THE WOUNDED WARRIORS

A notice on the comments board of the following.

The Wounded Warriors are coming to Rockaway this weekend, starting with their arrival tonight July 9th.  They will be coming over the Verrazano at around 5pm or so, to the Belt parkway and then into Rockaway and Breezy at around 6pm.  Could be a little later depending on traffic.  This is a group of soldiers who have been injured in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families.  They will have a police and fire department escort.  Please come out to the route and pay tribute to these heroes as they pass.  Let them know we appreciate their sacrifice. 

Click here for their official website

-Steve

Hoops135@hotmail.com

BACK TO THE GRIND…

Hope everyone had a great 4th.  Now it’s Monday morning and everyone is back to work.  It was fun while it lasted.  Get after it like never before…Having a job to go to each and every morning is a blessing.  I wanted to send a special shout-out to my girl Mary K who has made the move from Brooklyn to North Carolina…good luck girl! 

Received an e-mail from Chris B and he wanted me to remind everyone about the Annual Peter Heaney Fishing Trip out of Sheepshead Bay on July 25th, 2009.    For more info call 347.622.0869.  Ask for Brook. 

-Steve

Hoops135@hotmail.com

THE ZOO

Last year sometime I blogged about the zoo, here is the link to that entry with some cool comments from readers.  We enrolled Taylor in zoo camp this week (she wants to be a zookeeper when she gets older).  I picked her up yesterday and we decided to have a look around and of course we took some photos.

This guy was chillin’…when we caught his attention, he looked angry.

Taylor is all about the penguins.

“What’s my motivation?”

If you haven’t been to the zoo in a while, I highly suggest a trip.  We had a great time!

-Steve

Hoops135@hotmail.com

WHIFFLE BALL

Does anyone still play whiffle ball?  Years ago we used to play all over the neighborhood.  We even had a league where we kept stats!  We took fruit of the loom t-shirts and drew up numbers on the back with black magic markers.  We made up fields.  We’d park our asses anywhere in the street, schoolyard and even the parking lot of Prospect Park.  ’Have Field will Travel’!  We ran the bases when we had enough players or we played automatics.

A few nights ago Taylor saw a whiffle ball and bat on display at the local sporting goods store and wanted to get it.

I had reservations about it because I knew how the bat was skinny and the ball had the holes in it and would curve when she threw it.  I didn’t think it was a good idea.

Nevertheless, I bought it.  As I was walking through the store, I saw a black tee complete with a rubber home-plate.  I figured I’d buy the tee and we’ll place the ball on top and have her practice her swing while I stood out on the field and caught her grounders.

Long story short, after a few whacks off the tee, we both weren’t feeling it.  It was too easy.

We tossed the tee aside and I pitched to her.  At first she was stepping in the bucket.  But after a few pointers from a lifetime .250 hitter, she was all set.   She was connecting like Albert Pujols! Ripping line drives all over the street.  Spraying the ball to all fields.

We chalked out some bases in the driveway and each night we have made a ritual of playing whiffle ball.  I have since introduced her to switch-hitting; it’ll take some work but she has a natural swing.   Also have been thinking of ripping off the top of the plastic bat, stuffing it with newspaper and showing her the fine art of ‘corking the bat’ (but that would be cheating, right?).  I’m also thinking of rounding up some people to get a game of whiffle ball going!

-Steve

Hoops135@hotmail.com

WAY TOO YOUNG

Once again, I received sad news of another neighborhood person passing away…Jimmy Rail, a kid I grew up with is no longer with us.  If I’m not mistaken Jimmy was 43 maybe 44 years old…regardless, just way too early to leave us.

I was informed of his death a day ago but wanted to make sure (would hate to jump the gun on something as tragic as death).  Here is the obit from the New York Daily News.

RAIL-James G. on June 20, 2009. Loving son of Mary and the late James P. Beloved brother of Peter (Cathy), Patricia Lang, Maureen Fiorilla, Mary Kay Kahaly (Bill), Susan Perkins, and Bob. Adored uncle and great uncle. Visiting Tues., 2-5 and 7-9 P.M. at M.J. SMITH Sons 248 Prospect Park West. Mass of Christian burial Wed., 10 A.M. at Holy Name Church.

In an e-mail from a friend today I was reminded how Jimmy was such a huge LA Rams football fan growing up.   I remember arguing with Jimmy for hours on the avenue!  We’d argue football, baseball and even basketball.    He wasn’t a happy camper when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat his team in Super Bowl XIV, 31-19.   Even though Jimmy was left-handed, he always tried to imitate Rams Quarterbacks like James Harris, Pat Haden and Vince Ferragamo.

Sometimes it’s hard to find the right words when I receive  news of a friend passing away-but I’m glad to share the news on the blog.  With many people packed up and long gone, it’s important they know.

Jimmy was a very good athlete.  He was a good dude who always made us laugh.  Whether you agreed with him or not, you had to respect his opinion.   I recall Jimmy’s sister Susan; she was an incredible athlete and one of the sweetest girls in the neighborhood.  I think every boy had a crush on her at one time.  She was a also an outstanding student in school.  She had a rare trio of looks, athleticism and brains…And if memory serves me, she was the first female to play in a boy’s baseball game for Holy Name!

Something I will never forget about my time with Jimmy is going to Yankee Stadium with our friend Joe Lee who also lived on 13th street.  We’d arrive three hours before the game-time and try to shag home runs hit during batting practice out in the empty left field seats.   We’d bring our gloves and as soon as we caught the first one, we’d have a catch in the runway.

Thoughts and prayers coming all the way from East Lansing, Michigan from my family to the whole Rail family.  Once again, a quote from a friend, “Death reminds us how to live”.

R.I.P. Jimmy Rail

-Steve

Hoops1135@hotmail.com

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

If you happen to be a dad-I wanted to take this time to wish you a Happy Father’s Day.  It’s a special feeling to be the proud parent of a child.  I sometimes take it for granted but today I am going to improve on my parenting skills and make sure Taylor has one of the best dads in the world!  

-Steve

Hoops135@hotmail.com

DERAILED

This afternoon I received some very crappy customer service at one bike shop.  Then 30 minutes later, I received excellent customer service at a different bike shop.

I brought my daughter’s bike into bike shop A to have them fix the chain.  The minute I walked in, I knew something wasn’t right (besides them not having any customers in the store) three guys behind the counter doing nothing; one came out to greet me.

“Hi, can I help you?”

“Yeah, I need to have this chain put on my daughter’s bike along with the wheel.”

The guy looked at the bike, then looked at the wheel I was holding in my hand.  Now mind you, I’m not the most mechanically inclined person.  I had fixed the flat on the back tire and needed to dissemble the chain and gears in the back.  After trying for over 30 minutes to put it back on, I failed.  Oh well, can’t win ‘em all, right?

Let me take it to a bike shop!  What a great idea.

I drove 20 minutes to the shop.  As I followed the guy to the back, I saw a few workers in the repair section…doing NOTHING! One guy was sitting up on a desk, two were looking down reading something, two were eating food and another came out to greet me.

“Hi, I was wondering if you can help me with this, I can’t seem to get it on.”

The guy, sporting a long gray beard looked at it, then looked at me.  “It’ll cost ya $12 and we can have it ready on the 26th.  (By the way, today is the 20th!)

“No thanks pal.” I said to him as I turned and began my journey out of the store.

I noticed a female worker from the place walking behind me on my way out, “That’s not good when it’s in pieces.” she said to me.

“Yeah, no shit sister!” I said to myself.  “And a lot of help you people were.”  (Wonder if the owner knows he has employees sitting on their asses doing absolutely nothing?)

Outside in the parking lot I was thinking out loud,  “screw it, I’m going to take it home and try it again.”

That’s when my wife suggested I take it to Dick’s.   Long story short, we took it to Dick’s Sporting Goods store across town where they have people on site to do bike repairs and a bike tech Travis, fixed it in 5 minutes!

To top it off, they didn’t even charge me!

Should I go back to bike shop A and complain to the owner on Monday or let it go?  Mind you, my wife and I went in there last year and purchased two bikes at one time.

What’s the deal with the lack of customer service?  Is it a lost art?

To conclude, the name of bike shop A is Denny’s Central Park Bicycles and is located in Okemos, Michigan and I will never patronize their store again.  It’s funny because we were actually thinking of buying a new bike for Taylor…

-Steve

Hoops135@hotmail.com

HOULIE TO THE RESCUE

Great article from Denis Hamill of the Daily News on Jimmy Houlihan A.K.A. ‘Houlie’ and his efforts to raise funds for Holy Name.

“So we raise money for it by having 150 guys sign up for a golf outing every year,” says Jimmy (Houlie) Houlihan, one of the owners of the bar. “We also do cruises and other fund-raisers.”

-Steve

Hoops135@hotmail.com

A DIFFERENT POV

You have been reading my thoughts for just under the past two years.  I have mentioned many times before about you, the reader submitting a blog entry whenever you’d like.

So someone stepped up to the plate and submitted great material.   Including the image above.

I am a 68 year old woman who till recently has lived all her life on 18th street between 10th and 11th avenue.  My family bought the house back in 1927 on 18th street and my brother still resides in that house.

I have fond memories of the neighborhood and throughout the years have seen many changes. I remember “The Lot” which we called it opposite my house where we use to play and later Holy Name made the ball field with a back stop can you imagine?

My uncle Gabe played softball on one of the teams, I think it was the old stickball team who turned to softball.  They were the “Terrace Chiefs”.

I remember Keirnan’s bar and all the people in the Keiirnan club which was on 19th street. I remember my mother telling me of the horse S and the stable that use to be across the street and the cowboys who would roast “mickeys” or spuds.

Then came Modiuch the horse lady who owned the space in the lot to park cars and everyone on the block park their cars in Modiuch’s lot.

The lot turned to weed and the weeds became the start of the Prospect Expressway.

I am attaching a photo of me as a young woman the day the Expressway opened. I remember that day because Marilyn Monroe was discovered dead that same day.

I have so many memories of Windsor Terrace and the people  and places in the past and even presently since I visit my brother who still resides in my family’s old homestead on 18th street.

Lois Marino of the Pisano/Marino family

God Bless you Lois!

-Steve

Hoops135@hotmail.com

WHEN THE WHIP COMES DOWN

A couple of images sent to me by Sal Marino.  Brings back so many memories…

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

-Steve

Hoops135@hotmail.com