Friday, July 7, 2017

200 STEVE'S BLOG-CENTENNIAL

Four years ago, my fellow New York Ranger fan Nicole Vranzanian loved my little email observations on the NHL, pop culture, and life in general so much, she suggested I write a blog. Who am I to disappoint a fellow long-suffering devotee of the Broadway Blueshirts? And so Steve's Blog was born, and although I may not seize EVERY opportunity to take keyboard in paw and communicate with my faithful followers in more than twenty countries and territories, this little old blog shows no signs of slowing down. Thank you, Nick for suggesting this little project and all you fans worldwide for your continued support. The world can't stop us, it can only hope to contain us, so buckle your seat belts and hold onto something heavy, we may be 200 blogs old, but we're just getting started!

HOW I SPENT MY VACATION

The last time I visited Upstate New York, (I mean way the HECK Upstate!) I stayed in Albany and spent a few hours in Cooperstown, the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and, according to legend, the place where soldier Abner Doubleday invented the modern game in 1839 (Actually, the modern rules were drawn up by the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club in NYC a few years earlier.) The HOF was definitely the highlight of my all-too-short visit to the Coop,and despite a rousing concert by none other than Paul McCartney at the Times Union Center and a visit to a museum founded by none other than George  Washington, Albany wasn't exactly the bustling metropolitan area I expected. I decided the next time I visited the Capital Region, I would either (A) pitch my tent at a more luxurious hotel, preferably downtown, than the Motel 6 the hotel site recommended, or (B) bypass Albany altogether and bed down in C-Town. Lucky for me I chose (B) this past Fourth of July weekend! Not only did I see the HOF again, but I also saw the Fenimore Art Museum (and a special exhibition of ice-skating-related art collected by the legendary Dick Button), the Legends of Baseball Wax Museum (and Hard Ball Cafe, the Coop's ONLY outdoor bar and grill), the Village Library of Cooperstown (Home to a LOT of great sports books, including ESPN's Sal Palantonio's "How Football Explains America" and, OF COURSE, George Will's "Men at Work," one of the best baseball books of all time),and one of the best beaches in New York State, as well as a veritable plethora of sports collectibles stores, including Yaztremski Sports, where I found a yearbook from the minor league Charlotte O's. I didn't find any player I know from "the Show," as the farm team players call the Big Leagues, but I DID learn that the team was owned by the family of legendary wrestling promoter (and member of WWE rival the National Wrestling Alliance) Jim Crockett, and one of the announcers was wrestling color commentator Tony Schiavone (Although a lot of his paisans pronounce it "Ski-A-Voanny,", he prefers "Sha-vonny." Guess he thinks a lot of rasslin fans don't capeesh Italian!)  Another thing I found about Cooperstown is that although it IS proud to be a small town, it has more in common with the Big Apple than Albany! If you want to find out more about C-Town, and there's ALWAYS more, log on to http://www,iloveny.com . PLAY BALL!

FINALLY...

My sincerest condolences to the family of the police officer murdered in cold blood on July 5th. She died as she lived, protecting the city she loved, and that will always love her back.

BYE, BUCKAROOS...

...and here's to the next 200!
Steve

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