Got a black Magic woman

Got a black magic woman
I've got a black magic woman
Got me so blind, I can't see
That she's a black magic woman

She's trying to make a devil outta me ( Carlos Santana)

 I may have shared this story before , if i did ...apologies to sleepy Joe.

i was sitting in the yard yesterday drinking a cool refreshing beverage and watching the Muts on Mute...i think they need to activate Grimace and give him the plate appearance that Mister Met never got....but i digress. The above referenced gem from Santana came on the ipod stereo and i was taken back to 1985 and the Indian Ocean......in truth...every time i have heard this song since the day in question my mind has traveled back.  

I had been in boot camp for the summer of 85.....and then School in Indiana and a brief trip home before my first assignment on the Island of Diego Garcia , the footprint of Freedom . I had not seen a band or heard live music in probably 6 months or more....sometimes you do not realize how much you miss something until it returns into your life.......

On this particular night my roommate (Dave Croke)  convinced me to go to the base club for a few cold beers....not a difficult task.....and we soon learned that a British ship, HMS something or other ( i wish i could remember their name) was in port and the ship had a house band and they offered to play in the enlisted club......again, i didn't think too much of it......until they opened with Black Magic Woman.

They were probably an average band, somewhat clunky, with a makeshift sound system .....BUT ...after going so long without hearing live Rock n Roll i was enamored....They were GREAT.....you could feel the base chords deep in your soul and the guitar solos were piercing.......oh how i had missed the sounds of great music......and now for the first time since i flew to Great Lakes and the start of bootcamp...i found my life starting to return to normal.....i was standing at the Mahogany....cold beer in hand, clusters of young females in attendance and LIVE ROCK N ROLL.....

we stayed a few hours and the band played 2 or 3 sets....can't tell much more about their setlist.....but the opening chords and solos of Black Magic Woman have taken up residence in a happy space in brain......years ago i would call Dano after having a memory like this one....as he is the only other person i know that spent time on That Rock in the IO........the British Indian Ocean Territory of Diego Garcia.......maybe he's still reading the blog and shaking his head up there.

2+3= BEEER

Got your spell on me, baby
You got your spell on me, baby
Yes, you got your spell on me, baby
Turning my heart into stone
I need you so bad, magic woman
I can't leave you alone

Twenty degrees of solitude

 twenty degrees in all

All the dancing kings and wives assembled in the hall
Lost is the long and loneliest time, fairy Sybil flying 
All along the, all along the mountains of the moon (Hunter-Garcia)

woke up to the Ipod alarm playing the above referenced gem this morning at 3:45.....brought back some incredible memories of seeing the Dead perform at the Nassau Coliseum.....specifically remember being high as a kite on wonderful hallucinogens'....maybe shrooms or mescaline or good old jelly bean acid....and in a trance i left my body and went walking on the rafters on the inside roof of the old barn....i walked the steal beam until i was just above the band and i looked down on them with a wide grin...such a great place to watch the show....just hanging around on the roof until i was dramatically brought back into my body and being terrified when i thought that Jerry knew what i was doing or had just done....i didn't want Mr Garcia to mad at me ever .

so i had an excuse or explanation....i was on powerful drugs......what the F was Bidens'  excuse for last night ?  I watched it this morning and even i was a little surprised at how old and confused he seemed.....not juts a deer in the headlights , but a heavily sedated deer.....the look of bewilderment he showed while Trump was rambling on at 100 miles a minute was priceless.....i hope Ebay is selling 8x10 snapshots of clueless Joe...i might have to buy a keepsake or two.

lots of good points made by Trump , but i think one of the keys was pointing out that all of bidens stats on the economy were "Bounce Back" jobs for a nation coming out of the pandemic....."you can't take credit for that Joe".....a lot of simpletons in this country need to be reminded of that.......and early on when Biden stumbled and mumbled and concluded with a confusing statement " We beat Medicaid"......Trump pounced......"Your right you did beat medicaid, you beat it to death Joe "............a week of seclusion and 16 advisors can't teach that NY quickness and schoolyard art of arguing.

I think the biggest point Trump made was about abortion........we didn't outlaw it he said , we gave it back to the states.....and his reminder about radical left insistence on abortion right up to the point of birth and in some cases AFTER birth should resonate with everyone with a soul or conscience......it absolutely helps the SCOTUS approved the abortion pill mifepristone...calming the nerves of people who believe he wants to outlaw abortion at the Federal level.

there were points that it felt like a boxing match gone wrong....there was a feeling that the towel may get tossed into the ring at any moment.....there was certainly a few No Mas moments....

i fully expect dementia Joe to step down on the 4th of July....and the Dems will go forward with a Harris-Newsome ticket , or they will let the candidate be chosen on the floor of the convention......but at this point it can't be Joe.

Hey, Tom Banjo
It's time to matter
The earth will see you on through this time
The earth will see you on through this time
Down by the water, the marsh king's daughter, did you know
Clothed in tatters, always will be, Tom where did you go?

I went home with a waitress

 the way I always do

How was I to know she was with the Russians, too?  (Warren Zevon)

well, i did my part to spread the message / campaign promise of Donald Trump to stop taxing tips on service workers....a brilliant plan.......fighting fire with fire......if dementia joe wants to promise to forgive billions in student loan debt to woo college grads......surely Trump can go after the bartenders, waiters and coffee barristas..........you can help too......just write on your bill next to the tip section "NO TAX ON TIPS ? VOTE TRUMP 2024".........i did this everywhere i went while on vacation and i will continue right up until election day......it's free advertisement.....and if nothing else it will get the service industry talking about somewthing the MSM doesn't want then to even know about.

hey don't look now......but the time is right for our adversaries to test the water or even launch an attack......Joe's asleep and the college interns and obama are afraid to do anything before the Convention/Election.

China sent about 60 fighter Jets into Taiwan airspace over the weekend.........routine exercise ? or preparing to invade ?

Iranian fighters are supposedly being prepped to join Hezbollah and attack Israel from the north.....Israel has been fighting in Ghaza for 9 months......they are probably growing weary...and the US is slowing down or flat out withholding weapons' support  and Military aid to our ally.

side note.....Bob Dylan has been playing a robust setlist lately as part of the Outlaw music tour.....dusting off gems like Highway 61....Ballad of a thin Man.....I'll be your Baby tonight....Love Sick and Shooting Star.....and apparently he's playing the Harp....and covering GD tunes like Stella Blue .......sadly Willie Nelson is a question mark for this Sundays show at the PNC as he has been battling health issues.......God Speed Willie....91 and still rockin.

and tonight is the night.......one way or another.......whether it's a blowout or Double OT......someone will grasp Lord Stanley's Chalice and raise it in triumph in Sunrise Fla.....i hope it's a gem......i'm still pulling for the Cats....but if the Oilers pull off this impossible comeback, i will gladly tip my Cap to their achievement.

I'm hiding in honduras, I'm a desperate man
Send lawyers, guns, and money
The shit has hit the fan

You lock the door

 And throw away the key

There's someone in my head but it's not me.
And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear
You shout and no one seems to hear. (Waters)

If the Panthers complete the biggest collapse in finals history, I sb a foot note on the story and share some of the blame…..allow me to explain….. last night I found myself in the National Harbor across the Potomac from Alexandria VA…..you’ve heard of the land of the midnight sun ? Well this place was cloaked in darkness at mid day……this was a modern day planet of the apes……every friggin bar and restaurant was staffed by africants……and 80% of the customers shared their heritage……we had driven 6 hours from Wilmington NC ( a beautiful, BEAUTIFUL city) and we were looking for a place to rest our weary bones, enjoy a dozen or two cold beers and watch the Hockey game……we checked into the hotel at 3:00 and went bar hopping……first thing we noticed were the signs on every corner alerting everyone to a youth curfew in effect for the summer…..no unaccompanied minors were allowed in the harbor after 6:00….hmm….bad sign….it got worse……every bartender looked like Patrick Ewing was a cross dresser…….complete with nose rings and belly shirts….after 5 bars we gave up and went back to the hotel…..for safety reasons the hotel locked the front doors at 8:00…..we got back around 7:55……..as I sat in the room and watched the National Anthem, I said to myself that this incredible hockey season could not end with me being sequestered in a hotel that looked like the set of the WIRE …i knew Edmonton was pushing 7...…..thankfully I am home now and I will watch game 7 in the yard or Club Gato…with a proper supply of ice cold beer and no visible signs of Cornelius or Dr Zaius...…apologies to the Cats if I ruined your post season.

And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes
I'll see you on the dark side of the moon

so there i was at the bar

 just me and the Delaware destroyers  (G. Thorogood)

well....actually the destroyers weren't with me....but last night i was slinging back icey old pints of Yuengling in a Bar called the Twisted Penguin in North Myrtle Beach....i was poised to watch the Florida Panthers win their first Stanley Cup, but alas; it was not to be. I was taking in my surroundings in great detail with the hopes of sharing this anecdote somewhere down the road....the cast of interesting characters, the bartenders, the bingo game that seemed to be a big hit on the patio....the only person on the scene missing was Lord Stanley's Chalice.

probably just as well they didn't win......story would have had to be enhanced a la sleepy joe bidens fake recollections.....because the Twisted Penguin closes at 11:00 on Tuesdays'.....so we had to retreat to the condo on the beach to watch the third period....what the heck kind of story is that....anyway...rest in peace Uncle Bosie and Go Cats Go.........next shot Friday Night ......happy kwanza to all who celebrate juneteenth........don't forget to watch Roots in reverse ....so it has a happy ending.

He said the clock on the wall
Say three o'clock
Last call for alcohol
So what you need?

One bourbon, one scotch, one beer

Time is an ocean

 But it ends at the shore 

You may not see me here tomorrow (Dylan) 

Truer words may never have been spoken…and you won’t see me here tomorrow, I’m bound for the great state of South Carolina, quite possibly my final refuge in a 60 year storm….. the hardest part of knowing so many great, interesting characters of the night…..is watching so many of them die……most of my close friends are also the youngest in their family like me…and so naturally we hung out and around older cool cats…….. I remember in the days, weeks and months after the world trade….not wanting to answer the phone or read a text , it felt like a never ending parade of bad news……these days feel similar ….. but I still wouldn’t trade my lifetime of experiences and all the characters that played a role for all the tea in CHIna…..

We grew up together
From the cradle to the grave
We died and were reborn
And then, mysteriously saved

Before you accuse me

 Take a look at yourself ( Clapton)

The guilty conscience of the demonrats is on full display…they continue to lash out and accuse Trump and the Republicans of all the things they are actually guilty of…..

AOC, Rachel mad cow and others say they think Trump will throw them in jail if he’s elected……when in truth they are trying to throw him in jail to stop his campaign.

They blame Trump for the border and inflation, when in fact both were under control when Biden took the reins.

And the other day Brandon lamented that the only reason poor Hunter was on trial was because sleepy Joe was running for President……this accusation is very telling….Hunter Biden was under investigation for a litany of reasons…..the DOJ let the statute of limitations expire on the most serious charges and they struck a sweetheart plea deal that gave Hunter unparalleled immunity going forward ……one lone judge asked a few questions about this bizarre deal and it crumbled under the light of day……

Now let’s look at the other side……The statute of limitations had already expired on Trump’s offenses ….multiple prosecutors had passed on the case because there was no THERE there………and then…..Trump announced he was running……and now we are learning that prosecutors from multiple jurisdictions were summoned to the White House…..Fat Alvin fm NY and counterparts from Georgia and Colorado……And Fat Alvin even took DC based DOJ all star Colangelo back to NY…….they revived the statute of limitations and got an indictment………indictments soon followed around the country for anything from election interference to document handling……..Joe Biden’s dementia brain said the quiet stuff out loud …..but he couldn’t help but make himself the victim……the truth is that the DOJ is not going after the biden’s because he is running….but it was a coordinated effort to go after Trump in the days following his campaign announcement ….

PC’s Monmouth park trip tomorrow….giddy up

How did the Germans invade Poland?

 They marched in backwards and said they were leaving.

That’s a true story as Brandon would say……not quite as funny is the fact that 8 terrorist with ties to ISIS strolled across our southern border and were setting up shop in the good old USA ……just what they planned to do we will never know….. but I don’t like my odds of surviving another major attack….. I feel like Kerouac…running for my life while being pursued by the shrouded traveler on a camel or charger….

Homeland Security insists these terrorists were vetted….. I guess the vetting process is basically one question….Are you a Bad Guy ??

Alvarez if you are reading this and you ever get stopped at the border in Panama City Florida….admit nothing 

As you enjoy your morning coffee, you should know that Russian warships and nuclear subs are gathered in Cuba for some war games……all sharks smell blood in the water.

2+3 can also equal doom

Senor, Senor ?

 let’s disconnect these cables

Overturn these tables
This place don’t make sense to me no more (Dylan)

nothing new, but there sure are some egregious abuses of power in this country lately.

Kathy hochul waits until the midnight hour before congestion pricing went into effect to finally take the temperature and read the room, and then abruptly pulls the plug.....she continues to mock and scold the MTA for bemoaning the loss of billions that they were promised.....but where was she all along in this process?  

I oppose congestion pricing, it would be the final nail on the NYC coffin....it is an unfair tax on the other 4 boroughs, New Jersey and all Manhattan businesses that receive deliveries of any kind. So although i am glad it is dead, i am appalled that the Gov supported it at first, then remained quiet as they had charade hearings to gauge the public opinion and then signed off as  they spent $500 million installing tolls. Last week she must've finally seen some polls that showed more voters opposed than supported  , and so she and she alone pulled the plug.............i envision the day where the polls show that more people support the extermination of isreal....ol kathy probably has a few palestinian flags in her garage in Buffalo.......she also proposed a new tax on Manhattan business's to make up for the money the MTA was counting on......so let's keep Manhattan on life support so we can continue to milk cash out of every living thing through taxes.

Joe biden has been trying to buy the young vote for 3 years of student loan reassignment ...it's not forgiveness, it doesn't go away......other people get to pay the loans off......even though SCOTUS ruled against him, he was immediately back at it......all for a few votes.

and now.....as we draw closer to the lection....the White House said that they are preparing to negotiate directly with Hamas....a terrorist organization....to get the American citizens being held hostage freed. My concerns are what is he offering them and what authority does he have to do any of it ?

if nothing else comes from the next administration, i at least hope they shrink the Govt and pass new legislation to reduce and restrict the power of POTUS....and when they do i will sell you the deed for the Brooklyn Bridge.....2+3=BEEER

Can you tell me what we’re waiting for, señor?

Maybe the Beach Boys

 have got you now

With those waves singing "Caroline"
(Oh "Caroline, No")
Rolling down that empty ocean road
Getting to the surf on time (N. Young)

Bayridge is a community that i am very proud to be a member. I know there are many splendid hamlets in this nation and around the world, I know the heartlands of America are chock full of good people , but i will put 11209 up there with any of them.

This past Saturday was one of those days....not sure what the final headcount was at the Salty Dog but it was hard to find a name or two that were missing.

The Rohl family gave our friend Hari the sendoff that he deserved , the photos and sports memorabilia were a walk down a familiar lane  , the toast was spot on and of course Mr. Mike Mclaughlin kicking it off with long May you run was heart stirring....i freely admit that i had a tear in my eye and chill on my spine, the harmonica was hauntingly perfect. It felt like the cocktail hour of a wedding, and all your friends were there, they just kept rolling in the big front door, i was dizzy Sunday morning thinking of all the people i hadn't seen in years, all gathered in one place for one reason....Bayridge may have lost a hall of famer but at least we didn't let him go without a fight.......God Speed Hari....Fare well and Following seas.

Long may you run, long may you run
Although these changes have come
With your chrome heart shining in the sun
Long may you run

The traffic lights

 they turn blue tomorrow

And shine their emptiness down on my bed
The tiny island sags downstream
'Cause the life that lived is dead ( Jimi)

will the world ever unite again like it did on this date in history,80 years ago today ?

will young teenagers lie about their age, so they could join the fight and storm the beaches far away in distant lands to fight an enemy they didn't know and save the lives of people they never met.? Will planet earth ever spawn a generation as great as the one that landed in Normandy ?

I won't waste your time, the answer is NO.

when the dust settles after man has destroyed this planet, or space aliens finally arrive and put an end to this experiment....when the historians gather in another galaxy to review our history, i think it is safe to say that June 6th 1944 will be the consensus as the Pinnacle of the Human existence on Earth.

Will the wind ever remember
The names it has blown in the past?
And with this crutch
Its old age and its wisdom
It whispers, "No, this will be the last"
And the wind cries
"Mary"

Everyday brings change

and the world puts on a new face

Sudden things rearrange, and this whole world seems like a new place (Marvelettes) 

I heard something the other day i had to double check to ensure it was accurate.

Did you know that the Federal Election Regulators fined the Clinton Campaign back in 2022 for disclosing the money they spent on the Russia Dirt on Trump , aka the Steele Dossier; as a legal expense instead of opposition research ?  i had not heard that, but i confirmed it on CNN of all places....I guess all accounting errors are not created equally.

Also interesting is the DOJ case against Hunter Biden and his lying on a gun permit revolves around the information and photos found on the infamous laptop. A lot of Intelligence Committee members, politicians and the Democratic nominee for President at the time ( Joe Biden) made public statements and signed letters insisting that the laptop was fake....Russian disinformation. Those statements were made to convince voters that Trump was up to some dirty tricks with Putin, and that the loveable Biden Family was still squeaky clean, go out and vote for Scranton Joe, he's a good egg and his son doesn't smoke crack and screw his widowed sister-in-law. Those statements now have been proven to be false.

I don't have to remind anyone that President Trump was convicted for a 34 count felony for an accounting error that Fat Alvin says rose to the level of hiding facts from the public in order to influence an election.

so Hillary gets a fine and Comey, Biden & Company get a free pass......remind me again who the threat to democracy is..............2+3=BEEER....i'm glad Alvarez isn't her to see this .

What's this whole world comin' to
Things just ain't the same
Any time the HUNTER gets captured by the game

Living is easy with eyes closed

misunderstanding all you see

it's getting hard to be someone, but it all works out

doesn't really matter much to me  (Lennon-Mcartney)

I don't know why i became so emotional watching the Darryl Strawberry jersey retirement ceremony....but i did. I had been working around the house and yard all morning and i was exhausted....i finally threw a 30 pack on ice and settled into the yard to watch what i thought would be a fun lighthearted ceremony followed by a meaningless game and then a bonfire for the Rangers.

I was first taken aback by the emptiness of Citifield. ( i looked it up, the announced attendance was 30,000) i don't know why i expected a sold-out stadium, but i did. i remember when they first announced that they were retiring #18 i thought about going...i figured i would have to scalp in the secondary market and i was sad to see that the upper tier was half empty and the start of the ceremony....i suppose there are a few theories as to why.....it has been 38 years since Darryl, Doc and Keith won that World series.....that's difficult to wrap my head around.....it wasn't yesterday.....a lot of the people that flocked to Shea during the Strawberry era are now deceased or living in Florida or both. Probably half of the current season ticketholders weren't even born in 1986. It doesn't help that the current team is a miserable gang of overpaid underachievers , but for me if i had gone....i would have left by the 3rd inning.....i only wanted to go to give Darryl one more standing Ovation...

another theory, confirmed by one or two friends; is that some Met faithful turned on Darryl because of the way he left and then he returned to NY to help the Yankees win a few World Series.....i guess i wasn't thrilled by that either....but time has a way of healing those wounds......i still remember going to see him when he returned to Shea with the SF Giants in the summer of 94, and i was absolutely rooting for him to hit a homer against the Mets ...so i don't think i was ever part of the mob that turned against him........but it was hard seeing him, Doc, and Cone wearing pinstripes in the Bronx...being coached by the Mets former Manager Joe Torre....that Yankee dynasty had a lot of Dodger Blue and Giant Orange in their bloodstream.

Keith Hernandez reminded everyone that if Darry doesn't hit that home run off Noland Ryan in the pivotal game 5 against the Astros, that the Mets probably do not advance to the 86 series.

My personal favorite moment was when he homered in game 7 against the Sox....I was in the Lief that Night and after screaming, everyone exhaled...it was a little more breathing room and some reassurance that we were going to win the dam Series.... 

In any event i had a few tears in my eyes when the speech began, and they increased as he went through his life and career and then he said  from the bottom of his heart how Sorry he was for ever leaving the Mets....i sat there drinking my beer and remembering the Magic of the Strawberry years and how much fun we all had in the 80's......he talked about his struggles with substance abuse and how he admired Mookie and Gary Carter for being MEN....good family men ...straight and narrow..he said they were both religious men, but that they never held his shortcomings against him.......he talked about the massive heart attack he had 3 months ago and how he knew when he was undergoing surgery it would be God's decision if he were to live or die.....he talked about his Mom and his children and you couldn't help but root for this man......i was moved.....i suggest anyone that missed it ,  to search on youtube and give it a listen....it was pure honest emotion.

i'm almost 60....i'm cranky.....i pretty much hate all of today's athletes....but i am grateful to have lived when i did.....the 86 Mets...Parcells era Giants....the 94 Rangers.....good times to have been alive.

Let me take you down, cos I'm going to

 Strawberry Fields
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about
Strawberry Fields forever

slip sliding away

slip sliding away.....

the you know the nearer your destination

the more you're slip sliding away  (Paul Simon)

The circus trial and conviction of Donald Trump will have a rippling effect on the American brand that will be felt for a very long time. We are the central American banana Republic that we used to laugh about....a land where dictators rewrite the laws and use judges to imprison their opponents.

Statute of limitations expired ?  extend them

Alleged offenses are misdemeanors ?  upgrade them to felonies.

Defendant has the right to know the charges ?  not today.

there is a laundry list of grievances which will be grounds for appeal , but that will come after the election. The here and now is that the demonrats entire campaign will now be focused on labeling Donald Trump as a convicted felon.....i think it will backfire......the two sides are well drawn.....very few people will ever switch sides......this is and really has been a battle for the independent voters in the swing states.....i think those people are waking up today and may be very concerned about the precedent set yesterday.....November will be an opportunity to say NO to this slide to irrelevance.

The US Flag is not to be flown upside down EXCEPT as a signal of dire distress in instance of extreme danger to life or property....that to me sums up the past 3 1/2 years.....but even if you disagree...that opinion falls under free speech....we can agree to disagree......in any event the Flag code is not enforceable.......if it offends you that's okay......i'm offended by BLM and Palestinian Flags....

research shows that the Appeal to Heaven flag was designed by Colonel Joseph Reed, who served as the personal secretary to George Washington. Originally commissioned for use on six military cruiser ships, the flag was adopted on October 21, 1775. It became the official Massachusetts navy flag in 1776. In 1968 it was featured on a US postage stamp. 

Unlike the Swastika in Germany, the Appeal to Heaven flag has not been outlawed or banned (yet). The problem is that some of the Jan 6 peaceful demonstrators carried the flag, and so the left has tried to recategorize the flag as a symbol of  extremism and white supremacy. Is this different than labeling fans of a sports team as criminals because the local street gangs wear NFL merchandise ?

Congress has authorized Billions to our ally Israel in their war with Hamas, but Joe biden has witheld precision bombs in an effort to appease the arab left of the democrat party. election interference anyone?

Congress has also authorized Billions to our ally Ukraine in their war with our rival Russia, but Joe biden has told the Ukraine they do not have "permission" to fire these weapons in areas where Russian troops are assembled ( i wish i was kidding)

if these are not examples of a nation in decline then i do not know what is........2+3=BEEER

God only knows
God makes his plan
The information's unavailable
To the mortal man
We work our jobs
Collect our pay
Believe we're gliding down the highway
When in fact we're slip slidin' away

won't you try

 Won't you try

Won't you try
Find a way to need someone
Find a way to see
Find a way to need someone and the sunshine will set you free
Won't you try
Won't you try
Won't you try
With love before we're gone

Saturday afternoon
Saturday afternoon   ( Paul Kantner)

The Spring Lake 5 miler has always been the unofficial kickoff to summer for me......i would say i have run at least 30 of the last 40 years.....i missed 4 straight while in the Navy and of course the morning after Matteau Matteau Matteau in 94. 

I had a decent sleep last night and i am hoping to jog/limp walk through the course today with visions of BAR A dancing in my head........

i haven't talked hockey since the end of the regular season....and i ain't gonna start now

When your head is feeling fine
You can ride inside our car
I will give you caps of blue and silver sunlight for your hair
All that soon will be is what you need to see, my love
Won't you try
Won't you try

layin back in an old saloon

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My makeup is dry

and it clags on my chin
I'm drownin' my sorrows in whiskey and gin
The lion tamer's whip doesn't crack anymore
The lions, they won't fight and the tigers won't roar ( Dave Davies)

i must admit is was a little sad watching the Preakness stakes yesterday, even though i had picked Seize the Grey and was delighted to see Mister D Wayne Lukas win again.

The sadness came from watching the onetime great event slide into the pit of irrelevance.

The Baltimore Sun said the track refused to release the attendance figures but they estimated the crowd as approx 40,000....i looked it up......when me and Rocco were there in 1991 they had 96,000.

In 91 they had a stage in the center of the infield and the radio station had local rock bands play short sets in between races......you could bring coolers onto the infield and beach chairs......it was predominantly college aged kids having a blast and it really had the vibe of all day keg party in the sun.....vendors walked around selling black eyed Susan cocktails and topless chicken fights were the Coed special of the day....

Strange tidbit.....this week the State of Maryland announced the sale of $400 million in bonds to gut and renovate Pimlico racetrack.....they are going to close next May after the 150th running on the Preakness and expect to reopen for the race in May 2027.

Belmont Park as we know is closed for the same renovation, the Stakes will be held in Saratoga for this and next years race. The entire grandstand is being taken down and track and infield are being redesigned to the tune of $455 million.

This on the heels of Churchill Downs spending $200 million to redevelop the Paddock, and another $300 million for a hotel/casino on the grounds.

all this for a dying industry....what am i missing ?  I understand that sportsbooks have pumped money and life into the industry, but if everyone bets on their phones and nobody goes to the track (except once a year) do they really need to build a Taj Mahal around the oval ?

Let's all drink to the death of a clown

So won't someone help me to break up this crown?
Let's all drink to the death of a clown

In a land that's known as Freedom

 How can such a thing be fair

Won't you please come to Chicago
For the help that we can bring (CSNY)

I have a lot to say and so very little time to say it....literally......my good friends at Blog2print are going out of Business and i have to publish the 3rd volume of this blog into hardcover  by Monday....so i need to address some elephants in the room and document some things for posterity.

I have been observing the news and reporting on some of the most important occurrences that i feel are stepping stones to a second civil war, and on May 11 2024 i feel we have crossed the great divide....it is inevitable......we are well passed the point of no return.

The Roman Empire lasted 1,000 years....the Ottaman Empire over 600.....and in school we covered both in a fortnight. This American Expirement, this land of Freedom; will turn 250 on July 4th 2026. (That is if we make it) The original premise of huddled masses yearning to be free was a good one and it worked. But like any great house from history....a divided one can't stand......and the fastest way to become a house divided is to let in people that do not share your core values and principles. I am not talking cultural differences, we are a melting pot and that's what has made us so special. I am talking about people that Hate you and what you stand for , people that do not wish to assimilate but rather divide and conquer. The Muslims and the Chinese have been playing the long game for 2,000 plus years......every generation takes a step forward while changing a piece of their adversaries for ever. Some generations took giant leaps and bounds.....

The transition of America from where we were on September 12th 2001 to where we are now should shake everyone on the planet to their core. As a nation we have elected the squad, women who have pledged allegiance to Palastine over the US; and they are serving in Congress. We have turned our back on our most vulnerable ally in the Middle East and we have celebrated protesters' wearing Hamas headbands on the Campus grounds of Colombia , Harvard and all the rest. All this in 23 years since these same terrorists attacked and killed close to 3,000 innocent civilians on our soil. Last week was a turning point for me too.....i have crossed over.....from the alarmist ringing the bell to the survivalist with an action plan. I will still blog as long as i am breathing, but i am heading to high ground.

From the bottom of the ocean
To the mountains on the moon
Won't you please come to Chicago?
No one else can take your place

Occupy Wall St, The George Floyd riots and the BLM marches were the precursor to what is to follow, they were the testing ground to see how far they could push us, what they could get away with and what society was willing to just accept. Unfortunately this blue print is in the hands of the Anti-Semitic mobs that have been terrorizing Colleges (for now), and will be moving into the cities after graduation. This summer will be a big pot of water on a stove...simmering and beginning to bubble until it Boils over on the Shores of Lake Michigan on Monday August 19th at the Democratic national Convention.

The fuse has already been lit, i expect an explosion of Anti-American behavior to swallow and engulf Joe Biden and his friends, because these people are not the Democrats we grew up with...they are not concerned about the "party" , they want chaos and destruction and as they like to chant "Death to America". 

We can change the world
Re-arrange the world
It's dying, if you believe in justice
It's dying, and if you believe in freedom
It's dying, let a man live his own life
It's dying, rules and regulations, who needs them
Throw them out the door

 I hope to live long enough to see the looks on the faces of the Homosexuals' for Gaza when the mob takes control and they learn that they are about to loose from the neck up for offending Allah. I hope to see at least one press conference where the young ladies of America are lobbying against arranged marriages, being forced to wear Hijabs and veils from head to toe and losing their driving privileges' and right to vote.

I hope to witness the socialist mobs that spent generations living off Capitalists handouts , welfare, unemployment, food stamps etc etc when they realize that there aren't even crumbs to share when living in a dictatorship.

I think Chicago will be the official Ft Sumptor moment , i expect the majority of the cities to devolve into chaos , I can envision martial law and.......wait for it........the cancelling of all elections.....we already are a banana republic so what's stopping the dead and dying from grasping the reigns of power by any means available? i have never tried to tell anyone what they should do, or what is best for them and their familes, but after 10 days of deep thought and self examination i think i have to go where the chilly winds don't blow......Jesus was an only son, and love his only concept.....Slainte - Peace Out 

where have you been

 my blue eyed son (Dylan)

that's a long answer.

I have been to Australia and Diego Garcia and a lot of places in between.....some thanks to my adventurous spirit but mainly thanks to my uncle Sam and the Unites States Navy.

I have been to Israel and Spain,  and Sicily, Turkey and Greece....some for an extended period of time and others for a shot of Raki and a brief hello.

I've been to Venice and Rome and Naples and Trieste.....i was up and down the French Riviera for the Summer of 1988......Cannes, St Tropez, and from Marseille to Monaco....i drank in the finest Hotels in Nice and in a roadside farmhouse outside of Toulon.

I crossed the Atlantic on Guided Destroyer and sailed through the Med, The Rock of Gibraltar, the Straits of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf...I was part of a Battle Group that crossed Khadaffy's line of Death and lived to tell about it. I sailed from the North Atlantic to the Coast of South America and everywhere in between......but i never crossed the equator and became a shellback...but i did live in Pascagoula Mississippi and was in drydock in the Ingalls shipyard...famous for the alien abduction of 1973  

I spent a night in the Nairobi Hilton and thought i was Ernest Hemmingway on the eve of a Hunt.

I ve been to the Hemmingway House in Key West and the birthplace of Jack Kerouac in Lowell Mass.

Ive been to Golden Gate Park and the Haight-Ashbury and i stood on the steps of the Grateful Dead House......

Ive been to Neal Cassady's favorite bar on the outskirts of Denver and i rode the rails from NY to LA and through the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico. I drank a beer on the Santa Monica pier and stared off into the end of the World.

Ive been to Wrigley and Fenway , to Shea and Yankee Stadium pre 1975...ive been to Coors Field and Dodger Stadium, Camden Yards and the Old Vet in Philly.....I saw the Nats at RFK and the White Sox at the New Commiskey, and although i never saw the Jays, i did see Doug Flutie throw 6 TD's in the Skydome against the Argonauts.

I saw the HABS in the Forum and the Maple Leafs in their beloved Garden..I saw the Whalers before they left Hartford and i hope to see them someday soon in Raleigh.... .I had season tix in the blue Seats for a decade..I saw the  Bruins in  Boston on quite a few occasions...some in the Old Gahden and some in the New one...., the BlackHawks in the newly opened United Center but I never been to Detroit.......but I did see St Francis in the New Dorp bubble that Nicky Fotiu helped build and i am eternally grateful I did.

I saw Navy play at Annapolis and the Black Knights play at West Point from the Bar in the Michie Room...I saw the two teams play each other multiple times in multiple stadiums including the 100th anniversary game at the Vet.....I saw Notre Dame at South Bend and attended the Worlds Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville and the Florida-Georgia game. I saw Harvard vs Yale from New Haven and Penn St, USC, Fla State and others at the Kickoff classics at Giants Stadium.

I saw the Reggie Jackson hit 3 homers to win the World Series and the Lombardi trophy awarded in Tampa. I saw Mark Messier Raise the Stanley Cup over his head and lay to rest a 54 year old curse, but first i saw Stephane Matteau make sure he got that opportunity ( at 4;24 of double OT on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend 5/27/94).

Ive been to the Kentucky Derby, The Preakness and multiple Belmont Stakes.....The Wood, Travis and the Florida Derby and I was at the Breeders Cup in my Hometown Track in 2007.

ive seen more concerts than the brain can recall but some highlights were the Stones, The Who, Bob Dylan and the Clash , Neil Young and David Allan Coe, Hot Tuna and CSNY, The Band after Robbie and the Wailers after Bob....Charlie Daniels, Willie Nelson, Marshall Tucker and the Outlaws, but sadly Skynyrd long after Ronnie....Simon & Garfunkel at Shea and Central Park, Jackson Browne , Tom Petty, The Eagles and all the No Nukes participants , and i was at the 30th anniversary concert for Bob Dylan ......but perhaps my finest blessing was the 100 + times i was in an arena to see Jerry Garcia with the Dead or solo and i am grateful i was able to attend a few shows with my wife at MSG less than 2 years before his departure...we saw the Grateful Dead and the JGB and i am sure glad we did.

I packed a lot into 59 years.....and i am sure i have omitted a lot.......just wanted to put some of it down in black and white before early onset dementia sets in....Cheers

And still

 those voices are calling from far away

Wake you up in the middle of the night just to hear them say

"Welcome to the Hotel California (Henley-Felder-Frey)

so 47 years ago this week the Eagles single Hotel California topped the charts......May 1977.....where in God's name does the time go ? I remember hearing that song on the radio everywhere i went as a 12-13 year old lad.......76th street stairs....Shore Rd, Bliss Park, Riis Park,......I wasn't a big Eagles guy at the time......i was indifferent towards the band.....liked some songs, but did not take them too seriously......i grew to appreciate their music years later....but in the spring and summer of 1977 those opening chords were ever present and distinct....and it was a longer song......and nobody dared turn the dial when it was on........it was a different world back then....packs of teenagers and young adults were hanging on most corners and inside every schoolyard.....society was attached at the hip to their radios......and in the warm weather the rolled down windows of a passing car amplified the fabric of a generation.....rare was the individual cassette tape or 8 track.....in Brooklyn it was WNEW or WPLJ......looking back on it, that was unifying in it's own way........today everyone marches to their own drum  or ipod.........i don't have to guess, i know i am old...but can it really be almost 50 years ? 

Last thing I remember, I was running for the door
I had to find the passage back to the place I was before
"Relax, " said the night man, "We are programmed to receive
You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave"

I can't twist the truth

it knows no regulation

Handful of senators don't pass legislation (Barry McGuire) 

just some facts....

Columbia cancelled their Graduation Ceremony.

Brown University and other schools brokered deals with the Mob and agreed to hold votes on Divesting from Israel in the fall.

Protesters across the city and country desecrated WWI & WWII memorials with spray paint, burnt American flags and draped statues of George Washington in Palestinian Flags.

George Washington University asked for the DC Police to intervene, so far the DC Police have ignored this request.

at UNC the faculty have threatened to withhold grades for all students...UNLESS....the students that were suspended for breaking school rules during violent protests are granted amnesty.

and at UCLA...the DA has seized videotape and vowed to leave no stone unturned to bring the guilty parties to justice.......he was talking about the counter protesters that tried to break up the Anti Israel encampment.

When human respect is disintegratin'
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin'

And you tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
How you don't believe
We're on the eve of destruction

annual derby rant 2024

 The rant was almost cancelled this year when Old Alvarez was unlawfully detained , but he is back to drink JUST A TOUCH of the Jack Daniels to HONOR MARIE .....i offered him a shot of DORNOCH that MYSTIK DAN brought back from the SIERRA LEONE, but he prefers the DOMESTIC PRODUCT. Of course the TRACK PHANTOM from WEST SARATOGA objected ....he considers himself a real SOCIETY MAN because he's friends with GRAND MO THE FIRST..he promised everyone an EPIC RIDE with his new CATALYTIC converter, but he wasn't even CATCHING FREEDOM with that old car...truth be told it was ENDLESSLY staling....it was JUST STEEL....not a STRONGHOLD .........alvarez was fighting with the computer when  he demanded to know what was T O PASSWORD......I admire his FIERCENESS.....his RESILIENCE and his spirit that stays FOREVER YOUNG.........and that's the play today 

17-19-11 , but alas i have been wrong in the past.

where have you gone, Joe Dimaggio ?

 Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you

Woo, woo, woo ( Paul Simon)

i believe today is day 10 since the POTUS was seen on camera, yesterday he was supposedly inside a Delaware school with Steven Spielberg, and they were filming a big glitzy campaign commercial......no actual video evidence to support this......i hope they took some time outs to pray for the hostages...........and by that i mean the janitors at Columbia not the jews in ghaza ( we know they are dead).

as the nation is further divided, as college campuses are illegally occupied by foreign agitators and as enrolled students are violating the law and threatening the safety and right to exist of their fellow jewish students....the President and his giggling sidekick fool are nowhere to be seen or heard.......KJP and doctor jill are running the country and the main stream media seems fine with that.

Christopher Wray now swears the FBI does not monitor protests.......maybe he forgot how regular citizens had their ATM records seized by the FBI and they were interrogated as to why they were within 100 miles of the nations capital on January 6th ? 

What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson?
Joltin' Joe has left and gone away
Hey, hey, hey

Hey, hey, hey 

doesn't have a point of view

Knows not where he's going to
Isn't he a bit like you and me?
Nowhere man please listen
You don't know what you're missing

Nowhere man, the world is at your command (Lennon/Mcartney)

The Colleges and Universities are in a state of turmoil ....Riots, illegal encampments, occupying school buildings by force, detaining janitors....all in the name of an Anti-Semitic movement that is bought and paid for by George Soros and the CCP.

Where is Joe Biden ? 

This is an election year after all....surely  the Democratic nominee has a thought or concern or warning or even some reassurance he wants to offer to the American People  .........no ?   Cricketts ?  ( and i am not talking about the little puppy that the Devil Woman Kristy Noem shot to death)....the POTUS released a statement through a white house spokesperson......ho hum.....support for Israel is iron clad.......no place for antisemitism ....yawn.....same ol silly warning to Iran....DON'T.....blah blah....

and what about the Herbrew Nero ? Where in the name of Abraham has Chucky Schumer been ?  it's often said in Washington DC that the most dangerous place to be is the space between Chuck Schumer and Microphone...but not lately.....the little sniveling rat with his glasses hanging off his pointy nose has not had a Sunday Press Conference or a soap box dissertation in weeks....he hasn't rushed to the Columbia Campus like Speaker Johnson or visited NYJew or any of the other protest sights........but we shouldn't be surprised......remember barry hussein and his lead from behind policy...the great spoonjiah never met a crisis he couldn't ignore until it was resolved before taking a side .

say what you will about the African't Americans....but if these colleges were being occupied by the KKK and the black students were being harassed and told they are not welcome........well, Sharpton, Jessie and all the clowns from the Ringling bros would spring into action in defense of their own........amazing how Jewish leadership is content to hide its' head in the sand .....will be interesting to see come November if they go behind the curtain and pull the lever for the same people that left them out on a limb.

He's a real nowhere man
Sitting in his nowhere land
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody

Making all his nowhere plans for nobody