I Guess

I guess Barbara Walters never interviewed Pelé. I guess she really would do anything to get an interview.

In 2022, from the world of sports, we lost baseball legends Eddie Basinski, Tommy Davis, Joe Horlen, Vin Scully, Lee Thomas, Maury Wills, Bruce Sutter, Gaylord Perry, Curt Simmons, Tom Browning and Denny Doyle; and former Yankees Bill Short, Gerald Williams, Ralph Terry, John Ellis, Gordie Windhorn, Bill Burbach, Héctor López, Jack Reed, and the aforementioned Gaylord Perry.

We lost pro football legends Erich Barnes, Marlin Briscoe, Ross Browner, Ken Burrough, Dave Butz, Gino Cappelletti, Len Dawson, Johnny Grier, Ray Guy, John Hadl, Franco Harris, Dave Herman, Lionel James, Charles Johnson, Gary Knafelc, Daryle Lamonica, Don Maynard, Hugh McElhenny, Gary Moeller, Brig Owens, Don Perkins, Marvin Powell, Dan Reeves, Tony Siragusa, Jim Sweeney, Bob Talamini, Charley Taylor, Charley Trippi, Jerry Vainisi, Clarence "Pooh Bear" Williams and Rayfield Wright.

We lost basketball legends Bill Russell, Joe B. Hall, Lusia Harris, Bill Fitch, Bill Lienhard, Jackie Robinson (not that one: This was the last surviving player from the 1948 U.S. Olympic Team), Tom Young (who coached Rutgers to its only Final Four season in 1976), Elnardo Webster, Gene Shue, John Drew, Bob Lanier, Lennie Rosenbluth, Pete Carril, Tiffany Jackson, Luke Jackson, Paul Silas, former team owner and Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown Jr., and broadcaster Fred Hickman.

We lost hockey legends Mike Bossy and Guy Lafleur. And we lost soccer legends Paco Gento, Wim Jansen, Uwe Seeler, Siniša Mihajlović, and, of course, Pelé. 

From show business, we lost actors Sidney Poitier, Monica Vitti, William Hurt, Ray Liotta, James Caan, Louise Fletcher, Angela Lansbury, Robbie Coltrane; directors Peter Bogdanovich, Ivan Reitman, Wolfgang Petersen and Jean-Luc Godard; singers Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes, Meat Loaf, Gary Brooker of Procol Harum, Judith Durham of The Seekers, Olivia Newton-John, Loretta Lynn, Jerry Lee Lewis, Irene Cara, Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac; rapper Coolio; composer Vangelis; fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and fashion journalist André Leon Talley.

From statecraft, we lost Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Northern Irish peacemaker David Trimble, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, Queen Elizabeth II of Britain, former Chinese Premier Jiang Zemin, and former Pope Benedect XVI.

And from other walks of life, we lost paleontologist Richard Leakey, sculptor Claes Oldenburg, astronaut James McDivitt, and, as said, journalist Barbara Walters.

At any rate, in the words of the immortal Colonel Sherman T. Potter: "Here's to the New Year: May she be a damn sight better than the old one, and may we all be home before she's over."

*

Days until the next Arsenal match: 0, as it's about to kick off, a Premier League match, away to Brighton & Hove Albion. The Arsenal remain top of the League, after resuming League play after the World Cup.

Days until the New Jersey Devils again play a local rival: 7, a week from today, at 1:00 PM, home to the New York Rangers.

Days until the next North London Derby: 15, on Sunday, January 15, 2023, at 11:30 AM New York time, at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. As expected, this game was rescheduled, from the previous day, to fit the whims of the TV networks. 

Days until the next game of the U.S. National Soccer Team: 25, on January 25, at 10:00 PM New York time, an international friendly, home to Serbia, at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.

Days until the next New York Red Bulls game: 56, on Saturday, February 25, away to Orlando City. Under 2 months.

Days until the Yankees' Opening Day: 89, on Thursday, March 30, home to the San Francisco Giants. This will be the 1st Yankee game to be both an Opening Day and an Interleague game. Under 3 months.

Days until the Red Bulls again play a nearby rival: 126, on Saturday, May 6, home to the Philadelphia Union.

Days until the Yankees' next series against the Boston Red Sox begins: 160, on Friday, June 9, 2023, at Yankee Stadium II. Under 7 months.

Days until the next Women's World Cup opens: 191, on Friday, July 10, 2023, jointly held in the neighboring nations of Australia and New Zealand. A little over 6 months.

Days until the next East Brunswick High School football game: Unknown, since we won't know the 2023 schedule for months. It could be as soon as Friday, September 1, which would be 244 days. A shade over 8 months.

Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge game: Also unknown. It could be the season opener. At least, after this year's game was at the purple shit pit on Route 9, next year's game will be at home.

Days until the next Rutgers University football game: 245, on Saturday, September 2, home to Northwestern. A little over 8 months.

Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State football game after this one: 322, on Saturday, November 18, 2023, at a time to be determined, at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. Under 11 months.

Days until the next Summer Olympic Games: 573, on Friday, July 26, 2024, in Paris, France. A little over a year and a half, or a little under 19 months.

Days until the next Presidential election: 675, on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Under 2 years, or a little over 22 months.

Days until the next elections for Governor of New Jersey and Mayor of New York City: 1,039, on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. Under 3 years.

Days until the next Winter Olympics open in Milan, Italy: 1,113, on Friday, February 6, 2026. A little over 3 years.

Days until the next World Cup opens: 1,255, on Monday, June 8, 2026. Under 3 1/2 years.