Playing Catch

Adam Wade, thank you for a terrific hour of conversation about our love for sports and J Geils.

http://adamwade.com/

Most of all, thank you for reminding me that in our lives the best moments, our greatest memories, have nothing to do with stadiums, ballparks, uniforms, organized leagues. All those things are meaningful in their own way, but as you pointed out, what matches your Dad buying you the Pete Rose book on hitting at Caldor's? Or you playing ball with an aluminum bat with the older guys, day in, day out, them letting you younger guys play for years, what tops that? Playing catch with your Dad or your brother, Matt?

My strongest sports memory today: my sandlot 83rd Street team winning the rag tag whiffle championship in 1973 at Rhinelander's Settlement House on 88th St, and having Whiffle Ball Commissioner, John Stanton, with his biblical beard present us with the Whiffle Ball Championship trophies on the ball field facing Nagel Funeral Home on 87th Street in front of half the neighborhood's kids, including a bunch of girls I'd love to date? We had ten starters, not nine, because a guy had to play the roof of the two story building in dead center, the roof was in play.

After we won the whiffle ball championship game we marched down to Carl Schurz Park on the East River with a shopping cart full of records and Eddie Ekis's stereo. We plugged the stereo into an electrical outlet at the base of a light pole near the Hockey Field and rocked out with The J Geils Band until the cops chased us out of the park around midnight.

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you can listen to last night's show ~ cut & paste the link below into your url:

mms://nick9.surfernetwork.com/CBNFiles/Yorkville 9.7.10.WMA

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You can see Adam perform next Monday night:

Mon Sept 13th 2010 ~ 7:00pm - 8:30pm

Horse Trade Presents
*Time Out New York Critic's Pick*
"THE ADAM WADE SHOW"
Special Guest: Peter Aguero
Theater Under St. Marks
94 St. Mark's Place
$5

I'm reading for We Three Productions @ Bar 82 @ 136 Second Avenue @ 8pm on Sept 13th (same night, stinky). We Three reading series was formerly at the late great Telephone Bar, R.I.P. Next week, my radio guest is a wonderful writer, Coree Spencer. Sit on a stoop and please listen in.

She Started It

Dad captured my first argument with a girl.
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Barbara threw the Spauldeen lousy and the ball went up on a roof and rolled down into the gutter. The one week rental in Putnam county didn't have a ladder. The ball was lost. It took a long time for me to stop being mad at Barbara. I didn't talk to her for a good half hour.
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Below, Mom and Nan Rode at Putnam in 1960 ~ can you feel the love? Look at the puss on Nan knitting. They spent their lives together at war over Dad and family control. Nan was bossy. How bossy? I'll bet you a thousand dollars my grandmother, Ann Pryor Rode, could have gotten Madonna to go to the store for her, and then made Madonna rotate her stock in the pantry and refrigerator. And then Madonna would have asked, "Is there anything else you need Mrs. Rode?" And there always was. "Help me put up the drapes, Madge." And Madonna would, and she would have come back for more. They all did.
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Everybody's pissed. Someone was always pissed at somebody else in my family. My job was to figure out how to navigate the rearranged alliances. I got pretty good at it, but Nan Rode always screwed me up.

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Below is the cornerstone for the Eastside Settlement House facing the FDR Drive at 76th Street. Built in 1903, it was the second settlement house. It had a grass hill that led down to the East River. My grandmother, uncles, aunts, father & mother haunted that place. It had everything a kid could want. My parents, Pat Ryan and Bob Pryor were the Lindy Dance Champs at the Settlement House.

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Above, Dad & Mom, Patchogue, 1962.

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July, 1961, Dad, Allie Cobert and Mickey Fiorillo from 84th Street between York & East End Avenues. They are standing three stores down from the Old Timers Tavern on the east side of York Avenue at 83rd Street & 84th Street. The awning in the back is Parker's Grocery Store. That's Reliable Meats directly to the right. Mickey married Barbara my Mom's sister, he's my uncle. Allie was family, we loved him.

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Found this great picture of Rory at the start of first grade with a date on the back, November 18, 1962. This is right after the Cuba Missile Crisis. The kids don't look worried. It's recess! They're drinking their milk snacks, and the odds are pretty good I sold it to them, because by third grade I was going class to class as a toast and milk salesman.

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I know the three girls next to Rory on the left, but I only know them like this: the pretty brunette in the front was Bernadette's sister. Bernie was one year ahead of me at St. Stephen's of Hungary. Kenny Devoe loved her, or maybe it was Michael Sorenson. Behind her is Tina Harangazo, Rory's first girlfriend, she was so cute. A perfect symmetrical face. Behind Tina, is Joey Scrapits sister. Joey was in my grade and he's now a doctor. I never caught the sister's name but she was pretty and quiet..

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Here's Pilgrim Hill today at 72nd Street, looking down at what we called Sailboat Lake but park officials called the Conservatory. Starting at the Pilgrim statute this was the best sleigh ride in Central Park.

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I can't dress. Never could.

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Not in first grade, look at my tie. Not when I was 7, look at my zipper.

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As a man, I've failed to meet the minimum sartorial standards for looking good. Please see the evidence in my picture with Mayor Bloomberg and NYCHA Chairman Tino Hernandez, examine the bottom shirt bottom near my belt.

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But I could always ride a horse. This is in front of Lamston's on 1st Avenue in 1959. Every time, I saw a dime with Mercury on it, I thought about this ride. It was my favorite thing on earth when I was five.
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