P.A. Love from the NY Times

Here I am sitting at my post as public address announcer for the New York Yankees. I have a low key style as do most PA guys in baseball. The sport doesn't need the cheerleader type of announcer that is very popular in the National Basketball Association. The New York Times has a great story about that type of PA guy. Check it out. If you don't want to read the entire article, click on the audio bites on the left side of the page.

Two Parks - Two Views

The two views of the new stadiums for New York's Major League teams appears to show Yankee Stadium dwarfing Citi Field, the home of the Mets. And that's the way it really is.





Yankee Stadium is a shrine to the team's rich history and a home to the largest payroll in baseball.





Citi Field - and that name seems to evoke a more pastoral setting- is new as well, but seems to elicit much less awe and wonder than the new Yankee

Stadium. The Mets have heard from their fans that the team's history is not reflected much in the building itself. The fact that the owner of the team has said the design is based in large part on his childhood memories of his favorite team - the Brooklyn Dodgers - isn't sitting well with some people. But the Mets say they'll adorn their home with pictures of former players in prominent locales around the park soon. And a new museum will done justice to the days of Straw, Doc, The Kid, Casey, and Tom Terrific.

Orange Juice

This is a simple, uncluttered shot of a glass of orange juice. It's sitting on a faux wood table and the fake wood grain pattern helps lift the scene out of the ordinary. The bottom of the glass - with its roundness - flows with the waves of the 'grain' of the table.

As usual, click on the picture for a larger version.

C'mon and Take a Free Ride

I didn't notice the guy riding on top of the Roosevelt Island tram until I looked at this picture much later in the day. I'm guessing he is a maintenance man who is checking the cables or something up there. To him, it's probably a routine thing, but if I'm surfing a tram car like he is, I'm having a great time. What a view and if he falls (I'm sure he was tethered to the car) it's a long way to the East River and the big splash he'd make into the chilly water.

In need of Fuel

An egg white omelet is the anchor for this meal while I was looking for a place to live in Brooklyn, New York. Looks pretty healthy. The fruit bowl was free because - as it was explained to me - the orange juice was from a carton and not fresh. That's one way to get return business. Turns out this place - Union Smith Cafe - is right around the corner from my new apartment in Carroll Gardens.

Her Heart might be in San Francisco ... but not her Umbrella

This New Yorker is keeping dry while apparently thinking of the weather on the west coast. It was 72 degrees in San Francisco while the weather in NY was ... well, lousy. About 48 degrees and rainy. No baseball Monday with the bay area's Oakland Athletics in town. But Tuesday is supposed to be nice so the umbrellas will be put away for another few days at least.

Sunday at St. Patrick's

It's been a big week in New York for the region's Catholics. First, the Yankees won six of their last eight games including Sunday when an instant replay decision went in their favor (Divine intervention?) and a new Archbishop, the Most Reverend Timothy M. Dolan. was installed Wednesday at the Cathedral of Saint Patrick on 5th avenue where the second Sunday of Easter was observed. The construction of St. Patrick's - to replace the first St Patrick's Cathedral - was started in 1858 and completed in1878. The viewpoint inside the church is called the nave or the central approach to the alter.

Throwback in NY

One of the great attractions in New York is the battle among the department store window dressers. Usually it's the holiday time of year when all of the stores show their best windows. But on a 75 degree April day, Bloomingdale's went all disco for passersby to enjoy. Not only were the mannequins decked out in party clothes, speakers played tunes with that familiar thumping beat on the street. And disco balls caught the light and scattered the reflections. I personally don't remember anybody being hanged upside down in those days, but I was on the west coast at the time. Maybe it's an eastern thing.

Just Wait a While

After the Yankee's first win in their new stadium, happy fans headed - en masse - for the number 4 subway train platform. As you can see, there was a long line of folks with the same idea. But for most train riders, this scene is routine and still beats sitting in a bigger traffic mess in a car.

But those of us who decided to wait out the crowds were rewarded with an uncrowded ride back to Manhattan. This lady looks a little tired from cheering the Yankees to victory over Cleveland. The sunlight hit her just right as I snapped the photo and provided a nice glow to her otherwise impassive expression. And, judging from the empty refreshment cups she's holding, maybe she's ready to take the rest of the evening to recover because the next game is coming up soon.

Eat Your Favorite Team

On a recent trip to New York, I stopped in one of the many bodegas on the upper east side, to get a sandwich and a drink. I spotted the signs for some specialty sandwiches and I bet the fans of the New York football Giants are feeling left out. One of the great things about New York is that you can get these type of sandwiches at anytime of the day or night in many different places. It's as if every store is also a deli. Where would I go in Los Angeles to get a Dodger?

Looks Like a Nice Place to Work

I've never needed to wash dishes for a living. I've sold shoes, I've flipped burgers (most of the patties ended up on the floor) and I've even sold office supplies over the phone. But washing dishes was never something I've had to do. I feel for people whose only option is such a job. But I guess they don't want anybody feeling sorry for them ... they just want a job. Does the smiling neon Sun make the 'help wanted' sign any more inviting?

State Your Case

It's the rare case when I'm out driving that I see a vanity plate that I can - A: Understand and B: Have some connection to its meaning. Wednesday evening I saw these two plates that fill both bills. First, Rush - the three man Canadian rock band - is one of my favorite groups. I've seen them in concert twice. Their drummer -Neil Peart - is also the lyricist for the group and a very good writer of books about his motorcycle travels around North America.

The other plate reminds me of where I'll probably be spending quite a bit of time this summer. Rush is about due to hit the concert trail again and if they play 'Nu Yawk' I'll be there.

An Unnatural Motion

With the new baseball season here, I'm reminded the way most pitchers throw the ball is not so good for their arms. This South Korean pitcher at the recent World Baseball Classic puts a lot of strain on his shoulder and elbow and it wouldn't be a shock if he finds himself having surgery one of these days. It's no longer unusual for high school pitchers to have arm surgery thanks to throwing curveballs and sliders before their arms are strong enough for such pitches.

Downtown Los Angeles Needs More Buildings

After spending time in Manhattan with all those buildings crowded in close to one another, I look at downtown Los Angeles and I see empty spaces. But after a few days of getting use to the view again, I'll probably feel L.A. is dense enough.

Lighting the Way

While waiting to board a flight from New York's Kennedy Airport, I went to a restaurant in the ultra-modern Jet Blue terminal and I saw this lighting fixture. Kind of a distant cousin to the disco ball. The reflective strips and the silver balls all catch the morning light and really brighten the area. As usual, click on the picture for a larger version.

Dressed for Success

My last day in New York was spent behind the public address microphone at the new Yankee Stadium. Our booth was warm- it was chilly outside. The Yankees beat the Cubs again and New York begins the regular season Monday in Baltimore. I have ten days before I come back to NY to possibly finalize a new job. By the way, Bloomingdale's is having a sale on cuff links. Normally $50, I got a pair for $19 dollars. Now ... if they only sold gasoline and food at that kind of discount.

Victory Night

This is the view from the subway platform outside the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. The weather cooperated - the rain let up enough- and the first game in the ballpark was played in front of 48,402 fans on Friday April 3, 2009. The Yankees beat the Cubs 7-4 in an exhibition contest. And a new era of baseball in New York was started ... in more ways than one.

Day and Night in New York

After a day of rain, the weather turned sunny for the opening of new Yankee Stadium. The ballpark - a quiet mass of concrete, glass, iron and steel before people were allowed in - became a living, breathing monument to baseball with all of the necessary sights and sounds in attendance as well.


Some of those fans might have laced up their ice skates and headed over to Rockefeller Center's rink for some night gliding in from of the famous Prometheus statue. The guy on the right was a very good skater and his

flashing and blinking blades drew the attention his was seeking as he undulated as if he was in a trance around the ice.

The View from 19A

On my way back to New York - the second of three trips in a three and a half week period - we flew over the Utah-Colorado border. There's not much color in the landscape which make the giant fork in the center with its tentacles branching out all the more interesting to me. It's a cold slice of America in early spring. Who's up for a hike?

The Arrow is Wrong

I'm heading to wherever the palm tree is located. This is one of those stop-light quickies. I saw it, I had the camera ready and I took one shot before the light changed. By the way, having a camera on the passenger seat helps traffic lights change from red to Green quicker. There's a mathematical formula for it.