalition of Arab nations to step in and rebuild the country after we cripple Kharg Island.....the CIA should be on the ground working with/creating an opposition leader to take the reigns when the dust settles......but i am afraid we are doing nothing........i am afraid we will sign a meaningless deal.....lift some sanctions....and walk away.........and the Clerics and the Army will be twice as strong as before......and the people of Iran will dare not rise up for another 100 years.....the darkness in the desert will be twice as bleak, and our partnership in the region will be viewed as a curse......I hope Trump has the courage to admit this and do everything in our power to prevent this.........but like most Americans......my patience is running out.

side note....to the talking heads on the business channels that see no down side to the Administration taking Govt Stakes in Publicly traded companies.....what could go wrong ?   well the most obvious problem will be when the next Democrat becomes POTUS....and then increases the govt steak to 51% (with your tax dollars) and then decrees that the board of directors need to be woke, blue haired females and trannies..........yep, what could go wrong with the Govt ( any Govt) getting involved in the private sector ?  Lord help us.

2+3=BEEER

Beware of sadness
It can hit you, it can hurt you
Make you sore and what is more
That is not what we are here for

In a soldiers stance

 I aimed my hand

At the mongrel dogs who teach
Fearing not that I’d become my enemy
In the instant that I preach (Dylan)

Watching the Knicks game 3 of the NBA finals and i was getting aggravated and quite frankly sick to my stomach. The false idol worshipping of Patrick Ewing and his era of Knick underachievers....they went to the finals twice and lost both times.....his entire tenure was one of high expectations and bitter disappointment. Broken promises and worthless, laughable guarantees.

Now i am old enough to remember the 1973 Championship team very well, and i am grateful that my brothers woke me up for the 4th quarter of the clinching game from Los Angeles, after midnight on a school night.....and i was lucky enough to go to a half dozen reg season games at MSG and sit in the Red Seats that year , compliments of Pfizer pharmaceutical ......but the real era for me came soon thereafter......in my teen years i was blessed to watch perhaps the Greatest Knick of them all.....or at the very least a stone chiseled member of Mt Rushmore.

Bernard King was the best i ever saw wearing blue and orange.....he did not have the supporting cast that Frazier, Monroe, Bradley, Reed and Debuscherre had.......he had to carry the Team and he did.....the bigger the game, the better opponent, the higher stakes........the brighter he shined.......I specifically remember the 1984 playoff run......he broke fingers on each hand and played the last week of the season and the playoffs with soft casts and fingers taped together......imagine having to live like that ?  imagine trying to dribble a basketball or shoot around.......now try to imagine doing that against Parrish and Mchale............after knocking off the Mighty Pistons by avg 42 points a game and shooting 60% from the floor, MR King carried the Knicks up to Boston.....in an epic 7 game series against the eventual champs....Bernard avg 29 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.........with their backs against the wall and facing elimination in game 6......He scored 44 points and willed the team to victory.

I watch the Knick fans today, fighting each other and the Police in Bryant Park and Times Square and i just can't relate.......the night of that game 6 in 1984 I was in the Old Imbiberie Pub.....we did not have MSG or Cable in Brooklyn yet and so the game was NOT on Television........so they muted the televisions and put the Knicks on the Stereo Radio.........we hovered under a speaker at one of the high tops and listened time and time again as Marv Albert punctuated each of Bernard's shots with his signature YES !!......King drives the lane , YES..........Bernard from the corner, YES......Bernard with a running one hander, YES !......it was the greatest game i never saw.........i went onto you tube TV about 15 years ago and finally found the extended highlights of the game......heart stopping, breath taking, a one man show..........they went up to Boston 2 days later on Palm Sunday , on the fabled parquet in a Garden matinee ; they came up way short......Bird went Off and Bernard was double and triple teamed....Truck Robinson and Rory Sparrow couldn't help at all....the C's of course went on the defat the lakers and win the Title......but i still feel that Bernard was the best player on the court that spring and he should've been the league MVP.

I wish this current team well......hopefully they can get it done.

today is June 10th......41 years ago this morning I left Brooklyn for the Great Lakes Training Facility.......where does the time really go ? 

2+3=BEEER

 My pathway led by confusion boats

Mutiny from stern to bow
Ah, but I was so much older then
I’m younger than that now