In 2016 Basketball was mentioned as part of the page, "What Billy Has Been Doing lately". But Billy realized that he follows basketball almost as much as baseball, and plays basketball (or at least tried to) as well as softball. Besides, if you check his blog on Google or WordPress, his list of books read for 2016 shows more basketball books than baseball books. It looks as if the only real sport (besides lacrosse) that was actually invented in this country has captured his fancy. So you will see recaps of any games - both as a spectator and as a participant - on this page with baseball & softball.
As of January, baseball and softball seasons are a couple of months in the future. But basketball is underway, and he has been watching several of his teams on television. On January 16th, he got to watch St. John's University beat Big East rival DePaul 78-68. Unfortunately, the Knicks and Nets have not been doing so well. Both teams seem to find new ways to lose, so it looks like it's "wait until next year" for both. The Bees have been doing well, and on the 17th, Billy got to play with his company team against Kirkland & Ellis at the Art & Design High School gym on East 56th Street. During practice, he managed to sink a shot during a layup drill, and got to play for two minutes at the end of the first half. The Bees were up by several points when he realized that he wanted to get home at a reasonable hour, even if he was off on Wednesday. So he left at half time and headed to the subway and then rode to Penn to get the LIRR home. And while the Bees were ahead by 20 points when Billy left, he learned on Thursday that the Bees lost 74-72 in triple overtime. So like Yogi said, "it ain't over 'til it's over". On January 25th, after work Billy walked to Stout on East 41st Street to watch on TV St. John’s University play Providence College. When he left during the 2nd half the Johnnies were ahead by 7 points. When Billy got home he checked on the Internet and the Johnnies won, 91-86.
On February 24th and the 25th, Billy watched a show on MSG – Joe Lapchick and Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton – Braking Barriers. He heard of both men through the Harlem Globetrotters (Nat) and SJU (Joe). But he did not realize that they were the NBA counterparts of Branch Rickey & Jackie Robinson. He admires both Nat and Joe for their courage to take a stand for social justice. During March, he was reading a book titled Dust Bowl Girls by Lydia Reeder. It tells the story of a group of college girls at a small Presbyterian girls’ college in Durant, Oklahoma during the early 1930's. The book also describes the ridiculous views that supposedly educated people had about women in sports, and what sports would do to their health and physiology. He finished the book on March 18, and learned that the OPC Cardinals eventually won the 1932 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Championship Tournament, held that year in Shreveport LA. While reading the book, Billy was surprised to read the part about the Women’s Division of the AAU, headed by First Lady Mrs. Lou Henry Hoover, wanting women’s sports to be almost non-existent, and with no nicknames, no real competition. He said that he is glad that we have Title IX today. He also read about some of the ridiculous, by today’s standards, views and opinions that people had about women and sports & physical education. - their uterus muscles would be damaged, and the uterus would disappear! Billy said that we should not be surprised that people had absurd racist views about “them” back in the early 20th century. When he finished Dust Bowl Girls he said that he really loved the book and almost made him want to visit Oklahoma. But he does congratulate the ladies who played basketball for Oklahoma Presbyterian College back in the early 1930’s and perhaps made the sport more popular with women, 40 years before Title IX. In the meantime, he has been following the NCAA Tournament for both ladies' and men's basketball on TV and the Internet. Maybe Gonzaga (men's) and Mississippi State (women's) will each win it all. As for baseball, Team USA won the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Unfortunately, each of the Bulldogs' teams lost in the finals. However, he is happy for each team's great season.
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In January the Baseball Writers Association of America elected Ivan Rodriguez, Tim Raines, and Jeff Bagwell into the Hall of Fame (congratulations to the 3 men).
His company's softball team, the Bees, opened the 2017 season with a blackboard session and pizza party on April 5th. In the evening, they had batting practice at the Chelsea Piers batting cages. He had the chance to see what has been built on the far West Side from 34th Street to 23rd Street - a lot, and it is ruining the character of the neighborhood. But at least he enjoyed the session at the cages, hitting several of the balls thrown at him by the machine.
Billy could not go to the Bees first two games of the season, since they started at 9 PM and 8:30. The third game was supposed to be on April 27th at 6 PM, but was postponed because with all of the April rain, the AstroTurf field was un-playable.
On April 30 the 3 of them went to a Long Island Ducks game to see them play a new league team, the New Britain Bees. As always, Billy kept score, But at the end of the game, New Britain won 5-1. Hopefully better luck next time. The weather was crummy that day, being overcast and windy. But after the game they went out to a Japanese restaurant, Aji53 in Bay Shore, for some nice Asian cuisine.
Billy finally made it to a Bees' softball game, on May 17th. The game was at the North Meadow in Central Park; the opponent was Chico's Bail Bonds. Unfortunately, Chico's scored 5 runs in the 1st inning and 8 in the 3rd inning, and while the Bees tried to bonce back, the final score was 19-15. Hopefully better luck next time.
After Billy clocked out from work on June 1, he walked over to DeWitt Clinton Park since the Bees were playing Buffalo S’wings. Since the Corporate Challenge was also this evening, several of the Bees went to that instead, including the ladies. The Bees only had 2 roster females by the first pitch, so they stuck in the kid sister of one of the females in the lineup. But the S’wings protested and she had to come out. Then the umpire told the Bees they had forfeited, even though they were ahead 7-0. Somehow, they did not forfeit. Billy was the only substitute in the dugout, so he went in to catch the last 3 innings, and also came to bat once and got a hit. He said that the AstroTurf does wonders to your knees, especially when you are wearing shorts. In the end, the Bees won 10-5. There was another game on Monday the 5th. But since Billy felt like shit with a cold, he told the manager he could not make it. But the game was to be played on Randall’s Island, a remote spot by Manhattan standards. And even though the weather was bad, the League did not call the game off. Then it turned out that only 5 Bees were going, so they had to forfeit! This is the first time that the Bees forfeited since Billy was on the team (since 2008).
On June 13th, Billy went with the Bees to DeWitt Clinton Park where they played City Wolves starting at 7:30. He did not get into the lineup but he did keep score. And the Bees were losing from the top of the 1st inning. The final score was 8-5. Even though it was a late game, he opted to join his teammates at American Retro Pub down the block to enjoy some pub grub. He then left right after he finished to head to Penn and the 10:35 home.
On June 23rd, the Bees had another game on the real Great Lawn. The opponent was KTR, and it turns out, they are pretty good, beating the Bees 11-3. Unfortunately, it rained during the game, and just as the game ended, it started to pour. Billy had his umbrella, and it came handy as he walked to Central Park West and 81st Street for the subway. And since he caught a B train, he had to walk the long block to Penn from Herald Square.
On June 23 after work, Billy went with his teammates to the real Great Lawn for a softball game. The Bees were playing KTR, and it turns out, they are pretty good, beating the Bees 11-3. It rained during the game, but the game was not called. And just as the game ended, it started to pour. He had my umbrella, and it came handy as he walked to Central Park West and 81st Street for the subway. Since he caught a B train, he had to walk the long block to Penn from Herald Square, so it was good to have the umbrella.
Six days later Billy again went to play softball with the Bees (or, just keep score). There was car service to take them to DeWitt Clinton Park at 11th Avenue and 53rd Street. One of the teammates has relatives in Jackson Mississippi and they talked about Oxford and how the Magnolia State produced some great writers and musicians over the years. And that Oxford, with Ole Miss, and the music scene, is almost a miniature Austin (blue island in a very red ocean). As for the game, the Bees played Fourth Base and won 10-7. Like last week, Billy only kept score and did not get into the lineup. But he did join the team after the game at Retro Pub, and watched the Mets play the Marlins. But he had to leave early to get the train home – the 10:35.
Billy was not able to make the Bees' game on July 6th, due to prior commitments at home. And the next game, on July 13th, starts at 9 PM. A bit late, since he does not want to impose on any of his Manhattan dwelling teammates to let him "crash" with them for the night. But that game was cancelled and rescheduled for July 20th, and like on the 6th, Billy had prior commitments at home that evening so he could not make it. It turned out that the Bees won on July 20th, to finish 6 & 6. But another team finished 7 & 5, so it's "wait until next year" for the Bees.
And while it is "wait until next year" for the Bees, Billy did participate in his firm's annual Partners/Associates Softball Game in Central Park on July 25th. He did not actually take the field, but he did keep score for both teams. And through his honesty and accuracy in score-keeping, the partners won in the bottom of the 9th inning, 7-6. After the game Billy joined his coworkers at Paola's, a classy Italian restaurant at Madison Avenue & 92nd Street.
It was also wait until next year for the New York Mets, and Billy found it difficult to root for the Yankees in the post-season. He was hoping that the Cleveland Indians would win it all in 2017, but they got eliminated by the Yankees in the American League Division Series. Barring elimination, he is hoping that the Los Angeles Dodgers win it all in 2017.
The Yankees did get eliminated on the 21st of October, as a Mets fan, Billy was kind of glad that they lost. While he likes the players and the team history, Billy generally does not like the fan base (Russell, Eileen, Eddie and Jimmy notwithstanding) and like to see them squirm. It turned out that the teams that played in the 2017 World Series were the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Houston Astros. Billy wanted the Dodgers to win it all, but it was not to be. Ironically, while Billy has never been to Los Angeles as of 2017, he did visit Houston in 1972, and lived in the Astros' fan base territory (Alexandria LA) for 28 months, even watching some of their games on TV.
The Basketball Bees' 2017-2018 season opened up on December 4th. But with pain in the femur, and swollen lymph nodes in the right armpit, Billy has been put on the disabled list for a while. But since the swollen lymph nodes were only cysts and may be gone, and perhaps he can bite the bullet with regards to pain in the femur, and pelvis, and side, he hope to be off of the disabled list and play in a Bees game on January 9, 2018.