Fun Time At The Stadium

It was a great game last night at Yankee Stadium, The House That Greed and Ego Built.

For a change the weather was excellent. AJ Burnett aka Loser Boi pitched 7 good innings, giving up only 2 runs on 7 hits and, most importantly, he pitched his way out of trouble a couple of times, something he couldn’t do last year.

Russell Martin & Jorge hit bombs and the Bronx Bombers won 5-2, to increase our lead over the Boston FuckSox to 3 games in the loss column.

The picture is of one of my season-ticket buddies, Michael Huguenot (forefront), who is a personal injury attorney. He was at the game with some friends. We had a fun time catching up on things and stuff.

The final game of The Brewers series is this afternoon @ 1:05pm and Billi Pod will watch it, of course.

Billi Pod’s entertainment event for tonight is ...

8:00==>VOCA PEOPLE - “A spaceship from Planet Voca crashes when its fuel, musical energy, runs dry. The Voca People must refuel by performing the music of Earthlings, in a musical theater event that bridges languages, cultures, and planets.” (Off Broadway - complimentary ticket)

Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

You know, time does indeed fly by, especially if you are having fun. What do I mean by this? Well, my loyal and faithful readers, during this week in 2001, 1O years ago, Billi Pod was in the hospital recovering from congestive heart failure. Wow!!

I have gone back in time and reread my daily log entries (log, not diary ... real guys don’t keep diaries) and I am amazed at how much “stuff” went down for me in July, August and September 2001.

Billi Pod is working on a separate posting on this subject, so stay tuned out there in the vast hinterlands.

Time for the game to start, so ...

GO YANKEES AND 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.”

Congrats Gamecocks!!

Ouch, that hurts!

The South Carolina Gamecocks swept The Florida Gators in the College World Series, winning their second consecutive Championship.

This team just refused to lose. It was a terrific team effort.

Yes, it is hard for this mega-Gator to say, but==>congrats Gamecocks, you were the better team.

Last night’s NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC concert was one of the best of the season, highlighted by Tchaikovsky’s beloved Piano Concerto No. 1.

When the concert was over Billi Pod walked back to PHC while listening to The Yankees/Brewers game on his trusty, but now ancient, Walkman. The Gator/Gamecocks game was not carried by any of the local stations.

The Yankees kicked butt, winning 12-2. Both Teixeira and Swisher hit homers. The Yankees are on a bit of a roll, winning 13 of 17 since being swept by The FuckSox back on June 7-9. We now lead the AL East by 1.5 games.

Tonight’s entertainment event is ...

7:05==>YANKEES vs. BREWERS with AJ Burnett aka Loser Boi on the mound. Why does he always pitch when Billi Pod is at the game?

Billi Pod has seen 19 games thus far this season and The Bronx Bombers record for those games is ... barf ... only ... barf ... 8-11.

Anyhow ... it looks like Jeter, Colon and Hughes are making progress in their respective recoveries and will soon rejoin the team.

It is almost noon and it is a beautiful day out. Billi Pod is definitely in a “wandering” mood, so he will post this and probably head downtown to Battery Park. Might even take the ferry over to Staten Island ... who knows ...

In closing==>I am more than happy to report that my BFF Ginger Flowers of Atlanta, GA, is doing well since her return to her apartment. She has plenty of professional and friends support and that is soooooooo wonderful.

GO YANKEES AND 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.”

The Gators Lose==>Dammit!!

Dammit, the Florida Gators lost to the South Carolina Gamecocks 2-1 in 11 innings in a game they shoulda won. I mean, in the bottom of the 9th having the bases loaded with no outs and you come away with nada ... come on guys ...

Gotta hand it to The Gamecocks (what the Hell is a “Gamecock” anyway? And who the f**k cares?) though, they played an awesome game defensively. The Gators lost the game on two errors on the same play. Puke!!

Billi Pod opted to attend his concert (details below) but was kept up-to-date, kinda, by texts from his youngest grandson Chris Falletta aka Topher. He was back in PHC for the 9th inning and, of course, the extra innings.

Game 2 is tonight @ 8:00pm on ESPN. It is win or go home for The Gators, so come on guys ... CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP!

Anyway ...

Billi Pod’s report card on last night’s ...

The NEW ENGLAND SYMPHONIC ENSEMBLE AND CHORUS @ Alice Tully Hall==>A.

Terrific performances from the orchestra and every choral group involved. The highlight was Mozart’s “Solemn Confessional Vespers.”

My complimentary seat was excellent, in the very center of the orchestra, 10 rows from the stage.

When the concert was over Billi Pod walked back to PHC, a distance of a little over a mile. Unfortunately the Gator game wasn’t carried on any of the local radio stations.

Tonight’s entertainment event is another concert ...

7:30==>NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA @ Avery Fisher Hall - “Summertime Classics” - featuring Tchaikovsky’s beloved Piano Concerto No. 1 and works by Khachaturian, Glazunov, and Borodin.

The orchestra will be conducted by Bramwell Tovey, a crowd favorite. To quote the New York Times:

“Tovey, whose personality is as ebullient as his music, intersperses the works with a lively stream of jokes and anecdotes.”

I am really looking forward to this concert. It is not part of the season subscription series, so I had to pay full-price. Oh well ...

The Yankees had the day off yesterday. Still no word on when Derek Jeter will get off the DL and restart his pursuit of the 3,000th hit.

The Bombers start a 3 game series against The Milwaukee Brewers and then the final 3 games of the Subway Series against The Mets at whatever their field is currently called.

Had a routine eye doctor appointment this morning and she is happy with everything “eye-wise.” Had a “field-of-vision” test which I absolutely hate. Would trade it for a colonoscopy any time ... jus sayin ...

When the appointment was finally over, I walked across Manhattan back to PHC, a distance of a little over 2 miles. It felt really good. I selected routes that kept me pretty much away from the mobs of tourists.

God, I love living in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World!!

GO GATORS AND 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.”

Sunday Was An Awesome Day for Billi Pod!

Yesterday’s Old-Timer’s Day festivities followed by the YANKEES/ROCKIES game, won by The Bronx Bombers 6-4, resulted in an awesome Sunday. I am sorry, however, that I missed The Gay Pride Parade.

In Saturday’s posting I made reference to how much the Family Law attorneys in the City were pleased about the passage of the gay-marriage legislation. I did get a couple of ... ahem ... kinda disdainful (when is the last time you saw that word?) emails ... well ... I will share with you the following headlines in today’s papers:

“We do see altar-ed biz, say jubilant divorce lawyers” - Daily News

“Divorce lawyers cheering, too” - NY Post

Remember ... I only report - you decide!

Anyway ... tonight’s entertainment events are ...

8:00==>NEW ENGLAND SYMPHONIC ENSEMBLE AND CHORUS @ Alice Tully Hall - works by Clausen and Mozart and others. (complimentary ticket)

and ...

8:00==>THE FLORIDA GATORS vs. SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS, in Game 1 of the Championship Series of The College World Series in Omaha, NEB. (ESPN)

Yes, there is a conflict. When I scheduled the concert I, of course, didn’t know that the Gators would advance to the Championship game. Here’s the problem ...

My ticket to the concert is complimentary, from one of my ticket services, meaning ... if I fail to pick it up I could be expelled from the service. I can’t give it away because the Alice Tully Box Office (usually a bunch of a-holes) requires a photo ID, and ... they usually don’t make comp. seats available until 15 minutes before the event starts.

Add to the “situation” - this is a concert I really looked forward to attending and ... I don’t think the game is going to be on any of the local radio stations. What if the game is rained out? Damn!!!

To magnify the problem even more, I have events scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday - a New York Philharmonic concert and a Yankee baseball game.

On this happy note I will post this and then begin doing Monday’s chores and errands.

GO GATORS AND 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.”

Old-Timer’s Day At Yankee Stadium

It was a beautiful morning in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World and that was good news because it was scheduled to be a huge baseball day.

It felt so nice to have blue skies and sun for a change. Billi Pod was more than happy.

The main event was the Old-Timer’s game at the stadium, with the opening ceremonies scheduled to begin at 11:30am.

Billi Pod briefly thought about trying to catch part of the Gay Pride Parade before heading out to the stadium, but that just didn’t work out, so it was directly out to The Bronx.

The Yankees previously announced that they had invited 50 former Yankees to attend, including:

Yogi Berra

David Cone

Whitey Ford

Joe Girardi

Dwight Gooden

Rich "Goose" Gossage

Ron Guidry

Reggie Jackson

Don Larsen

Joe Pepitone

Lou Piniella

Bill "Moose" Skowron

Mel Stottlemyre

Darryl Strawberry

Joe Torre

David Wells

Bernie Williams

Billi Pod was in his usual seat at 11:30am when the introductions began. The weather was nice. The three former Yankees who received the loudest and longest ovations were: Yogi, Torre, and Bernie Williams.

There was also a special, and very emotional, tribute honoring longtime team trainer Gene Monahan, who will retire at season's end after 49 years of service to the organization.

It was very entertaining and a “must” for real Yankee fans.

But ... WTF ... as soon as the Old Timer’s game was completed the clouds started rolling in and it got gloomy and nasty ... WTF ... I simply couldn’t believe it. Of course Billi Pod hadn’t considered bringing his rain gear with him.

And the Yankees started off just as gloomy, finding themselves in a 0-3 hole early on. Thankfully their bats came alive with homers from Swisher, Posada and Teixeira. The clouds went away and the sun came back out in the 7th inning.

The Yankees took a 6-4 lead into the top of the 9th and Mo came in and closed things out, striking out the side.

Wow!! Did all of that feel great. The Yankees remain in first place in the AL East.

Oh, forgot to say==>wore my Gator cap again and got lots and lots of very favorable comments and Chomps.

On the way back home Billi Pod got off the subway at Columbus Circle and walked back to PHC, a mile. It felt great.

Of course I am going to stay in this evening. Will probably watch whatever game is on ESPN.

I will close this late posting with ...

Billi Pod’s report card on MASTER CLASS==>A<==as in awesome. Theater at its best.

Tyne Daly gives a Tony-worthy performance. Everything about the show gets an A. See it!!

GO YANKEES AND 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.”

How ‘Bout Them Gators!!

Way to go Florida Gators!!

They advance to the Championship Series in The College World Series against The South Carolina Gamecocks, who won it all last year. They will play in a 3-game series beginning on Monday night.

Bring on those Limpcocks, bring them on.

Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!

The Yankees stunk last night, losing 2-4 as AJ Burnett aka Loser Boi pitched well enough to lose.

This headline in the New York Times is spot-on==>BURNETT FIZZLES AS GIAMBI DAZZLES.

Former Yankee Jason Giambi hit a monster home run in the second inning, going 3 for 4 in his first return to the new Yankee Stadium, The House That Greed Built.

Oh ... and ... it was miserable in the stadium. Gloomy. Misty. Cold. Billi Pod was there till the bitter end. Oh ... and did I say that the Yankees stunk?

Game 2 of the series will be this afternoon with our ace CC Sabathia on the mound.

Finally==>the New York legislature passed the bill legalizing same-sex marriage, making New York the 6th and largest state to legalize gay marriage.

The state Senate passed the bill by a 33-29 margin and Governor Cuomo quickly signed it into law 5 minutes before midnight.

With just a touch of cynicism Billi Pod has to observe that the passage of the measure was greeted with much elation and delight by the lawyers practicing family law and with apprehension by the judiciary.

I mean, deciding custody, visitation and child support, for example, is difficult, but ... how about deciding ... who gets the Liza autographed picture or the David Barton Gym membership or the tickets to the Lady Gaga concert ... jus sayin ...

Anyway ...

Tonight’s entertainment event is ...

8:00==>MASTER CLASS - “Tyne Daly is Maria Callas in one of her famous master classes, where she dares the next generation to make sacrifices and to overcome career challenges, as she did.” (Broadway - discounted TDF ticket)

Great==>The Yankees are beating the Rockies 6-0 after 6 innings, the weather is nice and Billi Pod ain’t there ... great!

GO YANKEES AND 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.”

Friday - Dark and Gloomy

It is dark and gloomy this morning in the Big Apple, a cool 63º at 8:00am.

Thunderstorms are forecast for early evening and that is not a good sign because tonight’s entertainment event for Billi Pod is ...

7:05pm==>YANKEES vs. COLORADO ROCKIES, with AJ Burnett aka Loser Boi on the mound for The Bronx Bombers.

The annual “Old-Timers Game” is scheduled for 11:30am on Sunday, before the 2:00pm Rockies game. Joe Torre will be there, in pinstripes for the first time since October 2007.

The game and ceremonies are always a lot of fun and, of course, Billi Pod will be there in his usual seat.

The reviews of the NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC’s production of “The Cunning Vixen” have been mixed, with a couple of the reviews very negative.

These are excerpts from the review in The NY Post --

“ ... overly literal animal costumes and unfocused acting distracted from the gentle story, suggesting a community theater production of ‘Cats.’” Ouch!

“Expectations were high ... but musically and dramatically this ‘Vixen’ just missed the mark.”

At least Billi Pod wasn’t alone in his feelings about the show and he feels a bit vindicated in his decision to leave at intermission ... jus sayin’

The Gators will play Vanderbilt at 2:00pm on ESPN. If they win they will advance to the Championship Series.

A Very Happy Weekend to all of my Worker Bee friends out there in the vast hinterlands.

GO GATORS AND 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.”

Thursday==>A Movie Doubleheader for Billi Pod.

Good evening my loyal and faithful readers. I know this posting is a bit late but Billi Pod has an excuse ... well ... maybe not an excuse ... more like ... maybe ... a reason ... or ... not ... anyway ...

What’s going on?

Well, today Billi Pod had a movie doubleheader that interfered with his ability to make a timely posting ...

Yes ... I know ... but I am confident you will understand once you take a few deep breaths ...

Billi Pod’s first movie of the day was ...

THE HANGOVER PART II, the sequel to the mega-hit, starring Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms and Justin Bartha. Two years after their escapades in Las Vegas the crew is headed to Thailand to celebrate Stu’s (Ed Helms) wedding. All hell breaks loose, of course, including a Mike Tyson-like facial tattoo, a shaven head, a severed finger and a chain-smoking drug-dealing monkey.

This has gotten mixed reviews but it is just the kind of humor Billi Pod loves, and he wasn’t disappointed. It was gross-out from the very beginning to the ending credits. It wasn’t as good as the first film but it is worth seeing if you are in the mood for guilty laughs and frat-boy comedy.

Yes, it is a guy movie, without a doubt, and it ain’t a date-movie for sure.

Came back to PHC, checked email, ate the usual fruit and cheese plate and then headed out to see the second movie ...

THE ART OF GETTING BY, a comedy/drama that has just opened on a limited release.

The story line is ... “George, a lonely and fatalistic teen living in the Upper Eastside of NYC, has made it almost all the way through his senior year without ever having done any of his homework assignments. He is befriended by Sally, a popular but complicated girl who recognizes him to be a kindred spirit.

They become best-friends and perhaps even more but things get complicated family-wise and school-wise and relationship-wise as graduation approaches.”

The two young leads are superb. George is played by Freddy Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Finding Neverland) and Sally by Emma Roberts (Nancy Drew).

I found this movie to be charming and extremely well acted. It doesn’t fall into the well of sentimentality. It also helped that it takes place in New York City.

I recommend it. I understand it will have a general release on July 15th, so==>see it if you want something a bit different.

It was 9:00pm when I got back to PHC. A very interesting day ... yep ... very interesting.

The Yankees have the day off, so no Bronx Bomber ball to watch. They split yesterday’s day/night doubleheader with The Reds so they come off the 6 game road trip with a record of 4-2. We will take that.

Tomorrow they begin a 3 game series against The Rockies, followed by a 3 game series against The Brewers. Billi Pod will be at 3 of the games as part of his season ticket package.

OK, my loyal and faithful readers, in the name of fair and unbiased reporting Billi Pod has an admission to make ...

Last night he left the NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC’s performance of Janacek’s opera “The Cunning Vixen,” at intermission. Yes, he was outta there.

Sorry, folks (and you opera-queens out there), but it just didn’t work for me ... so let the flames and snide postings/texts/emails begin ... bring it on ...

OK, will post this now so I can catch the season premiere of the new comedy on FX called WILFRED, starring Elijah Wood (“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy), as Ryan, a young man struggling to make his way in the world. Wilfred is a neighbor’s dog, but he appears only to Ryan as a crude man in a cheap dog suit.

Sounds like fun doesn't it.

GO YANKEES AND 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.”

Billi Pod Reports on BEGINNERS

The first day of summer totally ended Billi Pod’s blahness. Good!!

Caught the movie BEGINNERS in the late afternoon. This is the story line ...

“Oliver, played by Ewan McGregor, only learns his father, Hal, is gay after the death of Oliver's mother. They were married for 44 years. Hal, played by Christopher Plummer, comes out of the closet at age 75 to live an aggressively gay and joyous lifestyle, with a much younger lover, ever so briefly before dying of cancer a few years later.

While dealing with his fathers death Oliver becomes emotionally involved with a French actress, who is also prone to finding ways out of love.”

This is not a movie about being gay or straight but rather about the emotional risks one must hazard for love. The performances are excellent, story line involving and the cinematography awesome. I totally enjoyed it and was emotionally connected with both McGregor and Plummer.

My only quibble about the show is with the French actress. I had difficulty understanding a lot of her dialogue. So did other people I learned from conversations after the show. Actually, I didn’t care for her character very much either.

If and when this gets a general release out there in the vast hinterlands, Billi Pod says==>see it!!

I saw the show at the theater located on 23rd Street, so when it was over I walked back to PHC, a distance of just a bit over a mile.

It was about 6:30pm when I got back. My plans were to stay in and watch the second game of the YANKEES/REDS series. Dammit to Hell ... when I turned on the tube at 7:10pm I learned that the game had been rained out. Damn ... wasn’t in the mood for another movie so Billi Pod just chilled for the remainder of the evening, crashing, of course, at the usual 2:00am.

The rain out game will be made up today with a day/night doubleheader, the first game at 12:30pm and the second at the usual 7:05pm.

Happy to report that the Gators finished off Vanderbilt in the final innings of their rain-delayed game, winning 3-1. Their next game isn’t until Friday. The Gators are one win away from advancing to the Championship Series.

Tonight’s entertainment event is something very different ...

7:30==>NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC @ Lincoln Center - “A fully staged production of Janacek’s opera ‘The Cunning Vixen,’ about the cycle of life in a European forest.” (subscription series)

Hummmm ... not sure I am in the mood for an opera, but it is the final concert of the subscription series, so ... we will see. Oh, Billi Pod will be there, of course.

Big shout out to John Scott Reed==>get well Fabson.

Actually, Billi Pod reminded you to update your vaccinations and shots before heading “down there,” but obviously you didn’t do it. Will you ever learn??? Jus sayin ...

GO YANKEES AND 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.”

Billi Pod Says==>Blah Be Gone!!

Last night Billi Pod received an unexpected telephone call from Mayor Mike’s office informing him, in no uncertain terms, that due to Billi Pod’s status as a respected blogger about his wonderful lifestyle in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World, 2 blah days in a row would not be permitted. There was no room for any discussion or compromise. One day only!!

All Billi Pod could say was yessir!! Case closed!!

So ... my loyal and faithful readers out there in the vast hinterlands, this morning Billi Pod woke up feeling OK and the blahness has definitely left the house, or better, left PHC.

Yes ... yes ... I know you are relieved and Billi Pod appreciates all of the concerned emails, texts and postings regarding his mental and physical condition. Thank you soooooooo much ...

Actually there was a positive side to last night’s blahness and that was the excellent game from rookie pitcher Ivan Nova who went 8 innings giving up only 1 run on 4 hits. The shaky bullpen gave up 2 runs but the Yankees won over The Reds 5-3.

The Florida/Vanderbilt game was suspended in the bottom of the 6th inning with The Gators leading 3-1. The game will be resumed this morning.

Unless something shows up on one of his ticket services Billi Pod will catch a movie tonight, probably BEGINNERS, with Christopher Plummer.

Yep, Billi Pod is back==>all is well!!

GO YANKEES AND 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.”

Even Billi Pod Has Blah Days

Yep, it has been a blah day thus far for Billi Pod, even though he lives in The Big Apple, The Greatest City In The World.

What do I mean?

Well, first of all, Billi Pod woke up this morning at the usual 8:00am feeling very blah. He was congested and his nose was runny. He immediately went into his cold-symptoms-attack-mode with Echinacea w/Gold Seal & mega doses of Vitamin C.

After making his usual FaceBook posting, reading the 3 papers and doing 3 crosswords, he went back to bed around noon and slept for about 90 minutes. WTF?

Yes, Billi Pod took a nap ... get over it people.

Felt somewhat better in the early afternoon and that led to the second blah-inducing activities ...

What? Well, today being Monday it is the usual errands day, including laundry gathering (no, I don’t do my own laundry, even though we have a state-of-the-art laundry room in my building) and going to the grocery store for the upcoming week’s food supply. Both blah tasks.

Even made a list (which I rarely do) but ... ended up buying way too much “stuff” ... as I usually do. I had so much “stuff” that the young checkout guy asked me 3 times if this was to be a delivery. Each time I told him no. When he handed me the last bag he looked at me and said ... “good luck, Sir.”

As I was trudging back to PHC, with snot running out of my nose, the thought hit me that this was very very stupid and that one of these days my hardheadedness was going to cause me trouble, big time ... anyway ...

I had planned on going to a movie tonight but, honestly, I am just not in the mood. Blah!!

Will stay in ... feel useless ... feel guilty ... and watch the YANKEES/REDS game, which will probably be rained out. Blah!

Damn, it is 5:30pm and this has become much longer than I had planned.

Gonna close with a brief report on yesterday’s entertainment events ...

Yesterday’s Musicals in Mufti doubleheader at The York Theatre -5:30==>I’M GETTING MY ACT TOGETHER AND TAKING IT ON THE ROAD, and then

8:30==>STILL GETTING MY ACT TOGETHER

was excellent, very entertaining and a lot of fun. Billi Pod highly recommends them.

Make sure you see both shows, in order. They run through Sunday, June 26th.

Tonight will alternate watching The Yankees and The Gator's College World Series game on ESPN2.

Man, just reread this posting and it is totally BLAH!!

GO YANKEES AND 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, unless he feels too blah.”