52 Pickup

And so it has come to pass that, against tremendous odds, I have reached the age that matches the uniform numbers of CC Sabathia, Mike Webster, Ray Lewis, Jamaal Wilkes and Adam Foote.

I'm so old. (How old are you?) I'm so old, I can remember when the New York Yankees were owned by a man who said, "Winning is second to me, only to breathing" -- and ran the team as if he believed it.

I can remember when Michigan beating Ohio State in football was a common occurrence.

I can remember when Donald Trump was considered a mostly harmless egomaniac.

Last night, I visited the site of many memories, my alma mater, East Brunswick High School in Middlesex County, New Jersey. It was the 1st basketball game of the 2021-22 season. My first event there since I began the hip replacement process. I was a bit unsteady on the bleachers. And nobody recognized ne, although that was understandable, due to the mask mandate.

Nevertheless, it was good to be back, and to see the redevelopment with the new pennant-type banners. Da Bears played arch-rival Old Bridge, and won, 64-48.

I've seen a lot. I wish I'd seen less of that. I wish I'd seen more of other things.

But I'm still here. All the crap that's been thrown at me hasn't stopped me yet. I'm still walking (with some difficulty), and I'm still talking, and I'm gonna keep at it until I no longer can.

As Lou Gehrig, who didn't even get within 14 years of my current age, said, "I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for. Thank you."

*

Hours until the next Arsenal game: 5, at 12:30 this afternoon, New York time, away to Leeds United of Yorkshire.

Hours until the next game of the U.S. National Soccer Team: 8, at 8:00 PM Eastern Time tonight, a friendly against Bosnia & Herzegovina (that's 1 country), at Dignity Health Sports Park, in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, home of MLS' Los Angeles Galaxy.

Days until the New Jersey Devils again play a local rival: 26, on Thursday, January 13, 2022, against the New York Islanders at the UBS Arena at Belmont Park.

Days until the next North London Derby: 29, on Sunday, January 16, 2022, at 11:30 AM New York time, at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Under 1 month.

Days until the 1st Baseball Hall of Fame election for which Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz will be eligible, and we will know for sure whether known steroid use keeps a player out, or if it's only been a Yankee who's accused of it that does: 38, on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. Under 6 weeks.

Days until the next Winter Olympics open in Beijing, China: 48, on Friday, February 4, 2022. Under 7 weeks.

Days until the next New York Red Bulls game: 70, on Saturday, February 26, 2022, away to the San Jose Sharks. Just 10 weeks.

Days until the Yankees play another game that counts: 103, on March 31, 2022, away to the Texas Rangers.

Days until the Red Bulls again play a nearby rival: 105, on Saturday, April 2, 2022, away to the New England Revolution.

Days until the Yankees' home opener: 110, on Thursday, April 7, 2022, against the Boston Red Sox.

Days until the Yankees' next series against the Boston Red Sox begins: See the previous answer.

Days until the next Rutgers University football game: 259, on Saturday, September 3, 2022, away to Boston College.

Days until the next East Brunswick High School football game: 265, on Friday, September 9, 2022, against arch-rival Old Bridge. Hopefully, our home field, under renovation through the entire 2021 season, will be ready, so we don't have to go back to the purple pit.

Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge game: See the previous answer.

Days until the next elections for the U.S. Congress and for the Governors of most States in the Union, including New York and Pennsylvania: 325, on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. Under 11 months.

Days until the next World Cup opens: 338, on Friday, November 21, 2022, in Doha, Qatar. A little over 11 months.

Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State football game: 343, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, November 26, at 12:00 noon, at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey. A little over 11 months.

Days until the next Women's World Cup opens: 569, on Friday, July 10, 2023, jointly held in the neighboring nations of Australia and New Zealand. A little over a year and a half.

Days until the next Summer Olympic Games: 951, on Friday, July 26, 2024, in Paris, France. A little over 2 and a half years.

Days until the next Presidential election: 1,053, on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Under 3 years.

Days until the next elections for Governor of New Jersey and Mayor of New York City: 1,417, on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. Under 4 years.

What the World Was Like When I Was Born

December 18, 1969, 50 years ago today: Yours truly was born at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, Essex County, New Jersey. This is what the world was like at the time:

There was an American League team in Washington, D.C., and it wasn't the Nationals, it was the Senators. There was also an American League team in Washington State, in Seattle, as there is now, but it wasn't the Mariners. It was the Pilots, who would, before the next season dawned, fill a 4-year void (save for a few "home games" in 1968 and '69 by the Chicago White Sox) and become the Milwaukee Brewers. The Houston Astros were in the National League. There were still minor-league teams in Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, Miami and the Tampa Bay area.

There were black players and Hispanic players in Major League Baseball, but no Asian players, and no designated hitter. Only the Astrodome in Houston had a roof, and it was not retractable. There was no regular-season Interleague Play.

The Pilots/Brewers, the Kansas City Royals, the Montreal Expos, and the San Diego Padres had all just debuted, and, between them, lost 411 games that season. The Baltimore Orioles won 109 games, a match for the most games won between 1954 and 1998... and still lost the World Series.

Every major league ballpark had lights except Wrigley Field in Chicago. But only one, the Astrodome, had artificial turf.  That would soon change, as, the following season, multipurpose stadiums would open in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh with the plastic stuff, and in Philadelphia a year after that, while St. Louis, San Francisco and, strangely, Comiskey Park in Chicago would all put it down for a few years, before tearing it back up and replacing it with real grass.

But, for the moment, there were still 11 of the 24 teams playing in ballparks built before World War II, and 7 of them built in 1912 or earlier.  Indeed, there were still 3 ballparks standing -- Comiskey, Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia (formerly Shibe Park) and Forbes Field in Pittsburgh -- that had hosted not just Cy Young Award winners, but Cy Young himself.

Of the 24 ballparks used by MLB teams that year, only 9 still stand, and only 5 are still in use by the teams then using them: Fenway, Wrigley, Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium in the Los Angeles area, and the Oakland Coliseum. Still standing but no longer being used by an MLB team: Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington (scheduled for demolition in 2021), San Diego Stadium (now SDCCU Stadium) and the Astrodome (dormant, its future uncertain).

The only NFL team still in the same stadium they were in for the 1969 season are the Green Bay Packers (Lambeau Field). The Los Angeles Rams and Oakland Raiders left the ones they used for 1969, and returned, but both are about to leave again, the Rams for a dome in suburban Inglewood, the Raiders for Las Vegas.

From the NBA and the NHL combined, only one arena remains from the 1969-70 season that was being played: Madison Square Garden in New York, then billed as "the New Madison Square Garden Center," but now older than the "Old Garden" that it replaced.

Major League Baseball celebrated the 100th Anniversary of professional baseball, with an all-time team that proclaimed Babe Ruth "Baseball's Greatest Player Ever" and Joe DiMaggio "Baseball's Greatest Living Player." Also on their list of greatest living players, but like Joe D no longer living today, were George Sisler, Charlie Gehringer, Joe Cronin, Pie Traynor, Ted Williams, Bill Dickey, Lefty Grove and Bob Feller. The only one still alive from that team is Willie Mays, still active at that time.

The National Football League celebrated its 50th season (the next year would be its 50th
Anniversary) with an all-time team, with members like Johnny Unitas, Sammy Baugh, Marion Motley, Don Hutson, Forrest Gregg, Mel Hein, Gino Marchetti, Leo Nomellini, Ray Nitschke, Dick "Night Train" Lane and Emlen Tunnell. All of these men were then all still alive. Unitas, Gregg and Nitschke were still active. All of them are now dead.

The NFL, in the process of being merged with the AFL, and had a combined total of 26 teams. There was a team in Baltimore, but it wasn't the Ravens. There was one in St. Louis, but it wasn't the Rams. There was one in Houston, but it wasn't the Texans.

The Boston Patriots had yet to move out to the suburbs and became "the New England Patriots." The Patriots, 49ers, Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers had yet to win any World Championships. The Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers did not exist, nor did the Baltimore Ravens under that name. Between them, those teams have now won 29 Super Bowls.

Some of the NFL's founding fathers were not only still alive, but still involved: George Halas with the Chicago Bears, Art Rooney with the Steelers, and Dan Reeves with the Rams – no relation to the Cowboys running back of the same name, later to be head coach of the Broncos, Giants and Atlanta Falcons. 

The defending World Champions in the 4 major sports were the Mets, the Jets, the Boston Celtics and the Montreal Canadiens. Yes, the Mets and the Jets were both World Champions, and the Knicks were about to be. Stop laughing. The Jets had actually won a title before the Knicks, who were now -- if you didn't count the American Basketball Association's New York Nets, out on Long Island -- the only New York team without a World Championship. But that would soon change.

The Heavyweight Championship of the World was split following Muhammad Ali being stripped of the title. The World Boxing Council (WBC) recognized Joe Frazier as Champion, while the World Boxing Association (WBA) recognized Jimmy Ellis. On February 16, 1970, they settled things at Madison Square Garden. Having never been knocked down (though he had been defeated), Ellis was knocked down twice in the 4th round, and the referee stopped the fight before the 5th, and Frazier was Champion. He really settled things at The Garden a year later, beating Ali.

What were the defining baseball players of my childhood doing at this time? Reggie Jackson had just finished his 2nd full season, in which he hit 47 home runs. Thurman Munson and Carlton Fisk had recently made their big-league debuts.

Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan had helped the Mets to their Miracle – but, at this point, if you had bet then that neither one would ever win another World Championship, people would have laughed at you. (Of course, at that point, they also would have laughed if you had then bet that Ryan would win more games in the majors than Seaver.) Steve Carlton had recently struck out 19 Mets in a game, setting a new National League record -- and losing, because Ron Swoboda hit 2 home runs.

 
Pete Rose won his 2nd straight NL batting title, and his Cincinnati Reds teammate Johnny Bench had a pretty good season, but they hadn't yet won their 1st Pennant, Cincinnati's 1st since 1961. That would come the next season. Willie Stargell had just become the 1st player to hit a home run completely out of Dodger Stadium. Rod Carew had just won his 1st American League batting title. Carl Yastrzemski hit 40 home runs and drove in 111 runs, but his Red Sox had already changed significantly from their "Impossible Dream" Pennant team of 2 years earlier.

Mike Schmidt was still playing at Ohio University (not to be confused with The… Ohio State University, whose football team had just blown a 2nd straight National Championship by getting upset by arch-rival Michigan), and had yet to face a professional pitch. George Brett was still at El Segundo High School in Los Angeles County.

The head coaches of the major league teams then playing in the New York Tri-State Area were Ralph Houk of the Yankees, Gil Hodges of the Mets, Alex Webster of the Giants, Weeb Ewbank of the Jets, Red Holzman of the Knicks, York Larese of the Nets, and Emile Francis of the Rangers. Only Francis is still alive. The Islanders wouldn't begin play for another 3 years, the Devils for 13, the Red Bulls for 26, the Liberty for 27, NYCFC for 45.

Of the current coaches of the Tri-State Area teams: Barry Trotz of the Islanders was 7 years old. So was Domenec Torrent of New York City FC, who was just relieved of his duties, but his successor has not yet been named. Mike Miller of the Knicks was 5, Pat Shurmur of the Giants was 4, David Quinn of the Rangers was 3, and Kenny Atkinson of the Nets was 2. Aaron Boone of the Yankees, Carlos Beltran of the Mets, Adam Gase of the Jets, Katie Smith of the Liberty, Alain Nasreddine of the Devils and Chris Armas of the Red Bulls weren't born yet.

The Olympic Games have since been held in America 4 times, Canada 3 times; Japan, Russia and Korea twice; and once each in Germany, Austria, Bosnia, France, Spain, Norway, Australia, Greece, Italy, China, Britain and Brazil. The World Cup has since been held twice each in Mexico and Germany, and once each in America, Argentina, Spain, Italy, France, Japan, Korea, South Africa, Brazil and Russia.

The University of Texas had just beaten the University of Arkansas to win yet another college football "Game of the Century," and would beat Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl to win the National Championship. It was the 1st time Notre Dame had accepted a bowl bid since their "Four Horsemen" went to the 1925 Rose Bowl. The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) was about to win its 4th straight National Championship in college basketball, their 6th overall, and this time without a dominant center.

UCLA's recently-graduated dominating center, Lew Alcindor, was winning the NBA Rookie of the Year with the Milwaukee Bucks, who got him because they finished tied with the Phoenix Suns with the worst record in the NBA the season before (each club's 1st season), and the tie was broken when… the Bucks won a coin toss. Unfair? Perhaps: The Bucks did get a title out of it, in 1971, but haven't won one since. The Suns have never won one, although, like the Bucks, they've usually been good. Soon after that title, Alcindor changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

There were then 25 Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. There was, as yet, no Environmental Protection Agency, Title IX or legalized abortion. The Stonewall Riot had happened less than 6 months earlier. 

Richard Nixon was President of the United States. Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson were still alive. So was the widow of Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had died earlier in the year. Gerald Ford was the Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives. Jimmy Carter was a former State Senator in Georgia, about to run his 2nd, much more successful, campaign for Governor. Ronald Reagan was in his 1st term as Governor of California. 

Keep smiling, Tricky Dick. We know how the story ends.

George Herbert Walker Bush was a Congressman from Texas, and his son George had entered the Texas Air National Guard. Apparently, it was okay for him and his father to support the Vietnam War even if he didn't have to actually fight in it. Bill Clinton did not support the war, and managed to avoid service through means that, if not entirely ethical, were, at least, legal. He was then a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. Hillary Rodham had just entered Yale Law School. Barack Obama was in grade school.

Donald Trump was at the University of Pennsylvania, having gotten 5 deferments, including one for bone spurs in his heel, not that anyone believed that. Joe Biden, who got a deferment due to asthma, had just gotten elected to the New Castle County Council in Delaware. Nancy Pelosi was working for San Francisco-based Congressman Philip Burton, whose seat she would win in 1986. Her brother, Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., like their father before them, was then Mayor of Baltimore.

Trump actually had decent hair then.

He was still an indecent person.

The Governor of New York was Nelson Rockefeller, having made 3 unsuccessful runs for President. The Mayor of New York City was John Lindsay, who had just been denied renomination by the City's Republican Party because of his poor handling of snow removal during the blizzard earlier in the year. But he ran as a 3rd-party nominee and won a 2nd term anyway.

The Governor of New Jersey was Richard J. Hughes, about to wrap up his 2nd term. Former Governor Robert B. Meyner had tried to get the office back, but lost to South Jersey Congressman William T. Cahill, who became the State's 1st Republican Governor in 16 years (8 of Meyner, 8 of Hughes).

There were still living people who were veterans of the Indian Wars, the Mahdist War, the Northwest Rebellion; competitors at the 1st modern Olympics in 1896, and in every World Series except those of 1905, 1906 and 1907.

The United Nations' International Labor Organization had just be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Pope was Paul VI. The current Pope, Benedict XVI, then Father Joseph Ratzinger, was teaching in his native Germany, at the University of Regensburg. There have since been 8 Presidents of the United States, 8 Prime Ministers of Britain and 4 Popes.

Canada's Prime Minister was Pierre Trudeau. He was young (51), dashing and charismatic. It was as if John F. Kennedy was singing lead for the Beatles – in French. Canada, as I said, now had its 1st Major League Baseball team, the Montreal Expos. And a group called The Guess Who had just become Canada's biggest rock band ever (to that point). For the first time ever, Canada was hip. Especially if you were an American worrying about being drafted. 

Elizabeth II was Queen of England -- that still hasn't changed -- but she was just 43 years old. Britain's Prime Minister was Harold Wilson. The English Football League season that was underway would be won by Everton, the "other club" in Liverpool, and the FA Cup, for the 1st time, would be won by London's Chelsea.

Queen Elizabeth, 43, looking a bit like my grandmother did at that time.

Prince Charles, 19, looking a bit like I did at the same age.

In the season that ended earlier in the year, the League was won by Leeds United, and the FA Cup was won by Manchester City, the defending League Champions, beating Leicester City 1-0 on a goal by Neil Young – no, not that Neil Young.

AC Milan, led by perhaps Italy's greatest player ever, Gianni Rivera, won their 2nd European Cup by beating Ajax Amsterdam, led by 21-year-old wunderkind Johan Cruijff. Ajax and their "Total Football" would be back, big-time. The current season's European Cup would be won by the other major Dutch team of the time, Rotterdam's Feyenoord.

Major novels of the year included The Godfather by Mario Puzo, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton, The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles, Portnoy’s Complaint by my fellow native of Essex Count, New Jersey, Philip Roth, Rich Man, Poor Man by Irwin Shaw, and The Seven Minutes by Irving Wallace (about a novel, of the same title, that was "the most banned book in history," containing a woman's thoughts during 7 minutes of sex).

There was also Naked Came the Stranger by Penelope Ashe. This was a name used for a composite of 24 authors (supposedly, 19 men and 5 women), conspiring to see if a novel could be really, really bad, but still sell big if it had a lot of sex scenes in it. This was a truly late-Sixties kind of experiment – and it worked.

Major non-fiction books included the career-launching memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and the career-launching historical work Mary, Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser.

J.R.R. Tolkein was still alive. Tom Clancy, rejected by the U.S. Army due to poor eyesight, had gone to work for an insurance company. Anne Rice was a graduate student at the University of California, having witnessed the People's Park demonstration earlier in the year. Stephen King was at the University of Maine. George R.R. Martin was at Northwestern University. John Grisham was in high school in the Mississippi suburbs of Memphis. J.K. Rowling was 4 years old, and living in Winterbourne, Gloucestershire, in the West Country of England..

No one had yet heard of John Rambo, Spenser: For Hire, George Smiley, The Punisher, Rocky Balboa, T.S. Garp, Arthur Dent, Jason Bourne, Hannibal Lecter, Celie Harris, Kinsey Millhone, Jack Ryan, Forrest Gump, John McClane, Alex Cross, Bridget Jones, Robert Langdon, Bella Swan, Lisbeth Salander or Katniss Everdeen.

The films On Her Majesty's Secret Service (George Lazenby's debut, and farewell, as James Bond) and Anne of the Thousand Days (starring Genevieve Bujold as Anne Boleyn and Richard Burton as King Henry VIII) were released on the exact day that I was born. The Adam West version of Batman
had been canceled a year and a half earlier, and Bob Holiday, in the 1966 Broadway musical It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman, was the most recent live-action Man of Steel. Jon Pertwee was about to begin playing The Doctor.

"My name is... wait, this never happened to the other fella."

Other films out at the time were the film version of Hello, Dolly! with Barbra Streisand; They Shoot Horses, Don't They?; The Undefeated, a Western starring John Wayne and Rock Hudson; and Change of Habit, with Elvis Presley playing an inner-city doctor (seriously) who unintentionally tempts a nun played by Mary Tyler Moore. It was Elvis' last feature film, and it's one of his better ones. It was also the 1st time that Mary worked with Ed Asner, with The Mary Tyler Moore Show yet to come.

Reminding The Beatles, and everybody else,

who's King around here, anyway.

In 1963, Elvis had appeared in It Happened at the World's Fair. This film was the film debut of Kurt Russell, 11 years old at the time of filming. In 1969, Elvis' character in Change of Habit was named John Carpenter. In 1979, Russell played the King of Rock and Roll in the TV-movie Elvis. It was directed by John Carpenter (his real name), who would also direct Russell in a few other films, including The Thing.

George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola had just founded American Zoetrope Studios, but Lucas had yet to make a full-length feature film. This was also then true of Steven Spielberg. Martin Scorcese had made 1, Who's That Knocking At My Door? Michael Douglas was 25 years old, and filming Adam at Six A.M. His future wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, was almost 3 months old. No one had yet heard of John Shaft, Leatherface, Damien Thorn, Howard Beale, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger.

Television shows that debuted in that season included Room 222, Marcus Welby, M.D., Medical Center, The Brady Bunch, and kids' shows Sesame Street, H.R. Pufnstuf and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? From Britain came the debuts of Monty Python’s Flying Circus and The Benny Hill Show.  

Zoinks!

Star Trek aired its last first-run episode 6 months earlier. As series star William Shatner put it, "We all thought it was over!" As series creator Gene Roddenberry put it, "Six weeks later, man landed on the Moon. Suddenly, traveling to space didn't seem all that strange anymore." The original show was a victim of timing.

Or was it? It was soon picked up in syndication, and, like The Honeymooners before it and The Odd Couple after it, also shown on New York's WPIX-Channel 11, it gained a massive following that it never got on its original network.

That didn't help Roddenberry -- at least, not yet. He had just gotten divorced, and had just seen his pet project get canceled, had sworn he would never write for television again, and was now writing a sexploitation film, Pretty Maids All in a Row. Despite being directed by Roger Vadim, and starring Rock Hudson, Angie Dickinson, Telly Savalas, Keenan Wynn, Roddy McDowell, Star Trek veterans James Doohan and William Campbell, and future The Secrets of Isis star Joanna Cameron, it flopped upon its 1971 release.

No one had yet heard of Keith Partridge, Archie Bunker, Kwai Chang Caine, Fred Sanford, Bob Hartley, Theo Kojak, Arthur Fonzarelli, Barney Miller, Basil Fawlty, J.R. Ewing, Mork from Ork, Jake and Elwood Blues, William Adama, Arnold Jackson, Ken Reeves, Mario and Luigi, Derek "Del Boy" Trotter, Sam Malone, Christine Cagney and Mary Beth Lacey, He-Man, Edmund Blackadder, Goku, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Thundercats, Bart Simpson, Hayden Fox, Zack Morris, Dale Cooper, The Seinfeld Four, Buffy Summers, Fox Mulder, Andy Sipowicz, Doug Ross, Alan Partridge, Ross Geller and Rachel Greene, Xena, Ash Ketchum, Carrie Bradshaw, Tony Soprano, Jed Bartlet, Master Chief, Jack Bauer, Omar Little, Michael Bluth, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Rick Grimes, Bette Porter, Michael Scott, Don Draper, Walter White, Jax Teller, Richard Castle, Leslie Knope, Sarah Manning, Jane "Eleven" Hopper and Maggie Bell.

Robert Kardashian was in law school, Bruce Jenner was playing college football in Iowa, Kristen Mary Houghton was about to turn 14, and none of them knew each other yet.

The Number 1 song in America on the day I was born was "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" by Steam. They were not a real group, just a bunch of studio musicians, and the song is better known by its chorus: "Na na na na... Na na na na... hey hey hey, Goodbye!"

The month before, and it was the only month in which it would ever be true, both Elvis and the Beatles had Number 1 hits: Elvis had "Suspicious Minds" and the Beatles had the double-sided hit "Come Together" (written by John Lennon) and "Something" (which Frank Sinatra would call "the greatest love song of the last 50 years" after hailing Lennon and Paul McCartney as great songwriters, even though it was written by George Harrison).

Ironically, the one who this photo was said to have "proved" he was dead,

and is holding a cigarette, in this photo, is still alive.

The Supremes also had their last hit with Diana Ross, and it would become their last Number 1: "Someday We'll Be Together." Led Zeppelin had their highest-charting single (in the U.S., anyway), "Whole Lotta Love." Sinatra had hit with Paul Anka's song "My Way." Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington were still alive and performing. Bob Dylan had hit with his country-themed album Nashville Skyline, Johnny Cash had a variety show on ABC, and each helped the other's comeback when Cash invited Dylan to appear on his show.

The Jackson 5 had just had their 1st hit, putting Michael Jackson into the national consciousness for the 1st time. David Bowie was riding the success of "Space Oddity." Elton John released his debut solo album, Empty Sky. Bruce Springsteen had just formed a band named Steel Mill, Billy Joel one named Attila.

Hippies were all the rage, although they would have been shocked that it would take until 2012 for recreational marijuana use to be legal in any State. The gay rights movement had really kicked off in June, but at the time, I don't think anyone involved expected that gay marriage would be legal in their lifetimes, in even a few States.

A noted photo from Woodstock, August 17, 1969. Bobbi Kelly and Nick Ercoline.

The same couple now. They married in 1971, and are still together.

Inflation has been such that what $1.00 would buy then, $6.82 would buy now. A U.S. postage stamp was 6 cents. A New York Subway token was 20 cents. The average prices of a gallon of gas was 35 cents, a cup of coffee 42 cents, a McDonald's meal 79 cents (49 cents of that being the recently-introduced Big Mac), a movie ticket $1.20, a new car around $2,300, and a new house $28,100. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed that day at 783.79.

Photo of unidentified people taken from Ellis Island, 1969.

Note the original World Trade Center under construction.

The tallest building in the world was the Empire State Building, but the World Trade Center complex was under construction. There were no portable telephones, unless you count car phones. Only about half of American homes had color television sets. There were no video games -- there were arcades, but they were still based on pinball machines, as told in The Who's rock opera of that year, Tommy.

There were artificial kidneys, but no artificial hearts. There were birth control pills, but no Viagra.

Credit cards were still a relatively new thing, and the 1st automatic teller machine in America had just gone into operation. There were no tabletop, let alone desktop or laptop, computers. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Tim Berners-Lee were all 14 years old. But at least then, we could legitimately say, "We can put a man on the Moon, so why can't we... ?"

Toward the end of 1969, the first draft lottery of the Vietnam War era was held. The 1st Boeing 747 made its maiden flight, from Seattle to New York. Black Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark were assassinated by Chicago police officers. Labor leader Jock Yablonski was assassinated on the order of a rival.

And 2 people were murdered at a rock concert at the Altamont Speedway in California's East Bay region, while the Rolling Stones sang "Gimme Shelter," thus providing both a stark contrast to Woodstock 4 months earlier and a painful end to the 1960s for rock and roll fans.

Joseph Kennedy Sr., and Josef von Sternberg, and Ruth White, an actress from Perth Amboy, New Jersey who had recently appeared in Midnight Cowboy, died. (She was 55 and had cancer, while the others were much older.) Shawn Carter (a.k.a. Jay-Z), and Kristy Swanson (the 1st Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and Julie Delpy were born. And, on the exact same day that I was born, so was a Major League Baseball player, Joe Randa, a 3rd baseman who played from 1995 to 2006, mostly for the Kansas City Royals.

Joe Randa

That's what life was like when I was born, on December 18, 1969. It was a different time.

Aren't they all?

New Jersey Five-O

December 18, 1969, 50 years ago: Yours truly is born at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, Essex County, New Jersey.

The neat thing about being born that week was that it was the only time that the American music charts had an Elvis Presley single and a Beatles single in the Top 5 at the same time: Elvis had "Suspicious Minds," which had hit Number 1 in early November; and the Beatles had the double-sided hit "Come Together" and "Something." which had hit Number 1 in late November.

I wouldn't mind turning 50, or being old, or having people think I'm old, or having people think I'm out of touch due to my age (which is often the case), if it wasn't for the pain that comes with advancing age.

All right, let's get the jokes out of the way. Uncle Mike is so old! How old is he? I actually have a record collection. I not only have records by the King of Rock and Roll, I have records by the King of Prussia. I not only have records by the Queen of Soul, I have records by the Queen of Sheba. I not only have records by John, Paul, George and Ringo; I have records by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

I not only have records by Jefferson Airplane, I have records by Jefferson Horse & Buggy. I not only have records by the Captain and Tennille, I have records by the Midshipman and Tennille. I not only have records by Louis Armstrong, I have records by Louis XIV. I not only have records by Sonny & Cher, I have records by Daddy & Cher. I not only have records by Dolly Parton, I have records by Dolley Madison. I not only have records by Taylor Swift, I have records by Jonathan Swift. I not only have records by Lady Gaga, I have records by Lady Godiva. I not only have records by Carrie Underwood, I have records by Carrie Nation.

I'm so old, I used Preparation A and Absorbine Senior. I'm so old, my prom date wore Chanel No. 1, and I wore Latin Leather. I'm so old, I still think of the Six Million Dollar Man when I hear the name "Steve Austin." I hear "Demi," and I think Moore instead of Lovato. I hear "Selena," and I think Quintanilla instead of Gomez. I hear "Kylie," and I think Minogue instead of Jenner.

I'm so old, I remember when Exxon was called Esso, when Nissan was called Datsun, and when Beijing was called Peking. I'm so old, I remember when Czechia and Slovakia were one country; when Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Kosovo were one country; and when Germany was two countries.

I'm not quite so old that I can remember when the old Madison Square Garden and the old Penn Station were open. But I am so old, I can remember when the current Garden was referred to as "The New Madison Square Garden," and when the old World Trade Center was new.

I'm so old, I can remember when Pete Rose, O.J. Simpson, Joe Paterno, Bill Cosby and Robert Blake were beloved men on top of the world, and when Donald Trump was a man with a future. I'm so old, I can remember when Joe Biden had hair, and when Trump had good hair. (But not when Bernie Sanders had good hair.)

I'm so old, I can remember when unleaded gasoline was an option, and cheap. I'm so old, I can remember when McDonald's signs said, "Over 15 billion served." I'm so old, I can remember arcades having pinball machines, but no video games except Pong.

I'm so old, I can remember when a computer was too big to fit on your desk, and you couldn't take a telephone with you. Now, you can fit both in your pocket, and both can be the same machine.

I'm so old, I can remember when the last Superman was George Reeves, the last Batman was Adam West, the current Wonder Woman was Lynda Carter, there had never been a live-action Spider-Man, the current James Bond was Roger Moore, and the current Doctor Who was Tom Baker. I'm so old, I still call Star Trek: The Original Series "Star Trek," and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope "Star Wars." I'm so old, I can remember when Sesame Street had Mr. Hooper, but not Elmo.

When I was a kid, 1990 seemed like "the future." 2001: A Space Odyssey was a recent movie, and felt like the far future. It still does, since we don't have regular passenger flights to the Moon, or even into space.

I remember reading a comic book in which Batman busts a guy, and tells him, "You're going away all the way to the year 2020!" It seemed impossibly far away. Now, that year is days away.

I'm about to enter my 7th decade: 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s.

Friedrich Nietzsche was a great writer, but a lousy philosopher. That which has not managed to kill me these last 50 years has not made me stronger. But it has made me more appreciative of the things that have made me stronger.

I've put up with a lot of nonsense in 50 years. But I've also survived it. And I've had a lot of good times.

And there's been a lot of people who've helped me get that far. Some of you have done it time and time again. Some of you have done it only once. I still owe you my thanks. I could not have gotten this far without you.

I am well aware that I have a lot more yesterdays than tomorrows, and that tomorrow is promised to no one.

Fortunately, I've already been to 2 doctors this week, and, in spite of the deterioration of my leg joints, which may soon get the attention it deserves, my overall health is good.

I'm not going to sit here, and say, as Lou Gehrig did 80 years ago, knowing he was dying, that today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.

But I will say what he said at the end of that speech: I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for.

Thank you.

*

Some notable people with whom I share my birthday:

* The Good: Queen Christina of Sweden, 1626-1689, played in film by Greta Garbo; Charles Wesley, 1707-1788, missionary and hymn composer, brother of John Wesley, founder of the United Methodist Church, of which I am a member; John Hall, 1824-1907, Prime Minister of New Zealand 1879-1882, noted for extending voting rights; H.H. Munro, 1870-1916, Briitsh author who wrote under the pen name Saki; Edwin H. Armstrong, 1890-1954, inventor of FM radio; Fletcher Henderson, 1897-1952, jazz composer.

* Also Good; Abe Burrows, 1910-1985, author and humorist; Benjamin O. Davis Jr., 1912-2002, pilot, commander of the Tuskegee Airmen, the 1st black General in the U.S. Air Force; Willy Brandt, 1913-1992, Chancellor of Germany 1969-74; Ray Meyer, 1913-2006, Hall of Fame basketball coach at DePaul University; Betty Grable, 1916-1973, actress, the leading "pinup" of World War II; Ossie Davis, 1917-2005, actor and civil rights activist; Ramsey Clark, born 1927 and still alive, U.S. Attorney General 1967-69; Bill "Moose" Skowron, 1930-2012, Yankee 1st baseman 1954-62; Roger Smith, 1932-2017, actor, husband and manager of actress-singer Ann-Margret; Jacques Pepin, born 1935, chef; Chas Chandler, 1938-1996, bass guitarist for The Animals; Jean Pronovost, born 1945, hockey star; Steve Biko, 1946-1977, martyred South African civil rights leader; Steven Spielberg, born 1946, film director.

* Also Good: Leonard Maltin, born 1950, film critic; Ray Liotta, born 1954, actor; Brian Orser, born 1961, figure skater; Charles Oakley, born 1963, basketball player; Brad Pitt, born 1963, actor; Don Beebe, born 1964, football coach; Gianluca Pagliuca, born 1966, Italian soccer star; Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, born 1971, tennis player; Peter Boulware, born 1974, football player; Sia Furler, born 1975, singer; Katie Holmes, born 1978, actress; Christina Aguilera, born 1980, singer; Brian Boyle, born 1984, hockey player; and Billie Eilish, born 2001, singer, who recently said she didn't know who Van Halen were, and is probably better off if that was true.

* The Bad: Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, 1863-1914, heir to the Austrian throne, not a good guy, his assassination was the spark that set off World War I; Ty Cobb, 1886-1961, charter member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, but frequently a rotten guy; Allen Klein, 1931-2009, managed The Beatles into the ground; Marc Rich, 1934-2013, corrupt businessman; Keith Richards, born 1943, lead guitarist for The Rolling Stones, also managed by Klein; Steven Anderson, 1964, professional wrestler known as Stone Cold Steve Austin; Casper Van Dien, born 1968, actor (not a bad guy, just a bad actor); Earl Simmons, born 1970, rapper known as DMX.

* The Ugly: Josef Stalin, 1878-1953, Soviet dictator; and Robert Moses, 1888-1981, whose designs built bridges, roads, parks and beaches in New York State, but also devastated neighborhoods in New York City.

*

Days until my 50th Birthday, at which point I can join AARP and get discounts for travel and game tickets: None. It's today.

Days until the premiere of the final Star Wars film, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker: 2, this Friday.

Days until Arsenal play again: 3, this Saturday, at 7:30 AM New York time, in Premier League Group Stage action, away to Everton of Liverpool.

Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: 15, on Thursday night, January 2, 2020, against the New York Islanders, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The next game against the New York Rangers, a.k.a. The Scum, will be on Thursday, January 9, at Madison Square Garden. The next game against the Philadelphia Flyers, a.k.a. The Philth, will be on Thursday, February 6, at the Wells Fargo Center.


Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Derek Jeter: 34, on January 21. Under 5 weeks.


Days until the 1st Presidential voting of 2020, the Iowa Caucuses: 47, on Monday, February 3. Under 7 weeks. The New Hampshire Primary will be 8 days later.


Days until the Yankees' 2020 Opening Day: 99, at 1:00 on Thursday, March 26, away to the Baltimore Orioles. A little over 3 months. And now, it feels as though we can look forward to it.

Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 99, at 3:45 PM New York time on March 26, 2020, against the Netherlands, at Philips Stadion in Eindhoven, home of PSV Eindhoven.

Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": At least 100. None of their 1st 3 games will be against one of their regional rivals: The Union, New York City FC, D.C. United and the New England Revolution.

Days until the Yankees' 2020 home opener: 106, on Thursday, April 2, against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Days until the next North London Derby: 129, on Saturday, April 25, Arsenal's 1st visit to the new Tottenham Stadium, adjacent to the site of the previous White Hart Lane. A little over 4 months. It is currently scheduled to be on the 16th Anniversary of the 2nd time that Arsenal won the League at White Hart Lane -- but also the last time Arsenal won the League anywhere. Of course, for TV reasons, the game could be moved to another date, probably the next day.

Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 177, on May 8, 2020, at Yankee Stadium II. Under 5 months. 

Days until Euro 2020 begins, a tournament being held all over Europe instead of in a single host nation: 184, on Friday, June 12, 2020. Under 6 months.

Days until the next Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo, Japan: 219, on July 24, 2020. A little over 7 months.

Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 262, on Saturday, September 5, at noon, home to Monmouth University, a Football Championship Subdivision School in West Long Branch, Monmouth County, New Jersey. In other words, if they don't win this game overwhelmingly, especially now that Greg Schiano is back as head coach, it will look very, very bad. Anyway, under 9 months.

Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: Unknown, as the 2020 schedule has not been released yet. Most likely, the season opener will be against arch-rival Old Bridge, on Friday night, September 11, away at the purple shit pit on Route 9. That's 268 days.

Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge football game: See the previous answer.

Days until the next Presidential election, when we can dump the Trump-Pence regime and elect a real Administration: 321, on November 3, 2020. Under 11 months.

Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State football game: 346, on Saturday, November 28, at home. A little over 11 months.

Days until a fully-Democratic-controlled Congress can convene, and the Republicans can do nothing about it: 382, on January 3, 2021. A little over a year, or under 13 months.

Days until Liberation Day: 399, at noon on January 20, 2021. A little over a year, or just over 13 months. Note that this is liberation from the Republican Party, not just from Donald Trump. Having Mike Pence as President wouldn't be better, just differently bad, mixing theocracy with plutocracy, rather than mixing kleptocracy with plutocracy.

Days until the next Winter Olympics begins in Beijing, China: 779, on February 4, 2022. A little over 2 years, or under 26 months.

Days until the next World Cup is scheduled to kick off in Qatar: 1,069, on November 21, 2022, in Qatar. Under 3 years, or a little over 35 months.

Days until the next Women's World Cup is scheduled to kick off: As yet unknown, but probably on the 2nd Friday in June 2023, which would be June 9. That would be 1,269 days, a little over 3 1/2 years, or under 42 months. A host nation is expected to be chosen on March 20, 2020. Bids have bee put in by Brazil (South America has never hosted), Colombia (ditto), Japan (Asia last hosted in 2007), and a joint bid by Australia and New Zealand (Oceania has never hosted).

49

December 18, 1969, 49 years ago: Yours truly entered this demented slaughterhouse of a world we live in.

I am now well aware that I have more yesterdays than tomorrows. If the deaths of people I admired didn't prove it to me, my increasing arthritis would have done so.

I am also aware that I have accomplished very little in life, while the following people who did not live to the age of 49 -- living mostly within the 20th Century -- accomplished quite a bit more:

48: Harvey Milk, Whitney Houston
47: Judy Garland, Jack Kerouac
46: John F. Kennedy, Rocky Marciano, Freddie Mercury
45: Nat King Cole, Walter Payton
44: Michael Bennett, Steve Irwin
43: Natalie Wood, John Candy, Reggie White
42: Robert F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley, Gilda Radner, Gary Coleman
40: John Lennon, Terry Sawchuk, Pete Maravich, Paul Walker
39: Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, John Coltrane, Gus Grissom
38: Roberto Clemente, Harry Chapin
37: Medgar Evers, Bobby Darin
36: Marilyn Monroe, Bob Marley, Princess Diana, Steve McNair
35: Patrice Lumumba, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jonathan Larson
34: Yuri Gagarin
33: Sam Cooke, John Belushi, Chris Farley, Derrick Thomas, David Rocastle
32: Bruce Lee, Cass Elliot, Keith Moon, Thurman Munson, Karen Carpenter, Bill Hicks
31: Keith Haring, Cory Monteith
30: Stephen Biko, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes
29: Hank Williams Sr.
28: Heath Ledger
27: Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse
26: Otis Redding
25: Tupac Shakur
24: James Dean, Notorious B.I.G.
23: River Phoenix, Selena (Quintanilla-Perez, not Gomez -- she's already made it to 26)
22: Buddy Holly, Freddie Prinze Sr., Terry Fox, Aaliyah
21: Duncan Edwards
18: Ryan White

I didn't say all of these people were admirable, but they still accomplished more in their brief lives than I've done in my life.

*

The Number 49 has certain properties. It is 7 times 7, so it's a square number. It is 1 of only 2 numbers to be on the name of a major league team in North American sports, the San Francisco 49ers, named for the men who headed for California in the "Gold Rush" of 1849. The other is 76, for the Philadelphia 76ers, emblematic of the 1776 founding of the nation in that city, summarized as "the Spirit of '76."

Earl Cooper, Number 49 of the 49ers,

scoring a touchdown in Super Bowl XVI,

Silverdome, Detroit suburbs, January 24, 1982

It is also the number worn by football legends Tom Landry (yes, he played once) and Bobby Mitchell, and by many good pitchers: Yankee Legend Ron Guidry, Hoyt Wilhelm, Larry Dierker, Charlie Hough, Rob Dibble, Tim Wakefield and Jake Arrieta. If you consider auto racing a sport (I don't), Mark Green drives NASCAR's car Number 49.

It is also the number consecutive games unbeaten that Arsenal played in the Premier League from May 7, 2003 to October 16, 2004. As the song goes:

49, 49 undefeated!
49, 49, I say!
49, 49 undefeated
playing football the Arsenal way!

It should have been at least 50, but the opposition in the next game, being Manchester United, had to cheat.

This doesn't make me "undefeated," any more than it makes me a San Francisco 49er.

But it does mean I'm now 1 year away from 50, and all that that milestone means.

There's no guarantee that I'll see the end of my 50s -- or even the end of my 40s. I'm in reasonably good health in spite of all my aches and pains, but you never know. By my own count, I've come close to death at least 4 times.

But I also feel that I've got more reason to live than ever. I've got a new generation of Yankees, New Jersey Devils and Arsenal players to watch. A new generation of political activists, who are already showing my own generation how it should be done. And 3 amazing nieces, for whom 49 years old must seem an impossible number, one they could never reach.

One can hope that they will, and will one day look back on what they're doing now, and say, "Was I ever that young?"

You're only young once, but, if you do it right, once is enough.

I can't say that I did it right. But it got me to a point where I know what I'm doing, so maybe I did.

To paraphrase Lou Gehrig, only in far better circumstances, I might have been given some bad breaks, but I've got an awful lot to live for.

*

Days until Arsenal play again: 1, tomorrow afternoon, 2:45 PM New York time, home to North London arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Quarterfinal of the League Cup. Given the annual Arsenal injury crisis, we can expect a very different team from the one that embarrassed "Spurs" 4-2 at the Emirates Stadium on December 9.

Days until the next North London Derby: See the previous answer.

Days until the Democratic-controlled Congress will convene, and the impeachment process can begin: 16, on Thursday, January 3, 2019. A little over 2 weeks.

Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: 25, on Saturday afternoon, January 12, 2019, against the Philadelphia Flyers, a.k.a. The Philth, at the Prudential Center. The next game against the New York Islanders will be on Thursday night, January 17, 2019, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The next game against the New York Rangers, a.k.a. The Scum, will be on Thursday night, January 31, 2019, at the Prudential Center.

Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Mariano Rivera: 35, on January 22, 2019. Just 5 weeks. (I previously had this listed as January 23.)

Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 46, on February 2, 2019, a friendly against Costa Rica at Avaya Stadium, home of the San Jose Earthquakes.

Days until the New York Red Bulls play again: 75, on Sunday, March 3, 2019, opponent and location as yet unknown, as the 2019 MLS schedule has yet to be released.

Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": Unknown. 

Days until the Yankees' 2019 Opening Day: 100, on Thursday, March 28, home to the Baltimore Orioles. A little over 3 months.

Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 119, on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at Yankee Stadium II. A little under 4 months.

Days until the next Women's World Cup kicks off: 171,  on June 7, 2019, in France. Under 6 months. The U.S. team is 3-time and defending Champions.

Days until the Yankees and Red Sox play each other in London: 193, on June 29, 2019. A little over 6 months.

Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 256, on August 31, 2019, home to the University of Massachusetts. Under 9 months.

Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: Unknown, because the 2019 schedule hasn't been released yet. Usually, the next season begins on the 1st Friday in September, which would be September 6, 2019, which would be 262 days. The morning of the 10-0 loss to Old Bridge, it was announced that East Brunswick and Old Bridge would no longer play each other on Thanksgiving Day. The game will now be played earlier in the season, but we don't yet know when.

Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State game: 347, on Saturday, November 30, 2019, at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. A little under a year, or a little under 12 months.

Days until my 50th Birthday, at which point I can join AARP and get discounts for travel and game tickets: 365, on December 18, 2019. Exactly 1 year, or exactly 12 months.

Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Derek Jeter: 399, on January 21, 2020. A little over a year, or under 14 months.

Days until the next Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo, Japan: 584, on July 24, 2020. A little over a year and a half, or a little over 19 months.

Days until the next Presidential election, when we can dump the Trump-Pence regime and elect a real Administration: 686, on November 3, 2020. Now under 2 years, or under 23 months.

Days until Liberation Day: 764, at noon on January 20, 2021. A little over 2 years, or a little over 25 months. Note that this is liberation from the Republican Party, not just from Donald Trump. Having Mike Pence as President wouldn't be better, just differently bad, mixing theocracy with plutocracy, rather than mixing kleptocracy with plutocracy.

Days until the next Winter Olympics begins in Beijing, China: 1,144, on February 4, 2022. A little over 3 years, or a little under 38 months.

Days until the next World Cup is scheduled to kick off: 1,434, on November 21, 2022, in Qatar. Just under 4 years, or a little over 47 months. The charges of corruption against Qatar may yet mean that they will lose the tournament, in which case it will be moved to a nation where it would not be too hot to play it in June and July.