Total Sports Overload - Red Eye of Love - Happy BD Rosemary Barkett

Sunday==>TOTAL SPORTS OVERLOAD ... yes ... that is what Saturday was for your favorite blogger here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World.

So ... take a deep breath because here comes all of the details ...

At 8:30am Saturday morning my new (to me) 42” flat screen TV went on so I could watch the UCF/Penn State game from Dublin, Ireland, and it went off at 12:45am this morning when the LSU/Wisconsin game was over. Do the math.

The only break came around 5:00pm when I just had to get out of the apartment, so I did about a hour’s worth of walking in my Hell’s Kitchen ‘hood.

During this time in front of the TV: UCF lost 26-24 on the final play of the game; The Wankies got shutout 2-0 on a 1-hitter (details below); ‘Bama held on to beat a tenacious West Virginia 33-23; The Bulldogs beat Clemson 45-21; FSU beat Oklahoma State 37-31; and finally, LSU beat Wisconsin 28-24 in a nail-biter.

There was, of course, a major disappointment  ... the Gator/Idaho game ...

The 2014 season opener was suspended late Saturday night after multiple delays due to thunderstorms and lightning in the area. The game was scheduled to start at 7:02pm, but one lightning strike after another, all within the 8-mile radius of The Swamp, kept pushing the kickoff back again and again.

After two hours and 48 minutes the game finally started at 9:50pm. But, after a great kickoff return, with the ball on Idaho’s 14-yard line, the game was again delayed due to lightning in the area and after another 40-minute delay it was called.

At the moment I don’t know when it will be rescheduled.

Yeah ... that was a major downer.

And, yes, when I finally crashed around the usual 2:00am I have to admit that I was in TOTAL SPORTS OVERLOAD!!

Anyway ... now ... some more sports ...

Yesterday afternoon in Toronto The Wankies (70-64) fell victim to a one-hit shutout, losing 2-0 to The Jays (68-67). The winning pitcher, Drew Hutchison, is a native of Lakeland, FL, and a graduate of Lakeland HS. Thanks to Skip Perez for this info.

Jacoby Ellsbury was not in the lineup due to a sprained and sore left ankle.

This afternoon at 1:07pm is the final game of the 3-game series. On the mound for The Wankies will be Brandon McCarthy (8-13) vs. J.A. Happ (8-8) for Toronto.

Now ... to those of my loyal and faithful readers and followers who have stayed with me this long ... we will finally move on to Billi Pod’s entertainment event for today ... an Off Broadway musical ...

6:00==>RED EYE OF LOVE - “A musical comedy about a love triangle which pits Wilmer Flange, a naïve young idealist against O.O. Martinas, the proprietor of the world’s largest meat department store, for the girl they both love, Selma Chargesse, who is torn between her two loves - great wealth and idealism. Can she have both?” (Off Broadway - discounted TDF ticket)

Heading the excellent cast is my Facebook friend Josh Grisetti in the role of Wilmer Flange and this is the reason I opted to see this show because the advance buzz on the chat boards etc. has been mostly so-so to negative.

The show is still in previews, it opens on September 4th, is playing at The Dicapo Opera Theatre of East 76th Street, has a running time of 2:00, with intermission, and runs through September 28th.

In closing ... your favorite blogger must admit, in the name of fair and unbiased reporting, that he committed a major faux pas Friday when he failed to report/mention the birthday of his soul mate Judge Rosemary Barkett, who now is a member of an international tribunal located in The Hague.

SO ... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROSEMARY, AND PLEASE FORGIVE ME!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>4.35 miles (or, 9,505 steps)

Total mileage for 2014==>977.16 miles (average 4.04 miles per day)

GO YANKEES!! GO GATORS!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

A Total Sports Saturday - What Was Lost - The Yankees

Saturday==>OK, my loyal and faithful readers and followers, Billi Pod needs to be up front with you ... today/tonight is going to be totally devoted to sports - college football and baseball.

Yeah ... and ... this is being written at 1:00am on Saturday morning ... so ... 

Billi Pod’s anticipated sports schedule for Saturday will be ...

8:30am==>UCF vs. Penn State - from Dublin, Ireland  (my son Bill III aka The Bill is a UCF graduate)

1:07pm==>Yankees vs. Blue Jays - from Toronto (details below)

5:30pm==>Clemson vs. Univ. of Georgia

7:00pm==>GATORS vs. UNIV. OF IDAHO - from The Swamp

10:00pm and on==>alternate between football and baseball.

Yeah ... I know ... but remember ... your favorite blogger is an unabashed baseball and college football fan/follower.

Now ... moving forward to Billi Pod’s report card on last night’s Off Broadway show ...

WHAT WAS LOST, after a six-year hiatus, beloved stage and screen actress Laurette Taylor returns to the stage. For the first time in nearly a decade, she takes the stage sober. The show chronicles her process from the first rehearsal of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie through her legendary first performance as Amanda Wingfield==>B+

This is a very emotionally involving drama that addresses the issues of the power of addiction and the difficult road to recovery, especially for those who are also “celebrities.”

The acting is uniformly excellent. Pennylynn White makes Laurette Taylor believable and ultimately likeable and Paul Thomas Ryan’s Tennessee Williams is an imposing stage presence, with inner anger seething for release.

The small theater space was full and the audience seemed to be very much into the show.

Billi Pod says==>worth seeing.

The show is playing in repertory with Shades of Blue at the Abingdon Theatre Complex on West 36th Street, has a running time of 1:15, without intermission, and runs through September 13th.

Moving on to Billi Pod’s sports report ...

Last night in Toronto The Yankees (70-63) beat The Blue Jays (67-67) 6-3 on another solid outing from Chris Capuano and the long ball from Jacoby Ellsbury. Ellsbury later injured his ankle and is doubtful for today’s game. Bummer!

This afternoon at 1:07pm is game 2 of the 3-game series. On the mound for The Yankees will be Michael Pineda (3-2) vs. Drew Hutchison (8-11) for The Jays.

OK ... time to post this and then settle in for a great day/evening of sports ...

HAVE A GREAT LABOR DAY WEEKEND EVERYONE!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>3.03 miles (or, 6,621 steps)

Total mileage for 2014==>972.81 miles (average 4.03 miles per day)

GO YANKEES!! GO GATORS!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

You Can’t Take It With You - What Was Lost - Yankees & Gators

Friday==>Let’s get today’s posting started with ...

Billi Pod’s report card on last night’s entertainment event, a Broadway show in early previews ...

YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU, the George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart classic 1936 comedy that chronicles the eccentric, freethinking Sycamore family, whose members follow their bliss - no matter how much chaos that creates==>A.

Chaos, thy name is Sycamore ... and that is putting it mildly.

What a terrific entertainment event with an amazing set and special effects and a stellar cast headed by the legendary James Earl Jones as the patriarch of the family. You totally focus on every word he says with that incredible voice.

Yes, it is dated ... set in 1936 (duh) ... but that doesn’t matter because the mostly unbelievable story line is secondary to the parade of zany characters on stage and their interaction with one another.

Laughs come one after another ... some expected ... others totally out of the blue ... or ... perhaps ... out of the basement (see the show to get this one).

There are terrific supporting performances from: Annaleigh Ashford as Essie, a would-be ballet dancer; Julie Halston as Gay Wellington, the alcoholic actress; and, Elizabeth Ashley as Olga, the former Russian Countess, now a waitress.

And ... another major plus for the evening ... my discounted TDF seat wasn’t in the upper nosebleed section as I had anticipated ... no ... it was in the orchestra, row N, house right. Not bad at all.

Yeah ... your favorite blogger left the theater with a big smile on his face.

Billi Pod says==>see this show.

The show is in early previews, opens on September 28th, is playing at the Longacre Theatre on West 48th Street, has a running time of 2:30, with two 10-minute intermissions, and tickets are on sale through January 4th, 2015.

Moving on ...

Tonight’s entertainment event for your favorite blogger here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World, is an Off Broadway show ...

8:00==>WHAT WAS LOST - “After a six-year hiatus, beloved stage and screen actress Laurette Taylor returns to the stage. For the first time in nearly a decade, she takes the stage sober. Chronicling her process from the first rehearsal of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie through her legendary first performance as Amanda Wingfield. This show is a piercing look at the lies we tell ourselves in order to survive.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

I was kinda on-the-fence about this show, but when I got a posting on my Facebook Timeline from Carol Powella Barnes that she had a friend, Paul Thomas Ryan, in the cast as Tennessee Williams, I thought I would give it a shot.

The show is playing in repertory with Shades of Blue at the Abingdon Theatre Complex on West 36th Street, has a running time of 2:00, with intermission, and runs through September 13th.

On the sports scene ...

Yesterday afternoon, in Detroit, The Yankees (69-63) lost 3-2 to The Tigers (72-60) in the bottom of the 9th inning on a ball that maybe Ichiro Suzuki could’a/should’a caught. Oh well ... I still hate Tigers.

Tonight at 7:07pm, in Toronto, is the first game of a 3-game series against The Blue Jays (67-66). On the mound for The Bronx Bombers will be Chis Capuano (1-3) still looking for his first win as a Yankee vs. Mark Buehrle (11-8) for The Jays. Buehrle has a 1-12 career record against us.

In closing ... WOW ... the college football season got off to a start with a totally unexpected upset as the #9 ranked South Carolina Gamecocks were crushed 52-28 by #21 ranked Texas A&M.

Yeah, I am sure I wouldn't want to be anywhere near Coach Spurrier or The Limp Cocks today.

At 7:00pm on Saturday, my unranked Gators will play Santa Fe Junior College ... oooooops ... sorry ... University of Idaho, at The Swamp.

The Gators are favored by 35 points and, yes, your favorite blogger will stay in to watch the game, carried on ESPNU.

If The Gators don't put together at least a 10-win season, then Coach Muskrat and his staff are toast.

So ... all of my loyal and faithful readers and followers ... 

HAVE A GREAT LABOR DAY WEEKEND EVERYONE!!

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>5.04 miles (or, 11,012 steps)

Total mileage for 2014==>969.78 miles (average 4.04 miles per day)

GO YANKEES!! GO GATORS!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

Bayside! The Musical - You Can’t Take It With You - Yankees Kill Price

Thursday==>On this beautiful Summer morning we need to get this posting started because your favorite blogger plans to watch the afternoon YANKEES/TIGERS game (details below) ... so ... let’s do it ... with ...

Billi Pod’s report card on last night’s Off Broadway musical ... 

BAYSIDE! THE MUSICAL: The Parody of Saved By The Bell, that tackles all of the tough questions: Will Zack and Kelly break up? Will Slater quit wrestling forever? Who will develop an incurable caffeine addiction? Will the gang save The Max? Will Screech die?==>A.

Folks, this is soooooooo much fun, even if you, like me, lack any knowledge of the former TV drama Saved By The Bell. It doesn’t matter, trust me ... it doesn't matter.

The energy and excitement on the stage flows into the audience as the multi-talented cast sings and dances to songs that are both extremely funny and extremely profane.

The stars of the evening are Sam Harvey as the charismatic Zack, John Duff as the sexually obsessed Slater and Thad Kolwicz as the nerdy Screech. The rest of the cast is also stellar.

A member of the original Saved By The Bell cast, Dustin Diamond, has a recurring presence in this production and he receives roars every time he appears on stage.

This was the first preview performance and the house was about 75% full and was totally into the show, even people in my age group. The show had an earlier run at the same venue and then went on hiatus for a couple of months.

Now, in the name of fair and unbiased reporting, your favorite blogger must admit that he loves this type of in-your-face gross-out humor and he acknowledges that some may be totally offended by the show ... so ...

Billi Pod says==>if you are open-minded and are looking for some belly-laughs then this is the show for you ... if not ... then stay far far away.

It is playing at Theatre 80 on St. Marks Place in The East Village, has a running time of 2:00, with intermission, and the performance dates are Wednesday through Sunday through November 29th.

Moving on ...

Billi Pod’s entertainment event for the evening is a Broadway show, in previews ...

8:00==>YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU - “George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart’s classic 1936 comedy chronicles the eccentric, freethinking Sycamore family, whose members follow their bliss - no matter how much chaos that creates.” (Broadway - discounted TDF ticket)

The outstanding cast is headed by the legendary James Earl Jones and features an "outrageous" cast of 20. The advance buzz is terrific.

The show is in early previews, opens on September 28th, is playing at the Longacre Theatre on West 48th Street, has a running time of 2:30, with intermission, and tickets are on sale through January 4th, 2015.

I am rather confident my discounted ticket will be in the upper nosebleed section of the theatre.

Now ... closing out with the usual sports segment ...

Last night in Detroit The Yankees (69-62) beat The Tigers (71-60) by a score of 8-4 as they had nine straights hits in the 3rd inning to score 8 runs and crush their former nemesis David Price.

These are the headlines in today’s papers ...

“MOTOWN HIT PARADE. Yanks batter Price for 8-run inning in rout.” - back page of The New York Post

“PRICE TAG, Yanks batter Tigers’ lefty with 9 straight hits in romp.” - back page of The Daily News

“Yankees’ Nine Straight Hits Off Price Add Up to One Big Victory” - inside sports section of The New York Times

This afternoon at 1:08pm is the final game of the 3-game series. On the mound for The Yankees will be Hiroki Kuroda (9-8) vs. Kyle Lobstein (0-0) for The Tigers.

Billi Pod still hates Tigers.

Your favorite blogger is soooooooo happy that the college football season is about to get underway. He loves watching college football, especially SEC teams. 

Thankfully, the new SEC Network is carried locally on Time Warner.

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>5.30 miles (or, 11,581 steps)

Total mileage for 2014==>964.74 miles (average 4.04 miles per day)

GO YANKEES!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”

Happy Birthday John Scott Reed - Phoenix - Bayside! The Musical - The Yankees - Worker Bees

Wednesday==>We will get underway with a major HAPPY BIRTHDAY shout out to John Scott Reed aka Fabson, who celebrates his 28th birthday today. 

As many of you loyal and faithful readers and followers know, Scott is originally from Lakeland, FL, and he has been a resident of NYC since right after he graduated from High School. A little over a year ago he made a major upward career move and became a member of the FacebookNY team. He is located in their office in the Astor Place area downtown.

Scott is truly living life to its fullest here in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The Word, and I am so happy for him and proud, too!!

Now ... on to ...

Your favorite blogger’s report card on last night’s Off Broadway show ...

PHOENIX, a dark rom/com that hinges on whether or not Sue, played by Julia Stiles, will go through with an abortion (to be performed in Phoenix) after a one-night stand with the totally unfathomable and basically unlikeable Bruce, played by James Wirt==>C+

The acting is acceptable ... but the story line ... that’s another story ...

No matter how many times Sue tells Bruce that she wants nothing to do with him, least of all to be in a “relationship” with him, she keeps letting him remain in her life.

The story line becomes totally unbelievable in the last 10 minutes of the show and the poor actors can do little to resurrect it.

Billi Pod concurs with the lukewarm reviews it has received. His friend, Dian Crystal aka My Lady, was also at the show and she gave it a B-.

Bill Pod says==>you are hereby warned.

It is playing at the Cherry Lane Theatre in The West Village, has a running time of 90 minutes, without intermission, and runs through August 28th.

Moving on ...

Tonight’s entertainment event is an Off Broadway musical ...

8:00==>BAYSIDE! THE MUSICAL: The Parody of Saved By The Bell - “This parody of TV's #1 teen drama tackles all the tough questions: Will Zack and Kelly break up? Will Slater quit wrestling forever? Who will develop an incurable caffeine addiction? Will the gang save The Max? Will Screech die?” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

Yeah, Billi Pod is in the mood for some comedy and this sounds just about right ... but ... he has no clue about Saved By The Bell  ... so ... we will see ... 

This musical comedy is playing at Theatre 80 on St. Marks Place in The East Village, has a running time of 2:00, with intermission, and the performance dates are Wednesday through Sunday through November 29th.

I am happy to report to all of my loyal and faithful readers and followers that your favorite blogger was able to record a good day of walking yesterday as he concluded his weekly errands and chores and stuff and also scored tickets to a Broadway show for Sandy Mullon’s upcoming Big Apple Adventure.

Yeah ... the mileage for the day was==>5.79 miles ... so ... you can all calm down because Billi Pod is back on schedule.

Moving on ...

Last night in Detroit The Yankees (68-62) lost 5-2 to The Tigers (71-59) who received a stellar outing from Rick Porcello. The loss broke our 5-game winning streak.

Tonight at 7:08pm is the second game of the 3-game series. On the mound for The Yankees will be rookie Shane Greene (3-1) vs. David Price (12-9) who was our longtime nemesis when he was with The Rays.

BTW==>Billi Pod Hates Tigers!!

In closing ... Billi Pod knows that a large number of his fan base out there in the boondocks, wastelands and hinterlands are basically Worker Bees who are stuck in their boring jobs in their boring work environments and that Wednesday is often believed to be the longest day of the work week. 

He also knows that most of you feel lonely and alone at work ... so ... your favorite blogger did a bit of internet research and came up with something that may help you ...

You are so very welcome.

Yesterday’s Pedometer mileage==>5.79 miles (or, 12,651 steps)

Total mileage for 2014==>959.44 miles (average 4.03 miles per day)

GO YANKEES!!

Billi Pod

“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”