December 7, 2004

Hello, Hello (Hola!)

    Saturday night we had a double-header. I went with Tara to her friend Theresa's apartment in Jersey
City. She was having a holiday party. This apartment was unreal. From her terrace you could see right
across the Hudson into lower Manhattan. And Theresa cooked all the food herself, which included
stuffed mushrooms, penne ala vodka, vegetarian lasagna, and hot chicken wings.
    It was a mellow party, very quiet. I spent most of the time there chatting with our friends Kim and
Brian. We were there for about an hour, then it was on to part two.-The Rambling House in the Bronx, for
Patti-Ann's birthday.
    We actually got to the Rambling House before the rest of the crew. There was a U2 cover band
playing there, so we were guaranteed good music.
     Then they all came in. Patti-Ann, George, Caroline and her friend Shannon. Then Kerry and Lizzie, then
Mary and Sheila and in a complete surprise, Emily E. Cody and Sheelagh Fitzpatrick
       I also got to see Patti-Ann's cousin LeAnn and Noreen from Long Beach. Everyone was in good
form and nothing really crazy happened. Patti-Ann's birthday has traditional been a night of craziness.
(Remember last year outside the place in Little Italy with that dancing Santa?) But in another sign that
we're all getting older, it ended up being relatively laid back.
   We split around 2:15, and we drove Sheelagh and Kerry back to Manhattan. Meaning in addition to
having a great time, I got to do a good deed as well.
ROID RAGE

    Before I get into the whole steroid issue, I just want to point something out. Every newspaper in NY,
(including, actually especially my own) has said that by taking steroids, Jason Giambi has disgraced the
Yankees, and that the Yankees should let him go because he doesn't represent what the Yankees are all
about.
C'mon, do I have to explain this all again?
    The Yankees have had all sorts of drunks, womanizers and lowlifes wear their uniform. An editorial in
the Post begged George Steinbrenner (himself a lying scumbag):
"As you ponder your decision George, think of Lou Gehrig, think of Thurman Munson, think of Derek
Jeter. What would decent men like that have you do."
I say for every Lou Gehrig, there was a Babe Ruth, an overweight womanizer. For every Thurman Munson,
there was Reggie Jackson, arguably one of the most selfish players in baseball history. And for every
Derek Jeter there is David (perfect I'm not) Wells. So please spare me the speech that has the Yankees
more noble than the Boy Scouts.

    Now that I got that off my chest, Jason Giambi has joined the ranks of fellow junkies Darryl
Strawberry and Dwight Gooden as lying sacks of sh-t. Baseball in particular and sports in general are
filled with liars. Giambi at least had the common sense not to lie to the grand jury.
    One of the steroids that Giambi confessed to taking was clomid, a female fertility drug. According to
several medical experts, clomid taken by men, can cause cancer of the pituatary gland
You don't say?
    So now the Yankees are looking to get rid of him. Now call me a cynic, but does anybody else here
think that the Yanks looking to get out from under Giambi's contract has less to do with the fact that he
admitted to taking steroids than the fact that he hit .203 last year?
Me neither
   

Bernie Kerik nominated as Homeland Security Chief.

    I had (and still have) my issues with Rudy Guliani. But I always respected Bernard Kerik, even when I
disagreed with some of the things he did as commissioner.
    Most of the police commissioners we've had in this city have been business suits with administration
backgrounds. Kerik is a cop's cop, a man who went toe to toe with some of the biggest scumbags this
city has had to offer. He went undercover to bust the biggest druglords, went into areas where shootings
were commonplace and helped get them cleaned up. I don't for one second doubt his toughness, or his
ability to enforce the law.
    My concern is that Kerik is taking over a department that is still relatively new, with over 10,000
employees. There is still the problem of sorting out which groups (like the CIA and FBI) get to handle
which cases. As much as I'd love to see a man go from rags to riches, I wonder if the job would be
better served by a person with more administrative experience.
     Maybe I'm underestimating Kerik, and if I am, I'll be the first person to admit I screwed up. If he
succeeds, I'm sure it will inspire other great people who got their degrees from the school of hard
knocks rather than Harvard.

Two amazing people celebrate birthdays this week. Woodsy on Thursday and my mom on Friday. Happy
Birthday !!!!!!

Sorry for the delay. Have a Great Week
Billy G