Life & Deaths

From nypost.com, edited by yours truly: Here’s a cold shot for those who fear America is headed toward civil war. On Saturday in Tacoma, Washington, an armed man was firebombing a building and vehicles. Police shot him dead after he attempted to set off a large propane tank connected to a facility. Antifa social media accounts subsequently identified their fallen “comrade” as Willem Van Spronsen. Just as scary is the silence of the mainstream media, and the politicians who defend the group.

Great headline at nypost.com: “Dems insist ‘no one is above the law’ — — except illegal immigrants.”

Headline at foxnews.com: “Wasp spray used as meth alternative in West Virginia.” The world never gets dull, does it?

RIP Elijah “Pumpsie” Green, 85, the first black to play for the Red Sox, the last MLB team to integrate, 1959. As kids we loved that name and it frequently made its way into conversations. He himself doesn’t know the origin of the nickname, which his mom gave him. In five MLB seasons he batted .246 with 13 home runs and 74 RBIs. He was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2018. I know that move was a bow to political correctness, but it was still cool. If there’s a Hall of Fame for nicknames, that one certainly belongs in it.

Yesterday I mentioned a recent death among many others that have occurred. This morning I realized how Steve, who I hadn’t seen much of in decades, touched my life, and I felt like the self-absorbed idiot I too often am. His family lived across the street and five houses over from ours on Bay 37th. He was my second oldest niece’s date to her prom. I’m pretty sure she was the love of his life, although she never considered him more than a friend. A stellar musician, he helped Tanya pick out my 25th birthday gift in 1975, a Yamaha acoustic guitar I still play just about every day. Back then I was a big fan of Led Zeppelin, and Steve taught me a bunch of Jimmy Page’s riffs as well as Stairway to Heaven, the blues scale and Paul McCartney’s beautiful lead on And I Love Her. I warm up using various parts every time I sit down to play. Steve also was the first to record my youngest niece’s husband, Ron, a terrific banjo player, in his basement studio, and he gave Ron Jr. a lesson on electric guitar while on an excursion to New Jersey. His mom was sweet. I believe she’s still alive. Late in life, she and my sister became friends through our parish’s church, St. Mary’s. RIP, sir. Thank you.

So much for Rory McIlroy having an advantage playing the British Open on his home course in Northern Ireland. He’s eight over, 50th place, after round one. Tiger Woods didn’t fare much better. He’s plus-seven, tied for 44th.

The weather cooperated, providing a break from the heat, but the public didn’t. For the first time in months the floating book shop had no sales or donations.

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