Monday, November 26, 2012

Off Stage With Meyer and McGuire

Hey Folks,

Hope you all had a great month and an enjoyable Thanksgiving!  Here's a story and some news if you have time for some reading:

Well, another year of America's favorite pastime has come to an end.  Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants and all their fans!  Although I am not a fanatic about it, I like baseball, and  the Yankees are my team. Many people are surprised when they hear this because I am usually for the underdog, and I am often very supportive of lost causes.  So, why do I like the Yankees?  I don't know.  I just do.  If you think about it carefully enough, we can't really give a true explanation why we like or don't like something.  We just do.  Anyway, although I do not know why I like the Yankees, I know when the relationship began.  It happened on august 4, 1961, and here's the story.

I was in Brooklyn visiting my Aunt Marge and Uncle Al.  Al liked me and I liked him.  Again, I don't know why.  We just connected.  We were kindred spirits, and we both loved baseball.  Of course, up until the late 1950s, we were Dodgers fans.  When the Dodgers left for Los Angeles, and the Giants for San Francisco, the Yankees were the only game left in town.  After a couple of years of mourning the loss of our Dodgers, and missing those beautiful afternoons and evenings eating hot dogs and cracker jacks in Ebbets Field (home of the Dodgers in Brooklyn), Al decided it was time for us to give the Yankees a try.  So, we headed over to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees play the Minnesota Twins.

As I sat in the stands somewhere behind the right field foul line, I wondered what everyone else was wondering. Would Mickey hit one?  Would roger hit one?  Would they each hit one?  Of course, at that time no one knew the significance of 1961.  We were all just caught up in the home run race that had formed between Mantle and Maris.  Well, Maris did not keep us waiting very long.  He Tagged camilo Pascual for a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning.  As I watched the ball sail into the right field seats and listened to the roar of the crowd, I became a Yankees fan.  I don't know why.  I just did.  It was a magical moment then, and it is still a magical moment now when I think about it fifty years later.

Well, that day Roger hit number 41, Mickey didn't hit one, and the Yankees went on to win the game 8 to 5. On October 1, the last day of the season, Roger hit number 61, breaking the home run record previously held by Babe Ruth.  Although number 61 was the important homerun for the record books, 41 was the one that connected me to the Yankees forever, and it still brings a smile to my face whenever I reconstruct that magical moment.

So, you're asking, why did I tell this story? Here's why.  My mailing list is rather extensive, and it covers a lifetime of friendships.  Each of these friendships started with a magical moment.  Some, of course, were a little more magical than others, but nevertheless, each one was magical.  Somewhere along the road, there was an August 4, 1961 between you and me.  As with the New York Yankees, I don't know why I like each of you.  I just do, and I want you to know I am one of your fans!

Siobhan and I continue to enjoy coordinating the "Singer/Songwriters in the Side Room" concert series at Buffalo Bill's in Shortsville, NY. The concerts are on the third Thursday of the month from 7 to 9 PM. In my last post, we played you a video of Jeff Riales playing his song, "The Ticket." In this post, we have a video of Steve Piper doing his song "This House." Deftly employing the use of personification and metaphor, Steve beautifully illustrates how man, like a house, matures as he experiences the beauty and tragedy of life. Great guitar work, too!  Here is the video. Hope you enjoy it, and I hope it encourages you to check out this venue. We have some great songwriters in this area, and if you like original music, you owe it to yourself to experience some of these artists. Stay tuned for more videos of other songwriters we have showcased.

Since I am on the topic of the songwriters' series, I want to thank Joe Dady for the fine show he did for us in November. On December 20, we are having Jed Curran do a show in our side room.  Jed has lived, worked, and played music  in Rochester, NY, for most of his life.  Currently, he has two CDs of original material, Morning Pages and After the Rainfall.  Here is a link to Jed's site to find out more about him. Hope you can join us on December 20!

Since songwriting seems to be the focus of this post, here is a link to "Shake the Dust Off Your Sandals," one of my original songs. You can read about the development of the song, check out the lyrics, and listen to the song. If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you may have seen this one already. If this is a new song for you, I hope you enjoy it!

For those of you who have stumbled upon this post accidentally and have no knowledge about Meyer and McGuire, here is a link to our web site.  Hope you enjoy learning about us!

Well, once again, it's time for me to stop babbling. I often go walking at night, and much to the chagrin of Siobhan, I am a daydreamer who should be paying a little more attention to my surroundings. Many of you pass through my thoughts, sometimes for a fleeting moment and other times longer. I want to thank you for being in my thoughts. You have contributed to my life much more than you will ever know. So, see you on the streets somewhere! Oh, one more thing.  Have a wonderful holiday season!