by John Walters
STARTING FIVE
RESPECT (Just A Little Bit)
Hey nineteeen, that’s ‘retha Franklin/You don’t remember the Queen of Soul…
Detroit’s own Aretha Franklin, vocal giant, passes at the age of 76. Among her hits: “Chain Of Fools” “Think” “A Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel Like), “I Say A Little Prayer” and of course, “Respect.”
2. Who Stole The Mets?!?
Jose Bautista, washed up in Toronto earlier this season, had 7 RBI in yesterday’s win
On Monday, a season-high five home runs in an 8-5 win against the Yankees. On Wednesday, a then season-high 16 runs against the Orioles. Yesterday afternoon, a franchise-record 24 runs (on 25 hits) against the Phillies.
The Mets have 66 hits in their past four games. Is this the same team that surrendered 25 runs to the Nats on July 31st? Or the one who in May scored 2 or fewer runs in 13 games? The headline: “Famine Or Feast In Flushing.”
Worth noting: The Mets being the Mets, they did beat the Phils 24-4 but then lost the nightcap of the doubleheader, 9-6. Two games, 30 runs, one day, one win, one loss.
3. Sam Or Teddy
Rookie Sam Darnold started in a preseason game for the New York Jets last night. He was 8-11 with no touchdowns and one pick. Teddy Bridgewater, late of Minnesota and missing a season with injury, relieved and went 10-15 with a TD pass and a pick.
Will there be a divided locker room in Florham Park? Too early to tell, but the Jets did trade away the store to take Darnold at No. 3. Sooner or later, he’ll be their Namath. Or at least that’s what they’re banking on.
4. Free Medical School!!!
NYU: Prognosis Positive
No, it’s not a joke. Thanks to gifts from donors, including a $100 million donation from Home Depot founder Kenneth Langone, New York University Medical School is offering its students FREE TUITION, effective immediately (man, are those students who signed up for that four-year military scholarship gonna be chapped).
Tuition at NYU was $55,000 per year, not covering room and board, but in an announcement during first-year orientation yesterday, the school announced that it would be FREE. I mean, can you imagine hearing that if you were a student?!?
Personal side note: A good friend of ours attended NYU med school and in the middle of his final year dropped out to join the world of private equity. He’s barely over 30 years old now and doing very, very well. Part of the reason NYU is doing this is because it’s seen too many smart young people pursue other fields (private equity, finance, etc.) that are more lucrative without having to start out in a $250,000 hole (and that’s excluding undergrad loans).
p.s. Think about how many applications NYU is going to receive this fall.
5. The Last Blockbuster
There already were more than enough good reasons to visit lovely Bend, Oregon (we suggest the mountain biking), but did you know it is also home to the last Blockbuster store on earth? For most of us, our last view of a Blockbuster was when Kim Wexler went on a relaxathon binge after her auto accident at the end of Season 3 of Better Call Saul. But that was supposed to be a clever homage to the year 2003. Turns out one can still go and rent the DVD of Jurassic Park, if that’s your thing.
Music 101
I Say A Little Prayer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtBbyglq37E
What a voice.
Remote Patrol
Vietnam
Netflix
If you missed Ken Burns’ exhaustive and illuminating 10-part documentary on the Vietnam conflict when it originally aired on PBS last September, now you can see it all here. It’s a modern history lesson that may not go well with the “America First” crowd. For example, did you know that Ho Chi Minh quoted Thomas Jefferson when he declared independence for his country from the country that had occupied it, France, for a century?
“You’re a no good… heart breaker
You’re a liar… and you’re a cheat
And I don’t know WHY
I let you do these things to me.
My friends keep telling me
That you ain’t no good
But oh, they don’t know
That I’d leave you if I could
I guess I’m uptight
And I’m stuck like glue
Cause I ain’t never
I ain’t NEVER, I ain’t NEVER, no, no (loved a man)
(The way that I, I love you)”
After RESPECT, this is my fave record of Aretha’s. Somehow, I didn’t hear it until I was 19 or 20 & from the very 1st time, it gave me goosebumps. Still does. “Ain’t NEVER, I ain’t NEVER, no, no… loved a man… the way that I..I love you”. Damn.
Apparently, some Rolling Stone writer trashed this record back in the day. Hunh, if that writer is still alive, his/her pay should be CLAWED BACK!
Was too late to comment yesterday, but re: Medium Happy’s 6th anniversary:
Man, time flies. Shortly before JW started writing here, I came across his Twitter by way of a retweet from Bruce Feldman. Be it the content in the Tweets or Fozzie Bear profile picture, I started following John and, subsequently, annoyed him with Tweets of my own. At the time, I was a sophomore in High School and, painfully, misused “their” & “there” or would write terrible run-on sentences.
John never condemned me or called me out for being stupid, but instead offered constructive criticism. Through the years, I have annoyed John often and haven’t always lived up to my word, yet he still offers tips and support.
For me, Medium Happy encompasses more than just a blog. It shows the talent of one individual and their love for writing. It showcases what is possible when someone just follows what they enjoy doing, without having a known outcome on the other end. This site balances the silly with the serious and offers us a viewpoint that doesn’t bend at the will of controversy.
John once told me to not take life too serious, and it is the best advice he has ever given me. We are lucky enough to view that advice practiced by the preacher here. I come here every morning and will continue to do so until John rides off into the sunset with all his AMZN $$.
In a world where there are many ups and downs, this site has been there everyday. As a reader, thank you. As a pupil, thank you.
I also want to thank JW for his astounding commitment to Medium Happy. This site is a testament to speaking your truth and the daily exploration of good and evil, delivered with authenticity, humor and a lexicon that transcends America’s appetite for 140 character sound bites.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T.