WM. F. BUCKLEY, 1925-2008

Who else has been so right on so many issues so much of the time? I couldn't think of anyone

February 28, 2008 -- If Bill Buckley wasn't the father of mod ern American conservatism, he cer tainly gave the movement intelligence, eloquence, charm and wit.

Buckley died yesterday at 82, steadfast in what he once described as his life's work: To "stand athwart history yelling 'Stop' at a time when no one is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who urge it."

For more than half a century, as a columnist, magazine editor, TV host and public speaker, he convincingly resisted the notion that change simply for the sake of change is always to the good.

Some knew Buckley from his thrice-weekly column (which ran on these pages for decades) or his TV show, "Firing Line," America's longest-running TV program with the same host.

In 1955, he founded National Review; it almost instantly became one of the nation's most influential journals of ideas.

Through it, he expelled extremist elements - like the conspiracy-obsessed, but influential, John Birch Society - from mainstream conservatism.

Always a fervent anti-communist, he also broadened conservatism's focus to economic, social and cultural issues - laying an intellectual groundwork for what became the Reagan Revolution.

To be sure, not all of Buckley's positions stood the test of time. National Review early on defended southern segationists and opposed civil-rights reform.

Yet he also wrote a lengthy indictment of anti-Semitism, regretfully citing examples of it from some of his own writers.

In 1965, he ran for mayor of New York - an unsuccessful attempt to keep Republican John Lindsay out of City Hall.

Yet he and National Review, he declared, were not in the business of "making practical politics. Our job is to think and to write, and occasionally to mediate. We are tablet-keepers."

Indeed.

Buckley, of course, was known more for his sly wit than for his modesty - noting in The New York Times Book Review in 1986: "I asked myself the other day, 'Who else, on so many issues, has been so right so much of the time?' I couldn't think of anyone."

Neither can we.

He didn't have all of the answers, but he asked many of the right questions - and America is much the better for it.

As Ronald Reagan once put it, "He gave the world . . . the sound of laughter and the sight of the rich, green uplands of freedom."

William F. Buckley, R.I.P.

No Boating Accident

I want to go on record as stating that if they find me , bound , gagged and stabbed to death in my Hotel Room at the Gregory on Saturday Morning ....it was NOT a suicide....do not let the authorities fool you.

And to my enemies, both pronounced and silent, as a preemptive strike, I have taken the liberty of sending a letter to my legal representitives ( Garry & Garry ) of all potential suspects in my untimely demise.....

In other words, if you think your gonna knock me off and get away with it.....think again____________ fill in the blank ( Duff, Higgins, Caddotte , Dude, Blossom )

lest we forget

feb 26th , a dark day in our history

In the 1993 World Trade Center bombing (February 26, 1993) a car bomb was detonated below Tower One of the World Trade Center in New York City. The 1,500-lb (680 kg) urea nitrate-fuel oil device was intended to knock the North Tower (Tower One) into Tower Two, bringing both towers down and killing up to 250,000 people.[1][2] It failed to do so, but did kill six people and injured 1,042.

The attack was planned by a group of conspirators including Ramzi Yousef, Mahmud Abouhalima, Mohammad Salameh, Nidal Ayyad, Abdul Rahman Yasin and Ahmad Ajaj. They received financing from al-Qaeda member[citation needed] Khaled Shaikh Mohammed, Yousef's uncle. In March 1994, four men were convicted of carrying out the bombing: Abouhalima, Ajaj, Ayyad and Salameh. The charges included conspiracy, explosive destruction of property and interstate transportation of explosives. And in November 1997, two more were convicted: Yousef, the mastermind behind the bombings, and Eyad Ismoil, who drove the truck carrying the bomb.

The bomb exploded in the underground garage at 12:17 P.M., generating a pressure estimated over one GPa and opening a 30-meter-wide hole through four sublevels of concrete. The detonation velocity of this bomb was about 15,000 ft/s (4.5 km/s).

Onward Christian Soldier

You can't Kill the Irish, You can't even keep us down. We are a resilient bunch, we find humor in everything, we learn to laugh at ourselves at an early age, our wakes are legendary…..one of our funniest families has lost son # 3. Today we bid goodbye to Bob Mclaren , you know he is up there telling Jokes already , having a Beer with his dad and a hug with his mom…..we will miss you down here Bob……….In That Irish Spirit, Kevin Mclaren has requested that Sweater Night 10 go on as planned…..it will be bittersweet, but it will be.

another gem

BIRTHDAY REMINDER

This week we celebrate a special birthday!
Monica Lewinsky turned 34.
Can you believe it ?
It seems like only yesterday she was crawling
around the White House on her hands and knees,
and putting everything in her mouth.
They grow up so fast, don't they.

Nuklear Hot Rumour

You heard it here first boys and girl……..On New years Day , January 1st 2009 , on the hallowed grounds of Los Janquees estadio…..Das New York Rangers will play the Ice ladies of Long Island as the final event……….this generous tidbit was passed on to yours truly by Sweater Night Alum Hank Szala….atta boy Hank…keep these gems coming.

Quote of the Day

Gotta love this one.....put a smile on my face on an otherwise dark day


" Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people."

W. C. Fields

Return of the High Tides

Had the unique pleasure of stubling across the bebo home page of the HighTides...official house band for Sweater Night ten and Beyond.....Their bebo page...link below.....makes my Sweater Night page look like nothing more than the drunk blog ramblins of a rookie......they photos and liks and videos and free whiskey...it's amazing....do yourself a favor and click on the link below.....in fact do yourself a bigger favor and catch one of their shows....in fact , you should really treat yourself by catching one of their shows while washing down 24 bottles of your favorite brew......and then proceeding to speak swaheally or a rare mandarin dialect...."Yo-`Ijo`" .......which translates into " I love alcohol" in the odd neighborhoods on tangier......if you see her say hello...if you have trouble acessingtheir site...go to bebo.com and search for high tides....you can aslo join their mailing list by sending an email to thehightides@hotmail.com

if you don't know who the hightides are...well then your a sad creature of the universe who should be beaten with a sack of flour by Finsterdal Gaboouley or livertog Fluymbeedoo...



http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=4326253303

the waiting is the hardest part

t minus 7 days and counting......3:30 AM Lil Silver time 2/22. It appears the city is being hit with the great Blizzard of 08 .....and where you might ask is the official San Man of Sweater Night ???

The Poconos.......a dios mio ....these roads aint gonna plough themeselves.....it's no wonder I eat pepcid like its aspirin .....and aspirin like its beer.......and beer like its free beer......and free beer like its.....well u get the picture.

one can only hope and pray that this great city of ours will once again pull itself up by the bootstraps and rise to the occasion of being Host City for SNX.

as the great Orator Homer Simpson once sang.

"Call Mr Plow,
Thats my name,
That name again
is Mr Plow"

in your prayers

If your checking the blog this day, please say a prayer for my Mom who passed away 1 year ago today.

I wake up to the sound of music,
Mother Mary comes to me,
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be.
There will be an answer, let it be.
Let it be, let it be,
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.

leaflets from the mind revisited.

18 May 2006

I was on my way to O’Haras for a quick bite and a cold brew at lunch , when I passed an older gentlemen in a Naval Ballcap from a ship….I see them all the time and I always look to see what ship they are from…in case it’s an old shipmate from the USS Luce. This one was from the USS Vincennes (CG-49). I gave him a knowing nod and kept going on my way. When I got to O’haras the METS were on TV , but my mind was elsewhere. I remembered waking up the morning of July 4th 1988 in a hotel near the beach in Cannes France. The Shore Patrol was rounding up US military personnel in the lobbies of the hotels, and we didn’t know why…….we did know we were in no rush to go back to our ship….Not when there was beer to drink and Independance to Celebrate…so we waited for the SP to go to the next hotel and we snuck down the ally looking for a dive bar to drink in…….we found one……we were drinking Kronenbourg for about an hour or two before a new bartender came out from the back room and asked us if we were 7th fleet ? No not us we lied, and continued to imbibe……he knew we were and he knew we didn’t trust him, so he turned on the Television ……on the French News we saw two things that got our attention…….on was a bulletin banner at the bottom of the screen that was scrolling across. Advising that the US Navy was recalling all 7th Fleet sailors to their ships immediately….all leave and liberty were cancelled……why would this be on the French TV ?? the story on the news was showing a lifeboat fishing dead bodies out of the water somewhere….of course we could not understand what they were saying. The bartender kept pointing to the TV and advising us to leave his bar. We did a shot for Old Liberty and a Beer for July 4th and walked back to the pier…….the pier in cannes was Chaos, something huge had happened…there were demonstrators being held back by Police barriers and people were screaming at us and calling us murderers….I thought we must be at war …finally…….when we returned to our ship we learned that the USS Vincennes had shot down an Iranian Jet Airline and killed approx 300 people onboard….accidentally…the Iranian craft was heading straight for them and refused to alter their course…….we went out to sea for the next 2 weeks until the furor blew over. As I sat in O’Haras I marveled at another moment in history were I had a front row seat……

The Window is Open, but the door is closing

Pentagon: Window Open to Shootdown Spy Satellite


WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Pentagon says the window of opportunity is now open for it to try to shoot down a failing spy satellite.

The Navy is planning to hit the satellite with a heat-seeking missile as early as Wednesday night. But officials were waiting for the space shuttle Atlantis to return to Earth so it would not be hit by falling debris.

"We're now into the window,'' a senior defense official told a Pentagon press conference after the shuttle landed.

The attempted shootdown was approved by President Bush out of concern that toxic fuel on board the satellite could crash to earth.

The Rich Get Rich-er

as if illegal gambling was not a big enough problem for the few law abiding citizens left in the city of New York , comes this shocker...
NYC Off-Track Betting Heads for Finish: Panel Approves Shutdown


NEW YORK (AP) -- The nation's largest legal off-track betting operation is apparently doomed to close this summer.

The board of directors for the financially troubled New York City Off-Track Betting Corp. voted Tuesday to shut down the struggling enterprise. The plan is to lay off employees and end betting in mid-June.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who appoints the board members, has been hinting for months that the betting operation was in trouble.

Bloomberg has said it could have been saved by changing the amount of money the city's OTB must give up to the state.

No action has been taken in Albany. But the June shutdown plan still could give the Legislature time to act on Bloomberg's demands.

The organization operates more than 60 branches throughout the city where gamblers gather to bet on the day's races. OTB says they place an average of 1.6 million wagers per day, totaling more than $1 billion in bets per year.

The operation was established in 1970 to generate public money and to thwart private bookies.
Off-track betting technically makes a profit, but is mandated by law to hand over so much of its money to the state that it runs a deficit; Bloomberg and the board believes it is no longer worth supporting.

``If we did nothing, by the end of June OTB would be running a cash negative operation for the first time in its history,'' Bloomberg said in a statement before the vote. ``I believe that if OTB is not able to operate without taxpayer subsidies then it should not operate, period.''

``The city simply cannot take dollars away from schools and hospitals to pay for a gambling operation,'' added Bloomberg.

Between 1997 and 2001, the city received an average of $11 million from OTB. That number fell to just $1 million in 2002, and the city got no money in 2003 and 2005, according to a report by the city comptroller.

NYCOTB is supposed to send money to the city based on the amount it takes in from surcharges on winnings and income left over after it pays its other financial obligations.

But those obligations to the state and the racing industry are absorbing more and more money, leaving little or none for the city, and reaching a point where the city could have to step in and help cover some of those costs.

quote of the day

I feel better already.....nice cozy gathering at Bros yesterday.......three straight Presidents Days.....


Insane people are always sure that they are fine. It is only the sane people who are willing to admit that they are crazy.
Nora Ephron

SKYLAB Revisited

Skylab ain't falling , the US Navy is shooting it down.....
what a glorious kickoff to sweater Nite 10 it would be if the US Navy Shoots down this rebelious satelite on FeB 29th.....we will have to order a special round of shots to commemorate this occasion.....Go Navy !! Beat Skylab !!




February 15, 2008 -- Fearful of top-secret US technology falling into the wrong hands and the risk posed by toxic rocket fuel, the government yesterday said it will launch a missile to blow a failed spy satellite out of the sky.

The military will fire the missile within two weeks, aiming for the satellite's fuel tank, which carries lethal hydrazine propellant, Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Pentagon press conference.

"When you inhale it, it affects tissues in lungs and has the burning sensation," he said. "If you stick close to it and inhale it, it could be deadly."

The satellite, US-193, was launched Dec. 14, 2006, but technicians lost radio contact with it in a matter of hours, and its solar panels were never fully deployed.

"This is the first time we've used a tactical missile to engage a spacecraft," Cartwright said.

The SM-3 Aegis ballistic missile, built by Raytheon, is normally used to target other rockets.

After extensive study and analysis, US officials came to the conclusion that "we're better off taking the attempt than not," Cartwright said.

He said the SM-3 would intercept the satellite just prior to it re-entering Earth's atmosphere. It would be "next to impossible" to hit the satellite after that because of atmospheric disturbances, he said.

Officials said the window of opportunity would open in about three days and last about eight days. Experts predict that the satellite would be intercepted somewhere over Hawaii.

"They've generally tested by Hawaii, most of the ships are stationed there, certainly the ships that have the most practice at it," John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, which studies space defense technologies, told The Post.

Officials said there will be two armed Navy ships on standby in case the first launch misses.

It was not known where the satellite would land. But officials familiar with the situation said about half of the 5,000-pound spacecraft is expected to survive its blazing descent through the atmosphere and will scatter debris - some of it potentially hazardous - over several hundred miles.

Pike said there was almost no way to tell where the satellite would land even after the missile hit but estimated a 90 percent chance of success based on the SM-3's track record.

"It's going to come down where it's going to come down, and the location of the intercept is unrelated to [that]," he said. "Most of the debris will still be going at an orbital velocity - the stuff is just going to keep going."

"The thing would be broken up into a bunch of bits and pieces, so that would reduce the possibility that some piece of sensitive technology would wind up on eBay - where the Russians and the Chinese would get into a bidding war for it," he said.

Officials have said there is about 1,000 pounds of hydrazine propellant on the satellite.

The missile "will break the fuel tank open," Pike said. "And that means the propellant will disperse and burn up at the top of the atmosphere, rather than falling in some man's pasture and killing a bunch of his cows."

Deputy National Security Adviser James Jeffrey said that members of Congress were briefed on the plan earlier yesterday and that diplomatic notifications to other countries would be made before the end of the day.

SDNY

sounds like a lawsuit to me .....maybe the City and the Sanit Dept should be held accountable for letting/forcing this guy drive a truck......I wonder how many other potential lawsuits are being forced to drive garbage trucks everyday.

Garbage Truck Kills 2 Tourists; Driver Charged


NEW YORK (AP) -- A garbage truck driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed onto a sidewalk near Madison Square Garden, killing two English tourists, police said. A pedestrian was seriously injured.

Scarlett Auvryn was operating the privately owned truck around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday when he apparently had a seizure after not taking his medication, police said. Another person in the truck tried to regain control of it but couldn't, they said.

Auvryn, 52, was arrested Wednesday on charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. He was hospitalized for injuries sustained during the crash, police said.

The dead tourists were identified by police as Jacklyn Timmons and Andrew Hardie, who had lived together in Yeovil, Somerset, about 130 miles from London. Each was 47 years old.

A 23-year-old man injured in the crash was listed in serious condition at a hospital, police said.

There was no telephone listing for Auvryn, of Irvington, N.J. A phone message left after hours for the company whose name and logo were on the truck was not immediately returned Wednesday.

quote of the Day

I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.


none other than Thomas Jefferson said that......true words to live by, i can not agree more. It was hard work that has built this country , and the refusal to work that ultimately will destroy us. we have become a society of lottery players, spending more time to find ways to avoid doing work than it would take to do in the first place....and then we are shocked that athletes would rather pop a pill or take a needle instead of working out for 6 months.....

a fort night

two weeks lads....two short, long, agonizing weeks until the gala......big hockey Games this weekend........Ranger matinees on Sat & Sun and then our annual Islander game in brothers on Presidents day......Clam Pie.

24

oh yeah, I passed my series 24 exam by 1 question yesterday.....I needed 105 correct answers and I got 106 , thank God they had a few questions about Hockey.....I am now two for two in the licensing Dept....bring on the commoditties Exam.

Derby Pool 1

in case you missed it, the official Horse of Sweater Night ten " El Gato Malo" is going off at 20-1 in the first derby pool, windows close tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. ......it's free money guys, a license to steal as it were......sneak over to OTB or the track today or tomorrow and throw a C-note on the cat......you can collect your two g's on the first Saturday in May......no horseing around !

SNX

The tenth and final chapter in this Sweater Night Story is drawing close. less than three weeks to dry clean that Jersey, lace up those skates, and preapre to drink, drop and die. The Knights are busy as bees preparing their humble adobe for our onslaught. we attack at dawn.....well 7:00 actually.....I thought by now this site would be drawing a flurry of activity, but still no comments are being made. If you do visit, please leave a comment so we know you are out there.......we are working out some arrangements for food, although it is a Friday during lent, so there will be no meat.....so it will probably be dago again.....let me apologize in advance to any gindaloons that may have stumbled upon this site and been offended by that last remark.....we will be serving spaghetti ...which was invented by the Chinks and returned to Italy by Marco Polo or some other poolside game.

anyway i digress......SNX...Sweater Night Ten ... is on!
Friday Febrewary 29th.....be there or be a turnip...

No Sweater, no Admittance, No EXceptions !

The End is Near

Well the New Joisey primary came and went , and I do not think I recd the needed three votes to stay alive in this campaign.....truth be told, when I got to the Polls I decided to write in Eli Manning, I was still on an adrenalin high from the super Bowl and thought at that precise moment that Eli would make a better Presidente~ than myself.........Graves ? Graves overslept and did not make it to the Polls......Val? Val refuses to tell me who she voted for, which is not a good sign for me, but iS a good sign for Johnny Mac........no word from any of my good friends in this Garden State as to whom they threw their support to......we'll just have to play the waiting game......

the first post 9/11 parade goes to

THE GIANTS !!!!!!!!!

what a glorious Monday Morning......how good does it feel to bleed Red, White and BLUE !!!

Superbowl

prediction time:

Final Score NY Giants 17 Boston Faggots 14

game ends with Strahan sacking Brady on the giants 20.

****Sweater Nite Ten Battle Cry.......No Sweater, No Admittance, NO EXCEPTIOS"

sacre bleu !

the great Guy Lafleur arrested for questioning in Montreal.....accused of telling a lie to the Polizia or the Gendarmes.......his son accused of multiple atrocities.....holy eifel tower.....what next?

and to think that I was "this" close to honoring my hero by wearing HIS # 10 jersey to the gala that shall be Sweater Nite 10 .........that would have been quite the faux pass.......that saturnalian event count have turned ugly.

the secret to my sweater is safe......nary a whisper until the big day......Jack Duffy checked in this morning....he is coming.

At the bequest of one Roy Delorenzo, the sweater Nite letter shall return.....my staff of fidgets and phillipino slaves are hard at work typing it now......should be in the mail within a fortnight , no mucho haha , hold your breath, don't shoot the messenger.

El GATO MALO

Every winning campaign needs a boost from time to time ………and I do believe we have just gotten a mammoth blast….from the "you can't make this stuff up department" comes news out of San Rafael Calif about a horse that is burning up the trax……..he is considered a Derby Hopeful….winning races at a feverish clip….and his name is " El Gato Malo". Now I only took 3 full years , and 1 summer school session of Spanish in Xaverian, so such a complex word as Malo sent me scurrying for the Spanglish /English dictionary……..and what does malo mean ??


Naughty, Wicked, Mean, Evil and Bad were some of the English definitions listed……..after all that has transpired recently , I could not think of a better translation than the The Evil Cat……….you know damm well this horse is winning not only the Derby, but the Triple Crown…..but don't take my word for it…see his press clippings below…..Thank God that Birthday balloons is not eligible for this years Derby……or Hearts flashy Fire for that matter.........once this Wicked Cat finishes the racing season , America will be so enthralled that El gato for Presidente Fever will sweep the nation....and yours truly will be Commander and Chief....No Mas Ha-Ha......there is nothing funny about that.






Unbeaten El Gato Malo took advantage of a blistering pace to register a runaway 6 1/4-length victory in the $150,000 San Rafael Stakes (gr. III) (VIDEO) as the 2008 West Coast Triple Crown campaign got underway at Santa Anita Jan. 12.

With the Cushion Track blazing fast, El Gato Malo, ridden for the first time by David Flores, came home in a record time of 1:37.37 for the one-mile distance.

El Gato Malo, winner of his first two starts by a combined margin of nearly 10 lengths, made his graded stakes debut in the San Rafael for trainer Craig Dollase and the partnership of West Point Thoroughbreds.

Massive Drama, the 3-2 favorite in the field of six, was determined to get the lead from his outside post for jockey Rafael Bejarano, surging by Talk of a Cat and Sierra Sunset to get the advantage heading into the clubhouse turn. The Bob Baffert trainee, third in the CashCall Futurity (gr. I) three weeks ago at Hollywood Park, carved eye-catching fractions of :22.25, :44.34 and 1:07.90 with Talk of the Cat in close attendance.

But nearing the quarter pole, all three front-runners were visibly slowing, with the Todd Pletcher conditioned Talk of a Cat the first to throw in the towel. El Gato Malo, racing comfortably while a distant fourth for Flores during the early going, had clear aim on the leaders at the three-sixteenth pole. Rallying down the center of the track, he blew past them mid-stretch while racing somewhat greenly.

"I saw there would be some speed. It was like there were three bullets in there," Flores said. "I was just patient. When we hit the turn, I pushed the button and he was there for me. They were coming back to me and my horse was full of run. When we got the lead, he started looking around. But he was impressive."

El Gato Malo is by El Corredor out of One Bad Cat, by Mountain Cat. Bred in Kentucky by Kenneth C. Roberts, the dark bay gelding sold for $95,000 as a yearling at Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky sale in October 2006.

"I'm still dreaming," said Jeff Bloom, executive vice president for West Point Thoroughbreds. "After the great year we just had, to start off this season with a horse like this is so special. That first Saturday in May is looking pretty promising.”

Ridden in his first two starts by Patrick Valenzuela, El Gato Malo debuted with a 5 1/2-length win in a six-furlong maiden debut at Hollywood Nov. 18. He successfully stretched out to a mile in capturing the Gold Rush at Golden Gate Fields Dec. 15. All three of El Gato Malo's races have been on synthetic surfaces. His earnings jumped to $160,200.

"From day one, he's shown he had it in him," said Dollase, after winning his first San Rafael. "But this was amazing. He's a special horse."

Dollase said El Gato Malo's next race would be the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe (gr. II) at Santa Anita on March 15.

"We’ll probably stick with the program here," Dollase said. "It’s lovely here in California and the track’s good, obviously. He’s the real deal. It doesn’t look like there are any distance limitations for him. He rated so nicely today.”

Sent off as the second choice, El Gato Malo carried 119 pounds to victory and paid $6.80, $4.40, and $2.60.

let's go Giants

h....o......h.....o.....ho ho ho

hold the phone

the late great Miss Harris is about to call a press conference:

Good evening. I'm going to read a brief statement, but please understand, on the advice of our legal counsel, I won't be answering any questions this evening.

First of all, I'd like to thank all of the independently elected supervisors of elections, their staffs, their volunteers for the extraordinary work they performed over the past seven days. And they've just been terrific.

And I'd also like to acknowledge the overwhelming support that we have received as we've worked to fulfill our statutory responsibilities in ensuring a consistent, accurate and independent process.

As of 5 p.m. today, the director of the Division of Elections reported receiving certified returns from all 67 counties, as required by law. In the race for the president of the United States, or more precisely the 2008 primary.. these certified results from Florida's 67 counties for the top candidates are as follows: Sen Mccain, 2,910,492
Osama Obama Clinton Kennedy 2,910,192.
El Gato 1

drinks will be served in the lobby immediately.

Score 1 for the cat

A vote….a vote…..EL GATO has received his first vote……quando, quando , quando…….yesterday in the sunshine state of F L A ….
No it was not Louie Lopez "the best jockey to come out of east la" nor was it part of the growing USS Luce Alumni….Pride, Power , Knowledge….
It turns out it was our pal and restaurateur Robert "Whitey" Cahill, who now resides in plantation…..not on a plantation. The great White Owl took an extended break from Smith and Wolly's , thumbed a ride to the polling station, borrowed a crayon from the local magistrate, and wrote in "EL Gato" as his official vote in the primary …I am sure that if Katherine Harris gets wind of this she will challenge this vote all the way to the Supreme Court…….someone the white owl will be accused of hanging a chad or being ineligible to vote.

SKYLAB is Falling....again

Have no worries , have no fears……..Johnny News has assured us that the Knights of Columbus is preparing a contingency plan should Skylab reenter the earths atmosphere on the morning of Febrewary 29th , and threaten a touchdown in the 209 vicinity during our festivities. Specially equipped goaltender masks , with extra padding, will be issued to all skaters……..a three day supply of beer and peanuts will be on hand , should the big space station land on 5th avenue and leave us all stranded in downtown Birmingham.

gone but not forgotten

Rest in Peace ol BARBARO.......our loss is Chrurhill Downs' gain....God Bless.

30 days

just 30 days until the tenth, and FINAL, installment of Sweater Night......lace up, gear up, DRINK up !

Teddy Backs obama

well thank the lord for small favors......Ted Kennedy has thrown his weight behind Osama Obama, looks like our campaign is in the clear.....we may skip the proceedings down in the susnshine state....kick back and watch the Super Bowl and then get ready for the Garden State Primary....if i don't get at least three votes in my adopted home state , then I may be forced to rethink this unlikely run at the oval office.....I know Valerie and Graves will vote for me, but I may have lost a few backers during this past week.....and I am still undecided myself as to who I am voting for......I kind of like this irish guy Mccain.....i heard good things about him in the Ria Ra and the Trinity Carvery.....not to mention the dub.

Dropping Out ?

no worries....it wasn't me, it was Fred Thompson......the dream continues, onward and upward less than two weeks to the NJ primary.....must finalize a theme song for this campaign......you can only play charades for so long.

imitation is the highest form of flattery

912 hours until sweater nite ten.......what about arthurs?

so few can exercise this

The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. .....
Dorothy Nevill

Campaign Song II

as we make that long slow drive from Michigan to South Carolina we ponder another possible theme song for our campaig....this one complements of Roger Mcguinn and the Byrds:

I wanna grow up to be a politician
and take over this beautiful land
I wanna grow up to be a politician
and be the old USofA's number one man
I'll always be tough, I'll never be scary
I want to shoot guns or butter my bread
I'll work on the towns or conservate the prairies
And you can believe the future's ahead
I'll give the young the right to vote
as soon as they mature
But spare the rod and spoil the child
to help them feel secure
And if I win election day
I'll sign the bill to help the poor
to show I'm not snob
I'll open my door, I'm chargin' no admission
And you can be sure I'll give you my hand
I'll be glad you got me in everything I do
and I'll defend until the end
the old red, white and blue

The Sweater Night Zone

Charles Higgins and Craig Pazarecki.......two ordinary hard working blue line skaters, about to be transformed into wolrd known figures via a forgotten portal in the universe known as cardboard. Their places in Sweater Nite lore reserved for them for all eternity, take a look at the sign post up ahead, you are entering the Neutral Zone.

Play Date

Two words he says……two words can some up what's wrong with the NHL today……"Play Dates" That is what my head linesman tells me this morning.........the current NHL player must have had play dates , organized by his parents, when he was a kid.....siphoned the toughness right out of his bones he sez........he'd rather watch paint dry in the OLA cafeteria he sez.......lackluster league....no hitting, no fighting, no intensity.....every gets a check and everyone has a play date.......damn shame........maybe he's not that far off.

Hail to the Victors

No friends we did not steal the Michigan Primary like a Lincoln Continental off a Detroit street, but we do still claim moral victory from the Wolverines. Our first endorsement came from an unlikely source, the great Leslie Lynch King, Jr. came to me in a microdot haze and gave me the thumbs up.......sadly the man who would become President of the United States under his adopted name of Gerald R Ford had already passed on, the day after Christmas 2006; and could no longer cast an actual vote in the primary, damn voting restrictions.....what next, are we going to take away the right to vote from convicted felons or the youth of America......what then.....will we try to stop illegal immigrants from casting their votes....or worse...IDIOTS ?

Well that's where I draw the line, some of my best friends and biggest supporters are IDIOTS, bonifide , tried, true and tested IDIOTS. Why I would go so far as to say that if idiots , felons , minors and illegals are blocked from the Polling booths, then my chances of winning the nomination are narrowing. I may have to lead a March on Selma or some other unsuspecting female to demand restitutions.

Anyway it turns out that Leslie Lynch King not only endorsed my run at the presidency , but he delivered a message from my estranged running mate, "The Ghost of Barbaro" it follows

" you can never bet too much on a winning Horse"

effin genius that horse , this can mean only one of two things....it is time for a trip to the simulcast section of Monmouth Park OR old Edgar Prado went to the whip once to often and it is finally taking its' toll on our pal.....time will tell, time will tell.

Anyway we closed the town of Flynt last night, drinking Ripple until cows came home ...or in this case until the riot Police came down main street at 3:00 a.m with water cannons. And now it's on to South Carolina and the Rebel State Flag....finances are dwindling though......if only "WE" Knew someome in ...oh I don't know....CHARLESTON maybe.......somewhere we could crash on the cheap for a few days......now that we have Gerry Ford in our collective back pockets , let's see if we can't dig up some support from ol Strom.

Dearborn.....dear God

AP wire 03:57 a.m. MTZ :

Team Snafu strikes again....in what at best could be described as a "Risky" approach, the Gato 4 El presidente campaign suffered another setback. Having wasted valuable Michigan canvas time while still drinking in New hampshire, El gato decided to make a splash onto the scene this Primary Morning. The Team Gato Bus rolled into Sleepy Dearborn Michigan about 1 hour ago ( 3:05 AM )....the plan was to shake these folks out of their beds with the New Campaign theme blasting.....a shock that would last all day and until they went to the polls with "ELECTED" Blarring in their inner skulls.......but lo, to err is human, and instead of track 4 from billion dollar babies, the town of Dearborn awoke to "No More MR Nice Guy". Some of these hicks thought it was an Al Queda attack or worse, TOYOTA coming. Time will tell how this this will impact voters later today.

Campaign Theme Song

I think I need to jazz my presidential campaign up a wee bit with a theme song....if those snake oil salemen the Clintons won an election with those has been Fleetwood MAC cronies and don't stop drinking until tomorrow, maybe I will have a spurt in the polls with a Rock and Roll Infusion.......I list the possibilities and ...this being a democracy and all....I will let me loyal readers make the choice......First up Alice Cooper: if you can't recall the singer, can you at least recall the tune....this gem was off of "Billion dollar babies"

I'm your top prime cut of meat, I'm your choice
I wanna be elected
I'm your yankee doodle dandy in a gold Rolls Royce
I wanna be elected
Kids want a savior, don't need a fake
I wanna be elected
We're gonna rock to the rules that I make
I wanna be elected, elected, elected
I never lied to you, I've always been cool
I wanna be elected
I gotta get the vote, and I told you about school
I wanna be elected, elected, elected
Hallelujah, I wanna be elected
Everyone in the United States of America
We're gonna win this one, take the country by storm
We're gonna be elected
You and me together, young and strong
We're gonna be elected, elected, elected
Respected, selected, call collected
I wanna be elected, elected

Lost Musings of William Stark

I recently stumbled across some gems from the late great William Stark...I will share them with my loyal readers when the mood strikes me.

Shadows aint what they used to be
Sun shines through where it shouldn't be
I wish they'd warn us before they flee
But life is costly and death is free

Cacophony of memories shatter the silence
On streets that fight for each breath
That deafening sound of emptiness
The last bus has already left

Ghosts peer through the windows at me
Their replacements just line the platform
This cattle car rolls through unfolding hills
Steamrolling to the edge of the world

Empty taverns packed with promise
reflections of what might have been
Tavern keepers born in the aftermath
Never knew what should have been

Donzo Visits Blog ! Mayor calls for Holiday

Well it is true friends….not only did we have a visitor to our Blog, but he left a comment. An Historic Event for Sure……the Great Donzo of Middletwon New jersey has visited the blog and left behind his comments on Montreal to live forever in cyberspace………….Mayor Elect Skwigglyhead Of Middletown has declared this to be an unpaid Holiday for all members of the township.

New Hampshire Revisited

A.P. Wire 04:33 01/10/08 zuluu

In a bizarre twist to the normal caucus routine, Team "Gato 4 for El presidente~" has reversed course and once again gone against the traditional tide in this wacky campaign. As the Likes of Hillary and Johnny Mac moved on towards the Maze and Blue of the Michigan primary , Team Gato remained behind in Dixville Notch to quiz local voters. Having suffered another resounding defeat and still looking for their "first" vote , the Gato del Sol faithful chose to visit the Pubs of New Hampshire in an attempt to lure Unsupportive Voters into a fistfight. "If we could not convince them to vote for our candidate yesterday , then today we are just gonna beat the piss out of them and make them buy a few rounds of drinks" one obviously inebriated member of the Cats Crew was overheard to mumble to nobody in particular outside of the Moose ears Pub. " We have to remind these New Hampshire fagolias that we will be back come November , and unless they want their tires slashed and noses broken, they better wisen up when they go behind the curtain next time". An obviously perturbed, and drunk, Candidate, Gato himself chalked this up to a good idea run afoul…."My campaign team was simply implementing some basic management building exercises that we learnt from Joe barra……our guys may have been a little overzealous……but we did manage to drink for free all day and most of the night". Hillary Rotten Clinton refused to comment to an AP request for a comment on this unique strategy to canvass votes. John Mccain was too busy throwing darts at a photo of Osamma Obamma to take notice.

WHICH Mac is Back ? yikes!

Well we did not fair so well in the Great State of New hampshire, but our good friend John Mccain did very well…….I blame my poor showing on my state of confusion. Early in the Day I heard some local yocals outside my Hotels shouting "Mac is Back"……..Naturally I assumed that meant the Great Steve Mcevoy had returned to the beloved bottle….Imagine my excitement when I thought Cracker Jack was back on the Winning Team……….Had found his way Home through the lonesome Dark Valley of fear after all these missed beers…and years…..I even thought I heard some incoherently blabbering in the distance…".Hillary…I don't wanna kill ya, but I have to kill ya." I was getting ready to stock up on Vodka and Gatorade and some Bob Dylan 8 tracks for the return of Mcadoo………folks were putting in for family Leave from their Jobs and disconnecting their land lines…….the Take No Prisoners Tour 2008 was taking shape….Dano Woods was being tracked down for the Magnanimous Event…..Eggroll was shaking in his slippers….if Mac Falls , can Das Das be far behind ?

I was well into an 8 hour stupor when I learned of my Faux pas………Turns out the excitement was about John Mccain and a resounding Victory....good for me drinking buddy, but damn……so close……and yet no bar…….a double dose of letdown soon followed when the disturbing events that unfolded in the Gulf were relayed to me as I sipped on my 21st Coors Light of the Day…..Why Didn't the Men of the USS Hopper open fire on those Iranian s**mba*s in their lil speedboats……This Country needs someone who is strong on Defence…….and who I ask is stronger on the fence that my Pal Gravey when she is hunting squirrel?

That seetles it…….just 6 more Silver Bullets tonight and then early to bed….I have some important thinking to do

One Bachelor Party at a Time Please

I can not spend any time worrying about a trip north of the border that may or may not happen ............until AFTER the Big Bachelor Party in Atlantic City .....interested Skaters should contact one Chaz Higgins AKA the Head Linesman for details........please don't invite CHICO , he has a problem with Too many people.

Vice President Runs for the Hills

It is kind fo silly I suppose to state that a Ghost vanished, but that is exactly what happened.
Perhaps the stress of the Campaign was too much, or the lure of Canada was overwhelming, but whatever it was , the fact of the matter is that my Vice President, the Ghost of BARBARO, has bolted the Campaign and dissappeared into the New Hampshire Night. ( Maybe the Great Barbaro is on a Montreal Scouting mission, haunting Wicked Wandas as we speak, galloping down the Halls of the Hotel Maritime, enjoying Oats&Eggs at the Piel Street……who amongst us really knows for sure)

I did not see this coming , in my drunken Haze of a Dixville Notch Bender I now find myself searching for a new Running mate…….interested applicants should email their resumes to sn2ktomcat@yahoo.com the sooner the better……..please list all qualifications………likes/dislikes………favorite band……..criminal record…….favorite Hockey Team……you know….the essentials…….whether or Not you would be willing to deliver a keynote address at Sweater Night Ten……and of course if you will support the Great Arthurs Boycott of 2008…………..female applicants should send a photo of yourself in a bikini please.

Gorilla Montreal trip in DOUBT

as the geust of honor continues to ceceede from the Union and form a solitary alliance, the Great Montreal Trip of 08 is in doubt......skaters on both sides of the blueline shook their heads in disgust and dirty politics ruled the day on Sunday, the resending of "conficential" texts to the subject matters brought us to a new low.........the public voicing of private concerns surely was a SOUR attempt to drive a wedge between lifelong friends......et tu brute' ?? how sad.

New Hampshire Caucus

Well we roared into New Hampshire like a pack of hungry wolves, frothing at the mouth and dying of thirst…..Our Campaign train was packed with Whiskey , Beer and Mushrooms, but sadly turnout at our first rally was sparce…….Barbaros Ghost is getting Antsy, not sure if the Great Stallion was a wise choice after all…..it's hard to tame a wild Spirit, especially one with his Energy, I may have to sit down with my braintrust and consider making a swift change of direction.

Thankfully we found a Pub in Ol Dixville Notch that was showing the Giants-Tampa Game……. Go Big Blue, on to Dallas we shall go….after taking care of business at the Polls here of Course.......

IOWA Caucus

Well sad to say we did not receive a single vote in Iowa, but that will not stop my campaign. I think perhaps the Hawkeyes were spooked by the fact the my running Mate is the Ghost of Barbaro, maybe they are intimidated to be in the presence of Greatness in the form of a Kentuky Derby Winning Spirit. Maybe they do not approve of the Irish Equine Ticket , or Maybe they just can't imagine what turmoil would follow if my Vice President had to assume the top Role….assuming I was assinated while in Office….can you imagine the oil painting of Barbaro's Ghost hanging in the White House ?

Anyway it's on to New Hampshire fur guys like me and Mccain…..where we shall engage the enemy at every Bar, tavern or Pub we can find…….

Remember Friends and foe alike……VOTE GATO 4 El Presidente'

quotes

Beautiful Monmouth Park

Craig Paz asked me to pass along to our faithful Readers that the PC's annual Monmouth Park Trip is slated for Saturday the 14th Day of June.....hmmmm? what else occured on this historic Date ?

In the United States, Flag Day (more formally, National Flag Day) is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened that day by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day; in August 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.

Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, though on June 14, 1937 Pennsylvania became the first (and only) U.S. state to celebrate Flag Day as a state holiday.

Title 36 Sec. 110 of the US Code is the official statute on Flag Day, however it is at the President's discretion to proclaim officially the observance.

The largest Flag Day parade is held annually in Troy, New York. [1]

Framingham, Massachusetts also holds a yearly Flag Day parade, as do many other towns and cities, although in recent years a shrinking turnout has prompted the town to consider eliminating the event.

What Else ??

Well in 1994 the New York Rangers Defeated the Canucks of Vancouver in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in the Worlds Most famous Arena......Leetch, Graves and Mess in that order staked the lads to a 3-1 lead , and MR Richter held on to preserve the victory.

Anything Else ???

Funny you should ask, in 1996 , on a balcony of the Molly Pitcher , overlooking the Navesink River, yours truly and Valerie O'Dowd( nee Chamberlain) agreed to become engaged to be wed.

And What Else????

Isn't that enough you ungrateful swine....you try finding a day with that much history wrapped around it.....geeeze.

Anyway , let's race to see who can get polluted first, and to the strongest degree on that day...pass the word....and get on the BUS.

and so this is Christmas

as the late great John Lennon would muse.

Just wanted to take a moment on this Christmas Morn to wish any and all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy 2008 , the Year of the Gorilla and Sweater Nite X .

Peace.

Series 7

Thanks to all the well wishers on my passing of my series 7 exam , full drink ahead now that I have a license to steal.

box of rain revisited

this was posted on the blog back in sep 06, but as were bear down on Christmas 07 I thought it would be apropriate once more.
thoughts on box of rain

one of the more beautiful songs in the dead repertoire, happy, sad, thought provoking, all at the same time depending on the listener. I do know that Phil used to sing the lyrics to his dying father in the hospital. the last line is the one that has always stopped me in my tracks......"such a long, long time to be gone and a short time to be there" .....stop and think about it.....when we are gone, we are going to "be gone" for a long long time........and our time spent here on earth in comparison is soooo short.......we all have someone close to us who has "been gone" for a long, long time.....and when you try to remember that person........it seems like they were here for such a short time............. we are mere specs on the portrait on the universe, and yet we tend to obsess about every second, hour, day , week, month of our lives...........it's such a short time to be here............but such a long, long time to be gone.......I think we should probably spend more time obsessing about finding a nice place to spend that eternity, that long long time that is to come, and less time obsessing about short days spent here on earth......just a thought.

posted by tomcat | 10:12 AM | 0 comments

lyrics of the day "Box of Rain"

"Box of Rain"Words by Robert Hunter; music by Phil LeshCopyright Ice Nine Publishing; used by permission.

Look out of any window any morning, any evening, any day
Maybe the sun is shining birds are winging or rain is falling from a heavy sky -
What do you want me to do,to do for you to see you through?
this is all a dream we dreamed one afternoon long ago

Walk out of any doorwayfeel your way, feel your waylike the day before
Maybe you'll find direction around some corner where it's been waiting to meet you
-What do you want me to do,to watch for you while you're sleeping?
Well please don't be surprisedwhen you find me dreaming too

Look into any eyes you find by you, you can see clear through to another day
I know it's been seen before through other eyes on other days while going home
--What do you want me to do, to do for you to see you through?
It's all a dream we dreamed one afternoon long ago

Walk into splintered sunlight
Inch your way through dead dreams to another land
Maybe you're tired and broken
Your tongue is twisted with words half spoken and thoughts unclear
What do you want me to do to do for you to see you through

A a box of rain will ease the pain and love will see you through

Just a box of rain -
wind and water -
Believe it if you need it,
if you don't just pass it on
Sun and shower -Wind and rain -
in and out the window
like a moth before a flame

It's just a box of rainI don't know who put it there
Believe it if you need it or leave it if you dare
But it's just a box of rain or a ribbon for your hair
Such a long long time to be gone and a short time to be there

posted by tomcat | 9:57 AM | 0 comments

ROAD TRIP

No Not Montreaux ,

it is a mere 708 Days before the Dawgs of Georgia come back into Buckhead to take on Coach Johnsons' Jacketts.......yes they do play at Georgia in 08 , but WE want to go to a Ramblin Wreck home game......I will start taking a head count after Sweater Nite to see who wants to go....I predict that a berth in the BCS Title Game will be on the line when Goergia and Georgia Tech meet on that glorious Saturday. Tech will be working on a perfect season, ACC title game already locked up, leading the nation in total offense......the Dawgs and Knowshawn Moreno will looking towards their SEC title game... Steve Buerro is already planning the menu for us, and Tom Mclaren is anxiuosly awaiting our arrival... so clear your plate for 2009 and logon to purchase your GA Tech gear now......it's never too early to stat planning.

MONTREAL April 18 2008 for Steve is a GO .......who took home the secret geust list from the Molly Wee on Thursday ??

damn utes

well the 8 1/2 point dog Squids of the Naval Academy fell short in the Poinsetta Bowl, but if your a gamblin man you covered your wager just the same......and now we turn our attention to the basketball team. Navy invades Remsen Street one week from today when they take on the Terriers of St Francis.....be there or be square.

pay attention

If you are lucky enough this day to tune into a few moments of the Navy-Army game, pay close attention to the expressions of the students and players on both sides. I challenge you to find someone amongst them not charged with life, exhuberance and Joy........considering what lies ahead for them in the coming years, that is amazing. As we trudge through life , bitching about the train and our mundane jobs and the God Awful weather and damm cable company......maybe we should think about these Men and Women and ask ourselves if we would trade places with any of them.....if the answer is no, then I suppose we don't have it so bad.........Go Navy....Go Army Too.....and Vayos con Dios to all of them.

onward to Victory....first landing boat hits the Steak Exchange at 11:37 this morning......be on it!

From Gods lips to our ears

Stand Navy out to sea, Fight our Battle Cry;
We'll never change our course, So vicious foe steer shy-y-y-y.
Roll out the TNT, Anchors Aweigh. Sail on to Victory
And sink their bones to Davy Jones, Hooray!

Anchors Away, my boys, Anchors Aweigh.
Farewell to foreign shores,
We sail at break of day-ay-ay-ay.
Through our last night on shore, Drink to the foam,
Until we meet once more.
Here's wishing you a happy voyage home.

Blue of the Mighty Deep; Gold of God's Sun
Let these colors be till all of time be done, done, done,
On seven seas we learn Navy's stern call:
Faith, Courage, Service true, with Honor, Over Honor, Over All.

-Words by CAPT Alfred H. Miles, USN, 1906.
Anchors Aweigh is not an official Navy song.






The Navy Hymn





Eternal Father, Strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bid'st the mighty Ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to thee,
for those in peril on the sea.

O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy word,
Who walked'st on the foaming deep,
and calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea!

Most Holy spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea!

O Trinity of love and power!
Our brethren shield in danger's hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them wheresoe'er they go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee,
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.


Words by Rev. William Whiting, 1861.

Save the Date

Sweater Nite 10 , A True Saturnalian Event will be held on Friday February 29th....a leap of faith.....HOWEVER.....this year due to popular demand, it is INVITE Only.....we are cutting off the dead wood, the fair weather friends will not even receive notice...the once a year on my terms phonies, will not be welcome this time around........Lace Up , Gear , and for Alabaster Larue's sake DRINK UP YOU CHOSEN FEW.

Time for some LUCE change

I am using this blog and this oppurtunity to announce that I am seeking the Presidency of the United States of America in 2008 . I think it is about time someone with my leadership qualities and array of real life experience took the top spot in the nation for a joy ride. More details , a formal press conference and my resume/bio sheet to follow in the coming weeks……for now I will leave you with my official slogan.

" Gato 4 el Presidente"



Oh Yeah........BARBARO's ghost is the frontrunner to be my running mate , although my Dog Gravey is expected to make her pitch for the coveted position real soon.

Dennis Zilinski American Hero

Dennis W. Zilinski, II was born on December 23, 1981. He is the son of Dennis W. and Marion R. Zilinski, grandson of Anna Zilinski, brother of Douglas and his wife ToniAnn, Arizona, Michele and her husband David, Arizona, Tiffany and her fiancé James, New Jersey and 2Lt. Matthew J. Zilinski, NJARNG, New Jersey. Dennis has four nephews and two nieces.



Dennis’ greatest loves were God, his family, country, friends, swimming and the United States Army. Dennis was a very willing person who would drop everything to help you. His trademark was his wonderful smile, always beaming.



Dennis grew up in Middletown, New Jersey a member of the Middletown Reformed Church and attended school at Middletown Village, Thorne Middle School and graduated from Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft. He received his nomination to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 2004. He also completed Airborne School while a student at West Point.



Prior to attending college, Dennis was a swimmer with the Red Bank YMCA for many years, and continued to swim at Christian Brothers Academy. While attending the United States Military Academy at West Point, he was the Captain of the men’s team as a Firstie (Senior) and was awarded the Class of 1923 Memorial Award for Outstanding Member of Men’s Team and the Captain Michael W. Kilroy Memorial Award for the Captain of the Men’s Swim Team.



Upon completion of Officer Basic Course in Ft. Benning, GA, Dennis was accepted into Ranger School and graduated in March of 2005. Being awarded his Ranger “Tab” was probably his highest achievement as an Army officer. He was so proud of his accomplishment. Dennis truly lived by West Point’s motto of DUTY, HONOR, and COUNTRY, and stood behind the nation’s mission 100%, ready to serve and protect the freedoms so many citizens cherish. He also lived by the Army values of LOYATY, DUTY, RESPECT, SELFLESS-SERVICE, HONOR, INTEGRITY, PERSONAL COURAGE.



After graduation from Ranger School, he was assigned to the 1/187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) “Rakkasan”. He deployed with the 101st Airborne Division on September 17, 2005. Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski, II died in Iraq on November 19, 2005 as a result of a roadside bombing near Bayji, 155 miles north of Baghdad. Lt. Zilinski’s medals include: Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Global War on Terror, Iraq Campaign Service Medal and the New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal.



At the time of his death, Dennis was engaged to Lt. Marie Cicerelle, who is also stationed with the 101st Airborne Division and they planned to married upon their return from Iraq in 2006. Marie continues to serve in the Army.



In an act of love, the Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski, II Memorial Fund has been established by his friends and his family. The first Lt. Dennis W. Zilinski, II Memorial Run/Walk was held in November of 2006. The second Run/Walk will be held on November 11, 2007 at the PNC Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ. Proceeds of the run/walk will be utilized to continue to sponsor programs for injured soldiers and for scholarships to Dennis’ high school.

simple reflection

as was the case at the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month....I took a momemt to reflect on the incredible sacrifice our Armed Services make on a daily basis....I hope all who read this taker a moment and say a quick prayer that they may never know the hell where joy and laughter go.

just in time for veterans day

How sad is this story, and yet the fiance does not feel sorry for herself....I fear the day America runds out of our supply of heros like this.

November 8, 2007 -- A New Jersey soldier who put off surgery in the United States to stay with his comrades in Iraq was killed Monday in a roadside bombing.

Sgt. John D. Linde of Union City died with three other soldiers in the western part of the country.

His grieving wife, Vilma, held back tears as she spoke of how much her husband "believed in the cause" he was fighting for.

He developed an ankle problem last summer and was offered surgery that would have kept him home for months.

"He was given the choice not to deploy but he chose to go back," she said. "He wanted to be there for his soldiers.

"He was my best friend" and a "great father" to their 8-year-old daughter, Victoria, Vilma said.

She had been looking forward to a June celebration of the 10th anniversary of her marriage to her high-school sweetheart.

When she last spoke with her husband, on Saturday, "We told each other that we loved each other. Thank God we were able to say, 'I love you.' "

Linde would have turned 31 on Sunday - Veterans Day.

PRIDE POWER KNOWLEDGE

JUBILATION !! the streak is dead.

On Saturday November 3rd 2007 the young men of the Naval Academy, future warriors of our nation, descended upon South Bend Indiana with a mission....enough was enough....the blood was in the water.....the time was ripe.....the streak must end.

It was fitting that it ended this way.......in South Bend.....instead of the MB&T Stadium in Balt , or the Meadowlands in NJ , or the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville or in Dublin Ireland....or any of the other cavernous stadiums around the world that ND Bullied the Navy into moving their home game....so the ND Alumni could attend in droves and ND could reap a larger % of the gate.

It was fitting that it ended this way.....a nail biter....a back and forth marathon of a game.....huge plays and multiple momentum swings.....triple overtime....two point conversions.....fake filed goals, missed extra points.....thrilling, thrilling game.....with a last second explosion of emotion when it was clear that we won....WE DID IT ......WE DID IT!!!!!!

It was fitting that "THIS" Team ended the streak......not teams in years past that were lead by spectacular individuals.....Mcconkey's early 80's, or Napolean MCcallums' team, or Kyle Eckells team or Roger Staubach class of 64 or anyone else......no it was the 2007 Navy Team...... and it was a team effort that got it done...every kid on that team played an important part in this win....no single player stood out from the rest....20 years from now they won't refer to this as Emoo Enchilida's sqaud....it will be the 2007 team that ended the streak....not one guy....and that is what NAVY football is all about......a team effort

it was fitting that I witnessed the game the way that I did.....in my yard...drinking cold beer on a cold day.....with Chaz Higgins and G Finn....no distractions.....no pests......no drunks in the Stk Xchange stealing our thunder....no secondary TV's showing highlights of the NBA or Ohio St previews....no jeks belitteling our accomplishment.....no juke box blaring Brittney Madonna or anything else.......no ...it was MY Yard....the US and the Naval Academy Flags were flying in the breeze.....the grill was on......My Neighbor and fellow squid Tim was hollering over the fence......between the third and fourth quarter we blarred Anchors Aweigh....and toasted the MIDS.......my Dog got to enjoy the festivities as well.

It was fitting.....and as i write this on Sunday Morning I have chills on my spine and a tear in my eye....and like the 2007 team....I will take this Victory with me the rest of my Life.

God Bless the United States of America....and God Bless the US NAVY.

USS Cole

while we are at it, let's not forget the 38 Men the USS Stark ( sister ship to the USS Luce ) that were killed in 1987..........thanks to K Mac for sending the below reminder on the Cole.

Let us remember the 17 Sailors killed in this terrorist attack, the dozens wounded, the survivors, and the families affected.

Today, Oct. 12, marks the seventh anniversary of the bombing of the USS Cole.

Seventeen American sailors were murdered in the attack. They were casualties of a war with radical Islamic terror that America hadn't yet declared and which the mainstream media still refuses to acknowledge today.

Those sailors gathered their dead and wounded while watching the Yemenis celebrate the attack in view of the Cole for a couple of nights following the attack. They felt the U.S.S. Cole was their trophy.

Too many of us were blind in 2000 — unable or unwilling or simply too uninterested to connect such blood-stained dots as al Qaeda's 1993 World Trade Center bombing attack, the 1996 Khobar Tower bombings, the 1998 African embassy bombings, and the attack on the Cole. After Sept. 11, 2001, all of our eyes should have been pried wide open to the evils of Muslim extremism that exist among us in both organized and freelance form.

Beware as the liberal watchdogs in the national press, insist on clouding our vision.

The recent "Zawahiri Letter" only confirms what many of us have been saying for quite some time: Iraq is the central front in the War on Terror, and al Qaeda has committed to the battle; "the place for the greatest battle of Islam in this era." The conflicts in Chechnya, Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Bosnia, which he refers to as the "far-flung regions of the Islamic world" are secondary in al Qaeda's plans for the formation of the Islamist Caliphate. The real lever of power is in Iraq, Egypt and the Levant (Syria and Lebanon).

May our thoughts and prayers be with all those who fight the fight in Iraq and Afghanistan and defend freedom from these terrorist aggressors.
www.cole.navy.mil/

L.O.S.T.

if it is not bad enough that our president rigged the BRAC study to stick it to the Northeast and redeploy our Military Bases , like Ft Monmouth, to Maryland. now comes word that the bushleague administration is ready to approve the LOST , Law of the Sea Treaty , that will give the United Nations control of all international waters.....also known as 70% of the globe. The UN will then insist that anyone can go anywhere for peaceful purposes.....who decides what is a peaceful purpose? the UN, that's who......they will also charge a tax , or royalty fee for anyone that wants to drill for oil in international waters.........can't you see the day the Iranians and Russians are setting up drilling platforms off hte Coney Island coast , and we loose the right to sail unto the Persian Gulf...........the once proud Navy that I served in under the great Ronald Reagen reached a goal of a 600 Ship Navy, the largest "peacetime" Naval force in the history of the EARTH......Today ? 292 active ships.........wake up friends, call Sen Biden, Call our lame duck president and insist that we turn a thumbs down to the LOST......before it's too late. ( see article below for specifics)....this pathetic treat was originally drawn up under Jimmy carter....shocker.....and immediately rejected under Reagen.

some Americans Still get it.

not everyone is Rutgers scm.

September 19, 2007 -- ARMY senior fullback Mike Viti knows he has a full plate. In fact, he was so concerned about taking on too much responsibility, he sought out the counsel of a West Point great, Pete Dawkins.

Dawkins, a former Heisman Trophy winner and Rhodes Scholar, told Viti he should try to be all he can be. Mission accomplished.

Viti is a team captain and one of just four regimental commanders at West Point. He told The Post because of football practices, games and travel, his regimental commander duties (he oversees eight companies and two battalions) and an 18-credit course load (“It’s the first time I haven’t taken at least 20 credits,’’ Viti said), he’s getting about four hours of sleep per night.

The heavy workload hasn’t affected Viti’s play. He has scored a touchdown in each of the past two games for Army (1-2), including a 3-yard run for a TD in Saturday’s 21-10 loss to Wake Forest.

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Viti’s success is that he wasn’t born into a military household and initially didn’t see himself attending a service academy, much less become one of its leaders.

Both of his grandfathers fought in the Korean War, but his dad didn’t serve. Viti, from Berwick, Pa., was considering Villanova and Penn State. Then came the day that changed the world, certainly Viti’s: Sept. 11, 2001.

“I was in my world history class in high school my sophomore year and one of the teachers walked in and said there had been an accident,’’ Viti said. “I remember watching the second plane go into the tower and you knew then it was no accident.

“Then we heard about the plane hitting the Pentagon and the one that went down in Pennsylvania. I felt like my home was in the center of a triangle - New York, Washington and Shanksville. By the end of my junior year I made an unofficial visit to West Point and I knew then that this was the only place for me.’’

The American public has become all too familiar with the Triangle of Death, the region outside of Baghdad that has become the horrific area where so many servicemen have lost their lives or been injured. Viti knows he has committed to a life of service, and he has no reservations.

*

Navy Times article

the below article appeared in the Navy Times.....hence I will gladly await the day the SCUM of Rutgers gets theirs......and they will.

The president of Rutgers University apologized Tuesday to Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Jeffrey Fowler after Rutgers University fans serenaded Navy football players and fans with profane jeers during much of a 41-24 win by the nationally ranked Scarlet Knights on Sept. 7.

Bill Squires, a 1975 Naval Academy graduate who serves as a Naval Academy recruiting coordinator in New Jersey, was at the game. He said he first heard the abuse in the second quarter when a section of about 60 drunken students began screaming at a small group of midshipmen who sat in an adjoining section.

“All the sudden I hear this ‘F--- you, Navy, f--- you, Navy’ chanting for like 45 seconds,” he said, adding that Navy fans and football players ignored the hard words, but the Navy band did not. It struck up “Anchors Aweigh,” drowning out the hecklers.

Later, when he and a Navy lieutenant stationed at the Naval Academy walked to a stadium bathroom, Squires said a drunken Rutgers fan confronted them in the doorway, screaming more profanity at them about how badly Navy was losing.

And when Midshipman Reggie Campbell, a 168-pound slot back, was tackled returning a kickoff, “showing all the heart and desire that the Navy team stands for” against the larger Rutgers players, according to Squires, the same group of fans jeered and cursed him, chanting “you got f---ed up” in unison as he walked from the field.

Squires, who has run Yankee Stadium, Giants Stadium and the Cleveland Browns’ stadium during a long career in sports management, said he was no stranger to the antics of obnoxious fans.

“I am very attuned to fan misbehavior, and I have seen some pretty bad things in my day,” he said. “This is one of the worst. It’s in the top 3.”

Rutgers officials apparently agreed.

“No student athlete should ever be subject to profane language directed at them from the crowd, and certainly not the young men of the Naval Academy who have made a commitment to serve our nation in a time of war,” university President Richard McCormick wrote in an open letter to Fowler and the Rutgers student body. “Your midshipmen conducted themselves with dignity throughout the game and have my admiration.”

Naval Academy athletic department spokesman Scott Strasemeir said he was aware of the incident but declined to comment, other than to say that there had been communication between officials at both schools about it and that the Navy athletic department considered the matter closed.

“How anybody can root against a service academy when [graduates] are going to be asked to put their lives on the line, I don’t know how you can do that.” Squires said. “It goes to show you the social changes taking place in our country. It’s not just Rutgers. It’s elsewhere throughout this country. But it wasn’t more plain and visible than what I saw Friday night.”

Squires said that older Rutgers fans showed more respect for the Navy team.

“They weren’t 100 percent jerks. It was really the students. It was young kids who don’t seem to get it,” he said, contrasting the Rutgers’ fans actions with the midshipmen who were there.

“I was so proud of the midshipmen because there was no reaction from them,” Squires said. “They took it. They stood tall. They did what they were taught to do. I am not sure, if I was 30 years younger in my white uniform, I wouldn’t have reacted differently.”

record # of hits on Sweater Nite Blog

the royalties are rolling in.....thanks to a flurry of activity on this blog....keep up the good work............update....Collins bar-b-q a big hit....lots of friendly familiar faces

Baffert is BACK

hold the epitath, Mr baffert is back in business. The greatest trainer of our era is back with a vengance. Having shifted operations from the Polytrack surfaces of Del mar, to the pristine racing grounds of the SPA , he is winning once again. From "maimomedes" to "more happy" he is brininging along the juveniles and should be a force at the breeders and next years run for the roses.

267 hours

just 267 hours until kickoff of the Navy VS Rutgers game.......go squids......

Chuck ? when should I start icing down beer?

sad passing of another CHAMPION

Just heard the news of the demise of my namesake...another Champion gone...God Bless...rest in peace CHAMP

Gato del Sol, the winner of the 1982 Kentucky Derby, was euthanized on Tuesday at Stone Farm outside of Paris, Ky., according to a report on the Blood-Horse website. Gato del Sol was 28 and the oldest Kentucky Derby winner.

"He was getting old, and he started to go downhill," Arthur Hancock, the owner of Stone Farm and a co-breeder of the gray horse, told the Blood-Horse. "It was just time, and we figured it was the humane thing to do."

Officials reached at Stone Farm late on Wednesday declined to comment. Both Hancock and his wife, Staci, could not be reached.

Gato del Sol was retired to stud at the end of his 6-year-old year to Stone Farm, where he was foaled. The horse was bred by Hancock and Leone J. Peters, and was the first horse bred by a Hancock family member to win the Derby. Arthur Hancock is a member of the fourth generation of Hancocks to breed horses.

Trained by Eddie Gregson in California, Gato del Sol won the 1982 Kentucky Derby at odds of 21-1. In a widely unpopular move in Maryland, Gregson decided to skip the Preakness Stakes, leading the Pimlico Race Course general manager, Chick Lang, to put a goat in the stall reserved for the Kentucky Derby winner. Gato del Sol did run in the Belmont Stakes, but he was beaten in the race by Conquistador Cielo.

When he retired to Stone Farm, Gato del Sol had won 7 of 39 starts and earned $1,340,107.

Gato del Sol did not have a particularly successful stud career, and in 1993 he was sold to a farm in Germany, though his career as a stallion did not improve in Europe. In 1999, Stone Farm re-acquired the horse after Staci Hancock learned that Exceller, a top handicap horse who had been sold to stud in Japan, had been killed in a Swedish slaughterhouse.

The Hancocks paid $5,500 to buy the horse, and spent $12,500 to ship him back to Stone Farm.

farewell Tour Diamond Jim Brady's

Diamond Jim Brady's 75 Maiden Lane :

Harkin back to the glory days of the late 80's early 90's. Waterhouse Securities Headquarters were in 44 Wall Street,With a back door exit from National Westminster bank that left you atop the Hill on William and Pine. Just a 90 second stroll down the hill to Maiden
Lane and the front door of Diamond Jim Brady's. We were incredibly busy in those days, so it was a rarity when we slipped out during hours for a tail.


Occasionally on a payday Friday Val and I would sneak over for a decent burger, and an extraordinary Pint. Sometimes after work we would slake the thirst in Diamond Jims before boarding the R train home. Strangest moment was when Hank Szala and I met at Diamond Jims at 6:30 A.M. on Flag Day 2002 for a World Cup match between the USA and Poland. The bar was open for Irish Breakfast and Packed, The game was on the big screen and every TV . We feasted on scrambled eggs and Guinness. ( USA lost to Poland, but advanced when Korea knocked off Portugal same day). Hank went to work after the game, I went to Hoboken and continued the ride….was hammered by noon , had lunch in Arthur's and caught the 2:12 back down the Shore to Lil Silver……remember it like it was yesterday……can't remember a Damm thing about yesterday.

I popped into Diamond Jims last week just have to a look around and remember.

farewell tour......O'Haras

O'Hara's : 120 cedar street

Mike O'Hara himself will greet you at the back bar when you make your grand entrance from Cedar street…..just a pebble kick from the backdoor of firehouse 10 10 on Liberty Street. ….a stones throw from the old blue fountain that sat in front of the Deutsche Bank building less we forget, and of course with that comes the entrance to the World Trade Center plaza and the South tower. A long narrow bar borders the south wall if you come in from the Washington Street entrance, but why would ya?
All the action occurs at the three sided rectangular bar in the aft of the establishment. Cold beer always, Mets baseball when applicable, decent food, reasonable prices. …I enjoyed this bar in the pre 9/11 days….occasionally making the trek from my Waterhouse desk. My visits picked up when I took up residence in Tower 1 while manning a desk for Instinet. And after a hiatus from lower Manhattan , I became an O'Hara's frequent flier when I joined Fidelity at 1 World Financial at 200 Liberty Street.

Turns out the owner and I have some mutual acquaintances , shocker , and I have done my best to reintroduce some old friends to this delightful watering hole….today being no exception, as we cheer on the Metropolitans as they take on the Phillies. The building took quite a hit in 2001 , and Mike has a photo album of shots to prove it, if you find yourself in their and like to view photos , ask him to let you see it, he will gladly oblige. ( there is huge photo of the bar and building covered in wreckage from the WTC taken just days after the attack.) I take pride in going to this bar, to me it is a symbol or a badge of courage for all the survivors…….you see O'Hara's too rose from the ashes of that day to live again.

God Bless ya Mike, keep serving them cold.

As a side note , our good friend Richie Betts , having just evacuated from the Deutsche Bank building, stopped into O'Hara's for a drink to calm his nerves, thankfully he and the other patrons and workers survived when the 102 story building around the corner collapsed.

farewell tour

as i roam around, and make the rounds of saying fare thee well to my old haunts of lower manahattan, it strikes me that not as many people drink their lunch anymore......that's a shame....where did all the good day drinkers go.....even last week I had lunch with K-Mac in suspenders and he was having a diet coke.......says he's too busy to knock back a few at lunch and still be productive when he gets back to the office...........and I said "SO" ??

anyway I thought it might be nice to logintheblog all the establishments I feel a yearning to say goodbye to as I move across the Hudson the real JC.

I'll start with today's stop......if that makes any sense.

Nebraska Steak House on Stone Street:

not a big fan, never really went there much while it has been called Nebraska....$5.00 Coors Light Bottle part of the reason. ......although today there were a bevy of buxom bartenders, but that is not why I stopped there........I went there for the memories that were created under the previous owner/title.....this used to be Cassidy's Liquid Asetts.....a lot of cold beer was inhaled over the years standing by the upstairs bar with the window looking down on Stone Street.

another example of double standards

as if the differences in jailhouse treatment of Paris H as opposed to Dan Q Public aka Paris W were not enough .........comes word out of Bayridge that our own little heart patient was ordered back to the dump ( or behind the truck as it were) ...............are the unions loosing their strength? are union bosses selling out their brethren and lining their own pockets? NYPD starting salary 25K ?? who signed that contract ? Triple bypass patient ordered back to work in 100 degree heat and humidity ?? where is the union outcry ? what is wrong with this country ?

Messier the Great Strikes again

It took 4 patient days of sitting in the basement, 4 restless nights with very little sleep, 4 long days of sniffing the garage door and pacing the Floors, but hard work has once again paid off for the Great Hunter of Monmouth County..........at 4:37 a.m. this morning, Messier the great came up from the basement with her trophy Mouse in her mouth and triumphantly dropped itat the feet of her meal provider ( Val). As she has stated so many times in the past , Messiers Motto was and still is " they'll be no mouses in my houses".................the exterminator baton has been passed back to Grave.........Gravey ...your on the clock.......it's time for a kill to answer your compadre........and don't you dare take the easy road and go fishing........your adoring public demands something of substance.........Congrats again Mess.....Keep up the great work !!!

UPDATES !!

first time visitors looking for salaciuos gossip about my good friend Dano can go elsewhere.....just like in war time...."loose lips , sink ships".....................slow news day in LBI ??

Paris Hilton

why do celebrities like Paris Hilton get whisked out of jail, while friends of mine are forced to rot away for over 22 hours in a holding Cell.........No Justice ...No peace pipes............I am going to start waring a "Free Dante" button on my lapel........

page 12

Little blip on page 12 of the Post today.....Thank God it's nothing important.

June 19, 2007 -- Teams of al Qaeda-trained suicide bombers were dispatched to the United States and Europe from an Afghan camp 10 days ago, ABC News reported last night.
About 300 would-be bombers - including boys as young as 12 - were ordered to carry out attacks in Britain, Canada, Germany and the United States, the report said.
A Pakistani journalist invited to attend the camp took pictures of a Taliban commander congratulating graduates on June 9, ABC News said.
"These Americans, Canadians, British and Germans come here to Afghanistan from faraway places. Why shouldn't we go after them?" the commander, Mansoor Dadullah - whose brother was killed by U.S. forces last month - can be heard saying on tape.
U.S. intelligence officials dismissed the graduation ceremony as "aggressive and sophisticated propaganda." But Richard Clarke, a former counterterror expert in the Clinton and Bush White Houses, said the threat should be taken seriously.
"It doesn't take too many who are willing . . . and able to slip through . . . to the United States or England [to] cause a lot of damage," he said.
More than 100 people have been killed in three days of clashes between NATO and the Taliban in southern Afghanistan, Afghan officials said.

Flag Day

13 years ago this evening, in the wrold's most famous arena, in the heart of the city that never sleeps, The NEW Messiah delivered what so many others before him could not. The GREAT Mark Messier quenched a 54 year thirst and ensured that the Ranger faithfuls' Stanley Cup runneth over. Every member of that team immediately crossed over into "my" Hall of Fame. Nothing they ever do in the future would diminish that accomplishment. Alex, Leetchie, Graves, RICHTER !!, Mattieu Mattieu , BooooooK, Larmer, Mctavish, Noonan, Zubov, Nemchinov, Tiik, eddie O , etc etc .......forever immortalized and linked to that moment. Soon the Garden will be torn down, and as Neil Young says, time fades away, but that night will indeed last a lifetime Mr Rosen. and I for one will never fail to acknowledge its passing..........LETS GO RANGERS.....

X men

in case you were not included on the email, I have attached a copy below....yesterday was the anniversary of the Xaverian Track Team 1971 CITY Championship. Had i realized this yesterday, I surely would have stayed in brannigans for one extra beer and raised a glass to this accomplishment. Having run for Xaverian myself, and seen first hand the fierce competition of NY High school track, I can appreciate what a tremendous effort this took from every memeber of that team.......Congratulations.....don't ever let the date pass without acknowledgement.............ps...i watched the redsox game in scores with Arods Busty friend, and she said it ain't over until cynthia "the fat lady" rodriguez sings.

33 years ago today...on a rainy Saturday morning in the Bronx - lightening strikes, as the mighty Molloy Stanners (from Queens!) were dethroned by the scrappy (not to mention superbly coached) Clippers from Brooklyn (birthplace of civilization)!

Xaverian High School becomes Track and Field New York City Champs!!!!

One of the greatest upsets in the history of sports!

I'm heading out in 15 minutes for a 3 mile loop to the train station...and while even a measly 3 miles is a challenge now, I think about what happened 33 years ago - every day I run - and that helps me finish my workouts.

I sometimes wonder - was it a dream? Did it really happen? How did we ever win? Talk about comebacks!

PS - beers at 6pm...Yanks at 7pm...I sent this e-mail to Torre too...as Yogi says, it ain't over until it's over. We sure proved that saying is true.

Rampants Revenge

The New Sweater Night Ramblers kicked off the summer session with a crisp set of the good old Grateful Dead, Bob birthday boy Dylan, the Band and dare I say Jimmy all u can eat Buffett. A feel of a Teddy No Kegs reunion was in the air, familiar faces both near and far dropped by the Pippins watering hole on this night.....a grand night indeed and a wonderful start to summer 2007.....Good Jobs lad, you are rehired as the house band for SNX 'the gala"..........now hit the books and find some more tunes for the lovely Shiela....aka Scarlett Rivera to excel ...........how about digging up some Donna Godchaux tunes for her.....

the New Sweater Nite Ramblers are Coming

b there or b a turnip !!!
The New Sweater Night Ramblers make their triumphant r return to Pippins Pub on Thursday May 24th in the borough of churches and bars. I pick Shakedown Street in the Opener Pool.....Dano picks new potato caboose, Donzo picks Jack Straw.......qudalibo for tenderfeet picks "Alligator".....rumor has it that JC has been knwon the pop on this blog from time to time......Johhny ...if your reading this......open with Shakedown street and I'll buy you a cold one.......will be dining in the Kettle Black approx 6:00 if anyone is around.......CHOW.

the older generation....and nashville cats

and so I sit watching the NHL playoffs and and realize "once again" that IT will never end.....it being the endless ties and reminders to that horrific day.......the Deadwings are playing the Ducks .....and who should be in nets for the DUCKS but "John Sebastian Giguere".......and so where did I first come in contact with this goaltender? well I suppose I may be cursed with too good a memory......I was in my normal seat in section 419 of the blues with Donnie Hoff watchin the Blueshirts tangle with the Hartford Whalers...Shane Churla was playin despite a badly injured eye......after 1 period , our good friend Dan Woods invited us down to redline seats, 10 rows off the ice compliments of his company. We of course followed, and on our way to the escalators we ran into COOP, John Cooper a Musketeers regular and diehard Rangers fan and convinced him to come with us.. .....Dano introduced us to his work Buddy "John Farrell" an immediate great guy....the 5 of us hit it hard for the remainder of the game....laughing and drinking.......I recited every "loovin Spoonful" lyric I could remember to taunt Mr. Giguere.......months later me, donn, dano & Farrell all attended a Bob Dylan and Van Morrison concert at the old Felt Forum.......we filtered into the "play by play" club to watch St Franciss battle LIU in the NEC playoffs........my heart sunk when I learned that Joh Farrell & John Cooper passed away that horrible day.....another good man done gone.....and I can't speak for anyone but Tom O'Dowd.....but I will never forget John Farrell or Coop or  the multitude of others I remember daily.....GOD BLESS....remember the fun times if possible.

tryin to reason with Hurricane Season

alas the muy ballyhooed hurricane season of 2007 is upon us, below is the National Weather forecast names for the upcoming storms...I predict Ingrid or Olga will do the most damage...but who knows...it could be Dean or Jerry or Sweet Melissa for all we know.....pick your favorite storm and lets start drinking already....there is nothing like puttin a Hurricane Bag on.....right Dano?.........I am going to start directing all the posts towards Dano, as he seems to be the only person that reads my blog religously.


Andrea
Barry
Chantal
Dean
Erin
Felix
Gabrielle
Humberto
Ingrid
Jerry
Karen
Lorenzo
Melissa
Noel
Olga
Pablo
Rebekah
Sebastien
Tanya
Van

simpler ideals

taking my advice from the NY Posts horoscope, I have adjusted my ideals........today's goal is drink a six pack on the train before I get home.....with a little concentration, less chatter and healthy thirst....I think I can finish all 6 beers before we reach Lil Silver.

May 10, 2007 -- The reason your efforts have fallen short of your ideals is because you have set your ideals way too high. You are human like everyone else and humans have limits and make mistakes - it is part of our nature. Set yourself some new ideals over the next 24 hours, and this time make them ones you can reach.

NAVY 2007 Schedule

2007-2008 SCHEDULE
( Click on an event for complete event information )
Date Opponent / Event Location Time/Result

08/31/07 at Temple Philadelphia, Pa. 7:30 p.m.

09/07/07 at Rutgers Piscataway, N.J. 7:00 p.m.

09/15/07 vs. Ball State Annapolis, Md. 5:00 p.m.

09/22/07 vs. Duke Annapolis, Md. 1:00 p.m.

09/29/07 vs. Air Force Annapolis, Md. 1:00 p.m.

10/10/07 at Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pa. 8:00 p.m.

10/20/07 vs. Wake Forest Annapolis, Md. 1:00 p.m.

10/27/07 vs. Delaware Annapolis, Md. 1:00 p.m.

11/03/07 at Notre Dame South Bend, Ind. 2:30 p.m.

11/10/07 at North Texas Denton, Texas TBA

11/17/07 vs. Northern Illinois Annapolis, Md. 3:30 p.m.

12/01/07 vs. Army

arvidas

with a blast of sunshine this first Saturday in May arrived on the seen, looking so splender and so fine, goosembumps aplenty....i can hear my old Kentucky Home playing softly in the distance in the shadows of my mind...NO wait, that would be the living room stereo, and it ain't so softly after all.....Greetings friend and foe , and welcome to this saturnalian event that will be sure to please....AHHHH the Kentucky Derby , not even a Ranger heartbreaker last night can dampen the enthusiasm we share this day......20 beautiful beasts will take to the mud track in hopes of exchanging three years of workouts and folly for certian immortality. Owners awoke this day saying "I am who they say I am " I have arrived...I have a horse in the derby. Trainers....up even before yours truly , put away the watches and resolve themselves to idle chatter and strategy with the Jocks....Jockeys awoke this morning in cathouses screaming apprenden le gusta and other foreign nonsense that nobody but Eiber Coa could ever understand........and the gambler (Kenny Rogers) ....well how did you awake? I awoke to steak and eggs, a mimosa, I put out the backyard Flags, Old Glory and the US Navy Flag, cranked up the stereo, brewed another cup of cofee for the road...for it's off to Spring Lake, the IRISH Riviera, for some divine intervention as I ponder and ponder some more........never read so many papers as this past week....lots of dope, but nothing , and I mean nothing has forced me to waver from my genesis.....There is No Biz like Sho Biz........for this Cowtown Cat.......all the liquidity and street sense tells me so...I don't want to Bwanna Bull you , and the weather pundits may call for a Storm in May, but I would be hard spun or just a wild and crazy guy to change my picks...it is true that on any given saturday etc etc , but you can put take your zanjero and go to lunch in teuflesberg with Mr Sedgefield and your Dominacan waiter...this Great Hunter has to Scat Daddy , before we go round in a circular quay while Sam p is playin a match of curlin........you try fitting Stormello into this jargon and I give you one of Edgar Prados Tiago's...........

rise and shine this gloriuos first saturday in May

The sun shines bright in the old Kentucky home
'Tis summer, the people are gay;
The corn top's ripe and the meadow's in the bloom,
While the birds make music all the day;
The young folks roll on the little cabin floor,
All merry, all happy, and bright,
By'n by hard times comes a-knocking at the door,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night!

Chorus

Weep no more, my lady,Oh weep no more today!
We will sing one song for the old Kentucky home,
For the old Kentucky home far away.

They hunt no more for the 'possum and the coon,
On meadow, the hill and the shore,
They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon,
On the bench by that old cabin door;
The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart,With sorrow where all was delight;
The time has come when the people have to part,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night!
Chorus

The head must bow and the back will have to bend,
Wherever the people may go;
A few more days and the trouble all will end
In the field where sugar-canes may grow;
A few more days for to tote the weary load,
No matter, 'twill never be light,
A few more days till we totter on the road,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night!

Chorus

fireworks brewing for pisces

WOW...below is the horoscope for Pisces...Friday May 4th.......now we just need to figure out whom is plotting your demise Ceaser !! notable pisceans are Donny, PG , Cogs, Uh dude, Pam , Steve Mc and yours truly..........hmmmmm!!



May 4, 2007 -- Pisces may not be the most open of signs but once someone has earned your trust you give it with no questions asked. Unfortunately, the planets warn that a so-called friend has been plotting against you and today you will find out who they are. Banish them from your life with no regrets. Forgiveness is overrated.

not so easy money

Your best bet at making a mint on the Kentucky Derby is to play the superfecta. While it's not easy to pick the top four winners in order, the 2005 'super' paid $1,728,507 -- that's more than Giacomo's owners received for winning the race!

5246 would be a great superfecta for a guy born on May 24, 1966 .

early retirement

Oh It's Good to be back home again J.Denver

What a gloriuos week to be alive on the planet….Metsies in first , Yanks in last. The beloved BlueshirtsAre Marching, Marching, Marching like a well oiled infantry towards the Stanley Cup …….ANDIt is DERBY Week…….every morn a new story , a new blip, a workout time,. A human interest angle, A colorful Jockey, Trainer , Owner….all of the above………
different exactas to consider…Stromello with Storm in May,
Street Sense with Liquidity, Cowtown Cat with Scat Daddy,
Tuefelsberg with Sedgefield….endles possibilities
Multiple Pletcher combos……all pletcher horsies in an exacta , trifecta box,
favorites, longshots, great names, etc etc.
And after they draw the posts you can look at the birthday , anniversaries, addresses, etc etc ………3/2 ex , 3265 super, 8/7 ex, 3/9 ex, 8,7,3,10 super…..
oh the places we could go , if we ever we hit that longshot superfectah…

If your heart doesn't skip a beat, if the hair on your next doesn't stand up, if a tear doesn’t well in your eyes when they play "My Old Kentucky Home' ,

then get to a clinic, because you may already be dead.