October | 2019 | The Theodore Newsletter

ON PURELY, CHASTE, PRISTINE AND RANDOM THOUGHTS XXVIII

October 1, 2019

Hard to believe. The 28^th! Here’s another 25 thoughts of yours truly.

It’s a new football season, but I still maintain that Eli Manning is the most overrated and luckiest individual to play the game of football…ever! The football Giants are toast if they don’t go with another quarterback.
Had contact with a recently graduated college basketball player who confirmed that two players on his team were paid. Now get this…he attended a mid-major
The Mets failed us once again. I thought nobody could be worse than Terry Collins. I was wrong.
I maintain that the bulk of the media continues to peddle lies and distortions.
Mets reliever Diaz doesn’t deserve the bad press. I believe he has the highest swinging strike ratio in the league – and that is an excellent measure of how good a pitcher is.
Just returned from a 3-day visit to Saratoga Springs. It was my 63^rd year in a row. Lost some money but had a great time with the family. Finally had dinner at 15 Church Street; it was a unique experience.
Recently met democrat Judy Bosworth, Supervisor of the Town of North Hempstead, and was impressed…so much so that I might vote for her next time around. Ditto with Councilman Pete Zuckerman.
It’s World Series time. The Mets are dead but I’m still alive with the Yankees (ugh!) and the Braves.
My new book on “Water Management” will be out before the end of the year.
Mary still gets mad at me when I ask the maître d’ at an upscale restaurant: “Are franks and beans on the menu?”
Winter is just around the corner, and I’m not looking forward to it.
Lost Richie Dreyer (St. Francis), one of my players, last month. He brought a toughness that was lacking on my Killeen’s Tavern basketball team. He mellowed in his old age and did some wonderful things for AA.
I believe that one of our nation’s biggest problems is that family life has been displaced by government subsidies for far too many people.
Travel by any mode is terrible in Manhattan. Ditto Brooklyn.
Visited Quebec City in late June to attend the annual Air & Waste Management conference and presented two papers. Loved the Canadians and what a great city.
When are baseball pitchers going to wake up and figure out that the key to success is to not walk anyone and batters realize to go the other way when the shift is on?
Only got to Lot #6 at Jones Beach twice this year. I still maintain it is the most beautiful beach in the world.
The New York Racing Association seems hell-bent on destroying thoroughbred racing at Belmont Park. I paid for a season pass but won’t be going back this year; it simply isn’t an enjoyable day anymore. The level of incompetence of this organization is beyond belief. Hello Nassau OTB. I’ll have more to say about this in January.
The level of hatred for de Blasio continues to mount; it is almost as bad as that for Trump.
Still involved with developing potable (drinking) water processes via the desalination route, but have recently extended my work to include non-desalination methods. This has really been exciting work.
Traveled to Monmouth Racetrack (twice!) with several of my players. We visited my dear friend Steve “The Greek” Panos, the toughest Greek since Alexander the Great. I am forever indebted to Steve for probably saving my life during a riot at one of our basketball games in 1963.
It’s all Greek to me. I still love lamb and pastitsio.
Recently attended a Kourtakis (maternal) family reunion in New Jersey, and it was just great. Some of us reminisced about life growing up in New York City.
Dear friend and noted sports historian Arthur Lovely keeps hitting the nail on the head with his “every day is a blessing”
My new quote to those close to me? “I hope misfortune follows you but never catches up.”