story
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Interborough Rapid Transit Company
I was 18 years old in August of 1974, sitting on the #3 train out of Flatbush Avenue one morning, on my way into New York City. It’s called the #2 train now. No one knows why. The car I was in was fairly crowded with well dressed passengers on their way to work. All Continue reading
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The Spanish Lottery
Mothers tend to be older than their kids, but my Mom was closing in on 40 when I was born, so she was always a lot older than me. In the late 1990s, she was 80 years old; already an old lady. But that didn’t mean she was any less tough than she was when Continue reading
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Deconstruction Project
In June of 2015, New York City began the demolition and replacement of several bridges along the Belt Parkway in south Brooklyn. It was a massive endeavor. The bridge over Mill Basin differed from the one over Paerdegat Basin in that it was a draw bridge, and quite longer. It was also in really poor Continue reading
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My Favorite Hobby
What is your favorite hobby or pastime? What I like to do is fix up store shelves. I can’t help it. My kids ridicule me. Their kids ridicule me. My wife makes believe she doesn’t know me. But having retired after almost 50 years in retail, I cannot help it. I especially like it when Continue reading
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Peculiar People
I have been jogging along a path located next to the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn for more than 20 years. By nature, I am a very friendly person, so I always enjoy greeting the people whom I pass along the way. “Good morning!” I always say, cheerfully. Sadly, some people choose to ignore me. When Continue reading
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The Good Book
Pretending that I’m interested… I was five years old in 1961 and not yet in school: this meant that wherever my mother went, I went as well. One winter’s day she decided a trip to the library was necessary, so off we went in our green, 1957 Chevy Bel Air to pick my Grandmother up Continue reading
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I Just Can’t Take It!
I was 30 years old when the Mets finally reached the World Series in 1986, and I knew someone with season seats. So he had something I needed real bad. Tickets. We had fallen out of touch, but in such a situation I would not allow that to stand in my way. I was a Continue reading
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My Aunt Phyllis
My Aunt Phyllis was a real intellectual. Very highbrow. She had extremely high standards, as well as impeccable taste. All you had to do was ask her; she would have been happy to tell you. She would often exhibit a condescending attitude, which contributed to the unfortunate fact that by the time she was in Continue reading
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The Best Father’s Day Ever
Pitching Game Two In Style…. Okay! It’s Father’s Day once again and we at PhilYouIn have counted and recounted your votes and have finally arrived at the third annual Best Father’s Day blog winner! Enjoy! (The vote was close. Honorable mention to the unforgettable runner up, “Carpet,” about the time Mike gave me a carpeted Continue reading
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Fairy Tale
There is a bronze statue in Coney Island, in front of the Mets’ Minor League, Class A baseball stadium. It depicts a famous incident that occurred in 1947. It seems that Jackie Robinson, in his rookie year as the very first Black player in Major League Baseball, was on the receiving end of some merciless Continue reading
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Every Day Is Mother’s Day
Like most people with Moms, I always tried to make a big splash on Mother’s Day. Mailed a card three days early, to make certain it would arrive on time. Went to visit, with flowers. Took Mom out for dinner. I felt if I slipped up in the slightest, I would be in lots of Continue reading
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We Don’t Need Another Hero
In our country, everyone is created equal. What happens in the ensuing nine months, and then after birth, is up for debate. As the great Muhammad Ali said, you just need the right connections. And the right complexion. James Rodney Richard (JR) pitched alongside the legendary Nolan Ryan for the Houston Astros, and he regularly Continue reading
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It’s A Terrible Thing To Waste…
The mind works in funny ways. Well, mine does, anyway. My mind seems to dwell on peripheral events, not the main ones. My friend and I went backpacking across Europe after our first year of college. It was 1974; we were 18 years old. The plan was to stay for six weeks, or for however Continue reading
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Money Isn’t Everything
I see that Facebook and Instagram and Lowe’s and McDonald’s as well as several other companies are curtailing diversity and equality in their hiring practices. They suddenly don’t support it anymore, out of fear of retribution from the President. Out of fear that he will cause them to make a bit less than their customary Continue reading
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Run On
People park their cars on the sidewalk and run through red lights and stop signs and they block bus stops and when you cross the street if a car doesn’t get you a bicycle or a motorcycle surely will and I wish I had a cold Gatorade to drink right about now doesn’t matter the Continue reading
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The Waiting Room
My wife had a doctor’s checkup scheduled the other day on Long Island. We left the house an hour before the appointment time; it was a 45 minute drive. As I was driving up the Southern State Parkway, I began to think about the WNBA. How the players never, ever dunk the ball. It’s not Continue reading
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The Most Famous Person I Ever Met
Who is the most famous or infamous person you have ever met? In the late 1970s I was walking up 6th Avenue one afternoon and passed a crowd of people in front of Sam Goody (a record store chain), a block south of Radio City Music Hall. It was like they were waiting for someone. Continue reading
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The Nursing Home
Ever wish you could go back and change one thing you did in your life? Just one? My grandmother suffered a severe stroke in 1979 and after ten days in the hospital, she was transferred to a nursing home on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. We thought it was fortunate that she could be Continue reading
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Unbreakable
By the time I was four years old, I had learned not to get caught doing anything wrong. My mom had no reservations about sending a quick slap my way if she thought my behavior called for it. And when I seemed too happy playing with my toys, my big brother was always too happy Continue reading
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Fickler Bunch
Top 5000 Mets Fan Favorites October 2, 2024 T0p 5000 Mets Fan Favorites October 3, 2024 Continue reading
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Fickle Bunch
Top 5000 Mets Fan Favorites September 2021 4999. Vince Coleman 5000. Francisco Lindor Top 5000 Mets Fans Favorites September 2024 5000. Vince Coleman Continue reading
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How often do you walk or run? You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Continue reading
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Concussed
They sure make a big deal about concussions these days; strict protocols in all professional sports, bike helmets for everyone, etc. It all comes a bit too late for me. It is commonly believed that after three concussions, a person has “a higher risk of declining brain function, including memory loss, later in life.” What Continue reading
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Under Pressure
One summer day when I was six I went food shopping with my mother. My grandmother couldn’t come to watch me that day, so I had to go wherever my mother went. We walked to Nostrand Avenue, where all the stores were situated. First stop, Ebinger’s bakery for a small rye bread, then to the Continue reading
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Jaws
I had two very different problems with my customers. First, they could spend hours hanging out in my store, bending my ear about the dumbest things. Their genius children. The weather. Religion (ugh). This made it difficult for me to get any work done. So, I made it very clear to all of my employees: Continue reading
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