Running in the mud is not my ticket

There are special events set up for people to run in the mud. This I know because my wonderful daughter Elisabeth and her fantastic boyfriend George participate in these races. Last year it was the Warrior Run. Elisabeth jumped a pit of hot coals. Or maybe it was a pit of quicksand. Anyway, my daughter,…

At the end of the line was a Train concert

I thought my days of standing in line to buy concert tickets were decades in my rear view mirror. Then the announcement that Train was coming to the New York State Fair Grandstand this August flashed before us. And I saw the look in my dear wife Karen’s eyes. I was No. 3 in line…

Where should I put a ring on it?

So Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle and I were circling past a Syracuse Housing Authority complex a half-dozen blocks from our home in the city neighborhood of Eastwood. Ellie B’s nose was down as we strolled past the halfway point in our walk. My eyes were down, too. And I spotted a couple of coins…

The lid is off our baseball season

Opening day was a success in Syracuse Thursday afternoon. Even though the Syracuse Chiefs lost the game to 4-1 to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. As the season unfolds, victories for the Triple A-affiliate of the Washington Nationals will indeed become important. But on this opening day, of more significance was the fact that 6,661 fans showed…

A concert for learning from Grupo Pagan

Over 20 years, I’ve admired Edgar Pagan the man and Edgar Pagan the music maker. The Syracuse band leader of Grupo Pagan is once again bringing both sides of his generous personality together to present “Bringing the World Together in Syracuse 2014.” The show starts at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 5, at The Palace Theater…

Does a major league player deserve paternity leave?

Daniel Murphy missed the first two games of the New York Mets baseball season. He took paternity leave because his wife delivered their first child early on opening day. He gets three days off to share in the joyful family milestone. It’s written into the agreement between management and the players union. And yet there’s…

My blogging friend Angie originates the Angel Award

From the bluegrass music capital of Owensboro, my blogging friend Angie consistently and persistently produces smart and sassy work with her Kentucky Angel’s Train Wrecks blog. Angie is the type of writer who can rap somebody on the knuckles and have them wait an hour or two before deciding that it hurts. This dogged and…

I’m not a big fan of foolish pranks

Now that we’ve made it to April 3, I’m pretty sure I’ve now gone another year without somebody either scaring the crap or making an ass out of me. I am not a fan of April Fools jokes. I saw the big pile of posts about the April 1 tradition on Monday and thought to…

New York State Blues Festival back with big lineup

After a year off to retune the organization and format, the New York State Blues Festival has announced a big and impressive lineup for a two-day return, July 18 and 19 in Clinton Square in Syracuse. Media relations representative Julie Briggs sent out the list of performers today. Coming to play the free-admission event in…