Spring football, Syracuse style

The powers that be would love for Syracuse football to catch on in popularity that could compare with national champion Florida State, big-time power Clemson and other college-crazy environments in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Maybe someday. Not today. At the annual spring game that closes this off-season segment of college football practices, a couple thousand…

Now and then

Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle and I passed this pretty little corner of a neighbor’s front yard this April 19 in our morning walk through the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood. Nice looking pine backed by a lawn yearning to turn green. Rather unassuming, though, right? But does it look vaguely familiar? The last time…

We still like Ike

My dear wife Karen noticed the words on one of the TVs over the bottles at our neighborhood sports bar Chadwick’s first. Mets Trade Ike Davis to Pirates, the Friday happy hour sports news show revealed. “Oh, no,” Karen said, pointing to the volume-muted flat screen. We were sad. We liked Ike Davis. Big bat…

Now you are the beholder

The symmetry of spring cleanup caught me eye quickly this morning as Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle and I started our loop around the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood. Across the street from the home I share with my dear wife Karen, four neighbors had placed bags from outdoor spring cleaning at the curb for…

What say you about my depth, breadth and selection?

I had great hopes earlier this week when I clicked the clicks, filled out the blocks, and sent my request to take part in Blogging 201 away to the powers that be at WordPress. It’s coming up on 14 months since I started this blog. Blogging U, you say? OK, I’ll try it. Except they…

When that school newspaper came off the ditto machine, I was hooked

My writing quest goes back to the days of the ditto machine. It was the eighth grade. I loved sports. I tried out for the junior high basketball team. I made it to the final cut before Coach Herb Friedman did not call out my name. We lived in a big school district on Long…

A throwback to what made my father happy

One look at this photo, and memories of what brought my father Frank joy smack me in the back of the head. Yeah, sometimes he’d do that, too, figuratively, with just one of his parental death stares. But not when we were tooling around the village of Stony Brook. Our father was proud of this…

Aw, shucks, I’ll accept that I’m still versatile

I let two weeks go by and I can hardly remember what awards have come my way of late. I do know the first thank you goes to Amanda Lyle, author of the endlessly interesting Inside the Life of Moi blog. Give that link a click, and Amanda’s work is sure to amuse you. And…

A snowy spring hiccup

That is not the sight I wanted to wake up to on April 16 in Syracuse, N.Y. Not when just a day ago when I took a good, long look at this garden in our city neighborhood of Eastwood front yard, I was noting the yellow flowers of this forsythia that’s the cornerstone of the…

How’d you like to see B.B. King play guitar for free?

Every time this gentleman walks to a stage to perform, he’s introduced the same way. He’s played a lot of shows and heard a lot of introductions. And, really, he’s a man whose recognizable face, ringing guitar sound and gritty vocals need no introduction. That’s “Mister B.B. King” to you and me. There’s been a…