jump to navigation

The Barclays at Bethpage Black recap August 27, 2012

Posted by Mike C. in Commentary, Golf, Internet, Media, News, Personal, Photography, Sports, Travel, TV, Weather.
add a comment

For the first time in three years, Bethpage Black Golf Course in Farmingdale hosted a PGA Tour event.  This time, it was The Barclays.

The weather this year was much better than it was at the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Open Golf Championships, especially than the latter.  It was rain-free.

Earlier in the year, my dad got final round tickets for me and him.  Before we get to a recap of that, here are recaps of the first three rounds:
Round 1 recap
Round 2 recap
Round 3 recap

After Nick Watney’s third round struggles, I predicted that Sergio Garcia, the leader going into the final round would win.  I was wrong.

Unlike at the two U.S. Opens the Black hosted, cell phones were allowed, but had to be on silent or vibrate.  My phone was on vibrate as I provided live updates throughout the day on Facebook.  Here’s how that went:

11:23 AM: “I’m headed to Jones Beach where a shuttle will take me and my dad (and other passengers) to Bethpage Black Golf Course at Bethpage State Park. We’ll be catching the final round of The Barclays. Golf Channel coverage runs from 12:00 to 1:30, followed by CBS from 2:00 until play concludes, which should be around 6:00.”

12:03 PM: “I’m on the bus headed to Bethpage Black. I saw some license plates in the parking lot from as far away as Michigan and Tennessee. Also, New Jersey, Connecticut, [Massachusetts,] and Maryland.”

12:21 PM: “Almost at Bethpage Black. I plan on following the second-to-last pairing: Kevin Stadler [son of Craig] and Brandt Snedeker [‘SNED-uh-kur’].”

1:32 PM: “I ended up following Phil Mickelson and John Senden for the first two holes, then stopped at a concession stand. We’ll catch up with Stadler and Snedeker at the 3rd.”  Despite shooting a 76, the fans loved him, as I could tell from the wild cheers I heard at 17 later in his round.

I put my phone down until Stads and Sneds were halfway through.

3:32 PM: 9 holes down, 9 to go.

Then, I waited another five holes before writing another update.

4:46 PM: “Crossing Round Swamp Rd. 4 holes to go.”

After the pair’s second shots at 15, Dad and I jumped ahead to the last three holes.  Then, the updates became more frequent…

5:02 PM: “Skipped to 16th fairway. CBS’s [course reporter] Peter Kostis is to my right.”

5:18 PM: “Up to 17th green. Live CBS feed is on video leaderboard.”

5:26 PM: “Now at 18th fairway. Again, a leaderboard with CBS’s feed is straight ahead. The green is to the left.”

By this time, the drunk fans that are wont to cheer too loud, yell catchphrases out of context (i.e. “GET IN THE HOLE!” on a tee shot at a par 4 or 5), paraphrase the “Olé” song using Nick Watney’s surname (as I heard on my DVR later), and heckle players they don’t like (Sergio Garcia) got to me:

5:34 PM: “It’s not fun when a reserved guy like me is next to enthusiastic and/or drunk fans.”  Sober fans acquitted themselves well, as they always do.

5:36 PM: “Snedeker and Stadler are on the green. Sergio Garcia and leader Nick Watney are approaching.”

5:39 PM: “Last pairing in fairway. CBS’s [other course reporter] David Feherty walked by, got cheers.”

5:44 PM: “Watney’s on the green, Sergio’s in the bunker, to the delight of some fans. I feel sorry for him.”  A “USA” chant broke out as if we were at the Ryder Cup, speaking of out of context.  And there were two Spanish people standing next to us.  I felt sorry for them, too.  I finished the update by saying “[t]he crowd at the green is cheering.”

5:47 PM: “Sergio bogeyed. The stage is set for Watney.”  He birdied!

5:49 PM: “Put it in the books.”  That’s what Mets radio announcer Howie Rose says after a win.  “Nick Watney has won The Barclays. Final score: -10.”

5:52 PM: “Feherty interviewed Watney for CBS [briefly interrupted by Nick embracing his wife], then off to sign the scorecard and back to 18 for the trophy presentation.”

5:53 PM: “Leaderboard reads ‘Congratulations Nick Watney, 2012 Champion’ with a headshot of him.”

5:58 PM: “CBS’s Ian Baker-Finch is [hosting] the presentation.”

5:59 PM: “The champion is back.”

6:06 PM: “After getting the trophy, Finchy [one of Ian’s nicknames] interviewed him. He ‘couldn’t be happier,’ ‘overjoyed.’ He thanked volunteers, fans, and wife. After the interview, he hoisted the trophy.”  His cousin Heidi, of the soon-to-launch Time Warner Cable SportsNet in Los Angeles, was also there.

With The Barclays complete, it was time to go home.

6:07 PM: “Now, we’re walking to the shuttle bound for Jones Beach.”

6:24 PM: “The shuttle is departing…”

6:48 PM: “Walking to the car at Jones Beach. Next stop: home.”

7:19 PM: “I got home about ten minutes ago. Phew.”

I ate a hearty meal of pasta and watched some of my DVR of CBS’s coverage, but not before taking two pictures.

This is how I looked as I walked the course:

My ticket stub, pins, and two copies of both the spectator guide and final round pairings:

Here are the post-round links:

PGATour.com:
Round 4 recap
Nick Watney press conference
Daily Wrap-up
Results
PGA Tour Replay podcast

Newsday (subscription needed)

New York Daily News

Golf Channel:
Doug Ferguson: Watney wins Barclays; Garcia 4 back
Jason Sobel: Watney becoming more comfortable in spotlight
Barclays photo gallery
Rex Hoggard: Watney’s psychologist credited for Barclays win

The day after, I returned to Bethpage by bus and by foot, taking these pictures along the way:

Welcome sign at Farmingdale LIRR station:

This sign was up approaching Round Swamp Road while walking west on Bethpage Road:

The next three pictures were taken from Round Swamp Road:

This sign was at the main entrance on Quaker Meeting House Road:

After the above picture, I made my way back to Quake Meeting House Road.  The inside of the park was closed until three days later.

This was the last relevant shot of the day before heading home:

The Barclays returns to Bethpage Black in 2016, part of a four-year rotation with other New York area courses.  I hope the weather is as great as it was this year.  Congratulations again to Nick Watney, your 2012 Barclays Champion.  Best of luck in the final three FedExCup Playoff events.

NOTE: I decided to write entirely in the past tense rather than the present except for “yesterday” referring to when the final round was played.  I did this despite “the day after” being today and “three days later” being Thursday, among other examples.

8/15/21 UPDATE: The PGA Tour will be replacing this tournament, renamed The Northern Trust, with the FedEx Cup Championship. That means this year’s tournament, the 55th, will be the last.

Read the manual! May 1, 2012

Posted by Mike C. in Commentary, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Technology, Video.
1 comment so far

As I noted in my previous post, I was at WCWP’s first annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony Thursday night at LIU Post.

What I didn’t tell you was I brought my recently purchased JVC Everio GZ-HM320 HD camcorder to record the ceremony, which lasted about an hour, in addition to candid chatter before and afterward.

Unfortunately, I didn’t read the camcorder’s manual when I bought it in October.  After a few successful, short test recordings in October and November, I didn’t use it until Thursday night.  I was able to get two minutes of chatter and the first nine minutes of the ceremony, but then, the memory card stopped working.  Everything recorded after LIU Post Provost Dr. Paul Forestell talked about when he first met WCWP station manager Dan Cox was corrupted and could not be viewed or recovered.  At least I had the pictures I shot on my digital camera.

My first reaction the following day when I learned of the file corruption was to look for a better camcorder with internal memory of at least 32 GB (gigabytes).  But tonight, it finally dawned on me that it wasn’t the camcorder that was the problem.  It was the memory card: a Kingston Class 4 SDHC 32 GB card.  Before I considered buying a SanDisk card of the same class and size, I looked at my camcorder’s manual.

In the middle of page 9, it said “operations are confirmed on … Panasonic, TOSHIBA, SanDisk [and] ATP” cards.  For video, “Class 4 or higher compatible SDHC card (4 GB to 32 GB).”  And then, the money quote: “Using cards other than those specified above may result in recording failure or data loss.”  Bingo!

So, I went ahead and bought that SanDisk card to replace the Kingston.  If I get uninterrupted video for more than ten minutes the next I record an event like the WCWP Hall of Fame ceremony, I’ll know I made the right decision.  And I’ll save a ton of money.

The moral is simple: Read the manual!

5/3 UPDATE: The SanDisk card arrived this afternoon.  Putting it in did the trick!  My camcorder successfully recorded about an hour and a half of video while I went to and from Sunrise Mall (Westfield Sunrise) in East Massapequa.  There was no corruption; all files (3.89 GB at a time) played and could be scrolled through in Windows Media Player.
I also tested my Tascam DR-03 audio recorder while I was out.  It recorded the same length of time as the camcorder successfully with a SanDisk 16 GB microSDHC card.

My thoughts on Super Bowl XLVI champion New York Giants February 19, 2012

Posted by Mike C. in Commentary, Football, Internet, Media, News, Personal, Radio, Sports, TV, Video.
add a comment

(Starting with the Giants’ first win against the Cowboys, I link to highlights from Dial Global Sports‘ coverage of each win.)

Two weeks have passed since the New York Giants of the National Football League won Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.  So, I thought I’d take this time to share my thoughts on their win and their season.

I became a Giants fan in the early ’90s, but didn’t make an effort to watch the games until the 1997 season.  I was too young to appreciate the Giants’ Super Bowl championship seasons of ’86 and ’90 and only saw it through retrospective clips and documentaries.  I thought 2000 would be the year I would see them win a Super Bowl, which was held in Tampa that year.  My dad and I were in the area the week of Super Bowl XXXV.  We saw some NFL and media personalities at the Innisbrook Resort, where my grandparents lived, and went to the NFL Experience outside of Raymond James Stadium two days before the game.  We watched the game back at Innisbrook, but it was very depressing.  It left such a bad taste in my mouth I couldn’t watch highlights until after the 2007 season.  Why?  The Giants did the improbable, beating the undefeated New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XLII.  I was finally old enough to see my Giants win a Super Bowl and appreciate it.

In the seasons after ’07, the Giants would get off to a hot start and then slack off in the second half.  They symbolized that in one game, a collapse in a December 2010 game against the Eagles.  It was devastating.  They still could have made the playoffs by winning their last game of that season two weeks later, but the Packers had to lose.  They didn’t, and Redskins fans made that known as they chanted for the Giants and visiting Giants’ fans: “Green Bay won!  Green Bay won!”  And the Pack went on to win Super Bowl XLV, but I was proud of them because they knocked out the Eagles in the Wild Card round.

The 2011 season started on a down note, a loss to the Redskins in the same venue where eight months earlier, the G-Men learned they had been eliminated from playoff contention.  But then, three wins a row.  After a loss to the Seahawks, they won three more.  The first of those games, against the Bills, was a result I had to keep under wraps as the game was in progress.  I was at the baptism (and post-baptism party) of a friend’s daughter and the brother-in-law was a Bills fan that DVR’d the game.  The third of those games was a very satisfying win in New England against the Patriots.  Unfortunately, past history repeated itself after that.  The Giants lost four in a row to fall to 6-6.  In the middle of that losing streak, I wrote the following status update on Facebook:

This second half collapse will cost [head coach] Tom Coughlin his job on January 2.

After the third loss in a row, a blowout loss to the Saints, I wrote:

If the Giants finish 8-8 or 9-7, I’ll be amazed. 6-10 seems likeliest.

Despite the losing streak, at 6-6, the Cowboys were not far behind at 7-5.  The two teams played each other the following week at Cowboys Stadium.  The Giants came from behind to win that game and led the NFC East on a tiebreaker.  (Dial Global highlights.)  But then they lost to the Redskins a second time, which led me to write this update:

Today was dream-killing day for the Giants and Jets [who lost to the Eagles while the Bengals won their game].

The Giants’ next game, the second-to-last of the regular season, was a “road” game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium.  The Giants usually beat the Jets in their regular season match-ups every four years, but I couldn’t see a Rex Ryan-coached Jets squad lose to the G-Men.  So, thirteen hours before the game…

My prediction: The Jets will beat the Giants and the Cowboys will beat the Eagles a few hours later.

The opposite happened: the Giants trailed early, but stormed ahead and won 29-14.  (Dial Global highlights.)  The Eagles nearly shut out the Cowboys and won 20-7.  The stage was set for a winner-take-all season finale between the Giants and the ‘Boys at MetLife Stadium.  The result:

The Giants beat the Cowboys 31-14, win the NFC East, and will face Atlanta next week.  [Dial Global highlights.]

The Falcons blew out the Buccaneers in their last game of the regular season, so I expected the same against the Giants.  Instead, it was a Giants win 24-2.  An intentional grounding safety was the only Falcons score.  (Dial Global highlights.)

There was no way the Giants could beat the 15-1 Packers at Lambeau Field, but they did 37-20.  (Dial Global highlights.)

Then, history repeated itself again in the NFC Championship in these ways:

  • 1991 (’90 season): Giants beat 49ers 15-13 at Candlestick Park on Matt Bahr field goal; Steve DeOssie was the snapper; Jack Buck called the game for CBS Radio (now Dial Global)
  • 2008 (’07 season): Giants beat Packers 23-20 at Lambeau Field on Lawrence Tynes field goal
  • 2008 (’07 season): Patriots are the Giants’ opponent in Super Bowl

Joe Buck called this year’s NFC Championship for FOX TV.  Before the game-winning kick by Tynes in overtime, Buck listed the snapper (Zak DeOssie), holder, and kicker.  The kick was good.  The Giants won 20-17 and were off to Super Bowl XLVI, a rematch with the Patriots.  (Dial Global highlights.)

The next two weeks were tough because I feared a revenge-fueled blowout by the Pats, which came to me in a dream, sort of:

[1/27, 11:23 PM]: I had a dream last night that I hope isn’t an omen. The Giants were playing somebody–I don’t remember who– and got blown out.

Four hours before Super Bowl XLVI:

My pessimistic Super Bowl XLVI prediction: Patriots 45, Giants 10. I would love to not only get the outcome wrong, but the team that wins wrong. In other words, I want the Giants to win.

I didn’t watch the game live until 9:30, when there were about four minutes left in regulation.  (Dial Global highlights.)  The Patriots led 17-15, but only for a few more minutes.  Ahmad Bradshaw’s accidental touchdown put the Giants ahead 21-17.  I breathed deeply and my extremities grew numb as I watched the Pats’ final drive.  Then, at 9:53, seconds after Tom Brady’s incomplete Hail Mary pass, I swiveled my desk chair to the left and typed:

Oh, baby! They did it! The New York Giants win Super Bowl XLVI! My hands are numb from anxiety.

I was both relieved and excited.  About $80 later, I was the proud owner (through online purchases) of the championship cap, locker room t-shirt, parade t-shirt, and DVD.  There was also the matter the following day of getting the Monday newspapers, which I posed with in the guest bedroom:

Tuesday was the day of the Tickertape Parade along the Canyon of Heroes and the Victory Rally at MetLife Stadium:

The Super Bowl XLVI DVD doesn’t come out until March 6.  I’ve watched the following to hold me over while I wait:

There you have it: the Giants’ 2011-12 championship season as I saw it.  Thank you for reading.  To paraphrase the team’s playoff catchphrase, I’m all out.

LIU Post January 27, 2012

Posted by Mike C. in Commentary, Education, Internet, Personal.
add a comment

The bus operator for Nassau County wasn’t the only thing to change on New Year’s Day.  All campuses of Long Island University rebranded themselves, including C.W. Post.  The C.W. was dropped and the university now goes by “LIU Post.”

The pre-rebrand press release has more:

…
On January 1, 2012, Long Island University—one of the largest and most comprehensive private universities in the nation—will rebrand itself as LIU. A bold and greatly simplified logo will be introduced. This effort represents a “double rebranding” for the University, because simultaneous with the launch, the names of LIU’s six campuses will receive shorter, more telegraphic designations, uniting them under the new LIU brand, making them more modern and memorable in a Facebook and Twitter world. For example: the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University will be referred to as LIU Post.
…

LIU Post is just another thing to get used to in 2012.  Before long, it will roll off the tongue and the old habit of referring to “C.W. Post” will be broken.

2011 in review December 31, 2011

Posted by Mike C. in Commentary, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, TV.
add a comment

The following is a WordPress post for my blog, edited by me with editorials (like this one) in italics.

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 8,300 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report (link removed).

Why did I remove the link?  It drastically slowed down my browser (Firefox) and repeatedly crashed it.  I’m finishing this post in Internet Explorer.  Here’s the text I copied and pasted, saving in multiple drafts between crashes:

WordPress.com presents

The Mike Chimeri Blog

2011 in blogging

Happy New Year from WordPress.com!

To kick off the new year, we’d like to share with you data on your blog’s activity in 2011. You may start scrolling!

Crunchy numbers

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 8,300 times in 2011.  If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

In 2011, there were 43 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 225 posts.  There were 861 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 1gb.  That’s about 2 pictures per day.

The busiest day of the year was August 21st with 236 views.  The most popular post that day was Bolder & Fresher Tour at Westbury recap.

How did they find you?

Some visitors came searching, mostly for joyce cooling, empty stage, wwe headquarters, ken navarro, and steve scales.

What is people’s fascination with a picture of an empty Parsons Complex auditorium stage that I put in my 2008 Smooth Jazz for Scholars recap?

Where did they come from?

Most visitors came from The United States. Canada & Italy were not far behind.

Here are the stats I screencapped before Firefox crashed one time too many:

People also visited from other continents, but I can’t risk crashing my browser again to see their stats.

Who were they?

Your most commented on post in 2011 was Bolder & Fresher Tour at Westbury recap
These were your 5 most active commenters:

Perhaps you could follow their blog or send them a thank you note?

Thank you, even if you disagreed with me.  And thank you, Johnny Dollar, for linking to the recap.  It was the only one online.  Not even Newsday wrote about the show.

Attractions in 2011

These are the posts that got the most views in 2011.

Some of your most popular posts were written before 2011. Your writing has staying power! Consider writing about those topics again.

I don’t know why that FBN post continues to get attention.  Cablevision added it in November 2009.

As always, thank you very much for visiting.  Happy 2012!

A NICE gesture December 25, 2011

Posted by Mike C. in Commentary, News, Personal, Travel.
add a comment

The cherry on top of this Christmas and sixth night of Hanukkah was learning that the new Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) bus–the private replacement of the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) Long Island Bus–will be accepting MetroCards on their buses.

More from Newsday (subscription needed):

… [T]he MTA ironed out details of a “memorandum of understanding” with Nassau that will allow the bus system to continue using the MetroCard fare payment system.  Under the agreement, the MTA will receive 1.75 cents per MetroCard swipe.  The agreement also will allow for free transfers between NICE bus and MTA subways or buses.  [Incoming NICE chief executive Michael Setzer] called the agreement “a big win for both MTA and NICE riders.”

Also, according to the NICE website, the routes and schedules will remain the same.

I’m ready to make NICE, starting next Sunday, New Year’s Day 2012.

My 9/11 experience September 10, 2011

Posted by Mike C. in Commentary, Media, Music, News, Personal, Radio, TV.
3 comments

Related posts: 20th anniversary retrospective, 2024 Freeport 9/11 Memorial Ceremony Photos (20th anniversary link includes 2013 ceremony photos)

9/2/20 UPDATE: Original photos have been replaced with higher-quality retouched scans and the links at the bottom removed. A link to a subsequent relevant post was added.

9/16/21 UPDATE: I forgot to mention in my portfolio or the addendum that I was tired and wanted to sleep a little longer before getting ready to go up to campus for class. My classes were either Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday. I recall having two or three classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays this semester with the first, public speaking, at 11:30. If I had a 10:00 class, I would have been up sooner, probably seen the news break, and seen the second plane hit before leaving my house.

The following is an excerpt from a written summary of a 9/11 portfolio I made at the end of the Fall 2001 semester (December 16) at C.W. Post (9/2/20: now LIU Post) for my Broadcasting 1 course, edited for brevity and accuracy:

It was 9:10 a.m. on September 11. I just wanted to see what Regis [Philbin] and Kelly [Ripa] were talking about [on Live with Regis and Kelly]. So, I put on Channel 7 (WABC), and [saw] John DelGiorno in NewsCopter 7 showing smoke rising from both towers of the World Trade Center. I had no idea how it had happened, but after flipping from station to station, and seeing the various replays, I knew. At the time, it was considered that two planes accidentally crashed into the two towers, especially after the first plane hit, and that perhaps these were [small planes]. But, of course, they were two Boeing 767s; one was American Airlines Flight 11, and the next was United Airlines Flight 175. As more time passed, we got a better idea that this was a terrorist attack of some sort. It was made clear when it was reported that two planes had been hijacked and disappeared from radar, and especially clear when at [9:37], there was a fire at the Pentagon, which turned out to be from American Flight 77. As all this was going on, I tried to go about my regular activities and get ready for my day at C.W. Post. At [9:58], I was in my parents’ bedroom, standing, towel in hand about to shower, watching Channel 4 (WNBC) and listening to Howard Stern, which my parents had on. We were looking live at the two burning towers, and then, as I looked away for a second [at 9:59], I turned back as my dad made a shocking remark. “The building just collapsed,” he said in horror. “Oh, my God.” And I indeed saw the South Tower collapsing in on itself. My heart sank as many stories as the tower; it was the most chilling thing I had seen since United 175 crash[ed] into that same tower. I continued to get ready, now further terrorized, and then at 10:29, as my mom and I were getting into our car to head up to campus, my dad came out the front door. I lowered my window, and he told us that the other tower had collapsed [one minute earlier]. I didn’t know what that looked like until I saw the replay on CNN at the Hillwood Cinema. As I watched the North Tower, with antennas and transmitters, collapse, I let out a long, horrified groan. That is all I will say about how September 11 was for me. …

Addendum:
Classes were suspended in the afternoon and didn’t resume until Thursday. So, I needed a ride home in the mid-afternoon. I couldn’t get through to either of my parents for that ride. When I walked past Humanities Hall, I found my Human Values professor from two semesters prior, John Lutz. Dr. Lutz was gracious enough to give me the ride home I needed. We listened to 1010 WINS for much of what turned out to be a long ride. Traffic was heavy nearly the entire way home. Lutz is still teaching at C.W. Post, now as an associate professor of English (9/10/13: and Chairman of the English Department). If you happen to read this, Dr. Lutz, I can’t thank you enough for your help on that chaotic day ten years ago.

I was so overcome with emotion that I wasn’t in the mood to listen to any music (on CDs or MP3s on the computer) for up to a week. Yet, I had a song in my head that I couldn’t repress. As the song looped, I kept visualizing either the two towers on fire after being hit or the image from NewsCopter 7 – one that got replayed repeatedly – of United 175 flying diagonally into the South Tower. It was chilling, as I said in my summary. When I wasn’t watching the nonstop coverage on that day and the days ahead, I watched syndicated reruns of The Simpsons that I had been taping for a year. (I gave that up in 2006.) It was a therapeutic escape from the insanity of real life.

I’ll conclude this post with a few handful of pictures. These were taken on a return trip to Ground Zero while shooting my senior project: a documentary about Joe Falco, a now-retired FDNY firefighter who survived the collapse of the South Tower:

9/2/20 UPDATE: There were several links at this point in the post, but none of them work anymore. Instead, I refer to a post five years later which includes video of the Joe Falco documentary.

Bolder & Fresher Tour at Westbury recap August 21, 2011

Posted by Mike C. in Audiobooks, Books, Comedy, Commentary, Media, News, Personal, Politics, Radio, TV, Weather.
11 comments

(2/22/13 UPDATE: For those that found this post by search engine, this is a recap of the original Bolder-Fresher show at Westbury in August 2011.  There will be another show there on June 1 of this year, but I won’t be attending that one.)

(12/6/14 UPDATE: On the other hand, I will be attending the Don’t Be a Pinhead Tour show at Westbury on May 2, 2015. The new name for the tour is the result of retooling.)

(Update at the bottom with viewer e-mails from audience members at 10/29 Mohegan Sun show, 11/2 Miller Time segment, my quick review of Killing Lincoln, and highlights from the 10/29 show.)

Last night, I returned to what is now the NYCB Theatre at Westbury for the debut of the Bolder & Fresher Tour starring Bill O’Reilly and Dennis Miller.

I went with my dad and we were joined later by family friend Joe Falco.  Joe is a former FDNY firefighter who survived the collapse of the World Trade Center’s south tower on September 11, 2001.  My college senior project was a documentary featuring his recollections and a return to Ground Zero where he retraced his steps.

The show was at 8:00, but since it was nearly sold out, Dad and I left the house at 6:45 to be safe.  It took about fifteen minutes to arrive.  Once in the theatre, we sat down for 50 minutes.  Our seats were adjacent to the aisle where Bill and Dennis walked to and from the stage.  A few minutes after 8:00, the lights dimmed, and Bill, via the public address system, introduced “the fresh part of the Bolder Fresher Tour, Miller!”  My dad said he and Dennis made eye contact during his walk down to the stage.

Dennis’ material was toned down a bit.  In TV ratings terms, he was TV-14-DL; no s- or f-words but suggestive dialogue.  His 35-minute set touched on many topics, including:

  • Global warming
  • California
  • The southern U.S. border
  • Michael Moore
  • Getting old
  • What he likes and dislikes about President Obama
  • Barney Frank
  • Nancy Pelosi
  • Pope Benedict XVI

Then, it was Bill’s turn.  Among his topics were:

  • President Obama
  • The Republican presidential candidate field
  • Who has the best chance to be the Republican nominee
  • The split in the Republican Party between the Tea Party and the establishment
  • His upcoming appearance in an episode of Rizzoli & Isles
  • His upcoming book, Killing Lincoln
  • Recounting his previous appearance on The View

After a 15-minute intermission, Bill and Dennis returned for 35 minutes of Q&A.  At this point, the two sat in stools while the stage rotated.  It took Dennis a few minutes to notice that and then he acknowledged it to the audience.  They each had stories to tell.  Dennis talked about:

  • How he moved from the left to center-right politically
  • His old CNBC show and how things fell apart between him and his monkey sidekick Mowgli
  • His work in Bordello of Blood and on Monday Night Football
  • Meeting Frank Sinatra
  • Checking out the room Elvis Presley stayed in at the Vegas Hilton
  • A story Billy Crystal told him about Redd Foxx

Bill talked about his upbringing, from Levittown to The O’Reilly Factor, and everything in between: working as a lifeguard for the Town of Babylon, going to St. Brigid’s, Chaminade High School, Marist (to which Dennis made a Marist/Roger Maris joke), working his way up in TV news.

It was a great show.  Bill and Dennis both entered and exited to standing ovations.  To be honest, I enjoyed this more than the Bold & Fresh Tour show last year.

If you’d like to see Bolder Fresher for yourself, check the tour’s website for upcoming dates and venues.  You’ll be glad you went.

8/23 UPDATE: Three e-mails from audience members were read tonight on The O’Reilly Factor:

Keith Warhola, Mineola, NY: “Bill, you and Miller killed at Westbury.  Loved the show.”
Bill’s response: “We didn’t actually kill anybody.  It means that–[in] show biz–we were good.”

Gina Serra, Syosset, NY: “Bill, the Bolder-Fresher show was great!  You were charming and Miller was a riot.”

Caryl Taylor, Briarcliff, NY: “Officer O’Reilly, we salute you and Dennis Miller.  We were fully entertained by your observations and Miller’s stories.”
Bill’s response: “Well, thank you for all the nice mail, guys; got tons of letters.  Clips from the show are now posted on BillOReilly.com for premium members.  Next week, we’re gonna open ’em up to everybody.  So you can see about 15 minutes of the Bolder Fresher show on BillOReilly.com.  Info on upcoming shows in Connecticut; Richmond, Virginia; and Atlantic City available on BolderFresher.com.  BolderFresher.com.”

In addition to those e-mails, a few clips were shown last night in the Reality Check segment.  I compiled that and tonight’s e-mails into this video:

9/9 UPDATE: The latter half of August 24’s Miller Time segment was devoted to the Westbury show:

I would have posted this sooner, but Irene set me back and then I forgot.

11/1 UPDATE: Saturday night, the Bolder Fresher Tour came to Mohegan Sun.  As the winds howled and snow mixed with rain here in southeast Nassau, I wondered if the show would even happen, but this tweet confirmed it did:

Dennis Miller & Bill O’Reilly – Bold[er & Fresh[er] Tour (@ Mohegan Sun Arena) http://t.co/UJ475ItU

O’Reilly and Miller weren’t going to let a pesky snowstorm/Nor’easter stop them.  I’m sure everyone got back home, or home away from home (i.e. hotel room), safely.

One viewer e-mail from an audience member was read tonight on The O’Reilly Factor:
Lynda Hanratty, Selden, NY: “Hey, Mr. O, we drove five hours to Connecticut in that snowstorm to see you and Miller.  And it was worth the white knuckle ride!  You two were hysterical!  Was that your limo that passed us on the ride home?”
Bill’s response: “No limo for me, Lynda.  I drove up there, just like you did, from Long Island.  Glad you liked the Bolder Fresher show.  Watch out, Richmond, Virginia; and Atlantic City.  We’re comin’ to you Thanksgiving weekend.  Details on BillOReilly.com.”

11/2 UPDATE: Tonight’s Miller Time only made a passing reference to Saturday’s show at Mohegan Sun.  Here’s the video, anyway.  And here’s another viewer e-mail:
Mark Underhill, East Aurora, NY: “Bill, my wife and I drove seven hours to see you and Miller in that snowstorm on Saturday.  To make the trip go faster, we tried to buy the Killing Lincoln audio.  It was sold out everywhere.  So we bought the book and my wife read it to me.  Excellent.”
Bill’s response: “Your wife’s a trooper, Mark, and I’m sending you the audio for your ordeal.  Killing Lincoln is selling out everywhere, but we are printing them as fast as we can get ’em out to you.  More than 900,000 copies of ‘Killing Lincoln’ in print right now.  Thank you all.”

I pre-ordered the audio of Killing Lincoln before it came out and began listening to it September 28, the day after it was released.  It got me through my daily walks and I finished it in two weeks.  It reads (or is read by Bill) like a thriller.  I vividly remember where I was walking while listening to key passages.

11/3 UPDATE: Highlights from Saturday can be seen on the BillOReilly.com video page.  Look for “Bolder & Fresher Tour at Mohegan Sun” and click to play.

For the third night in a row, a viewer e-mail from an audience member was read:
Kathleen O’Gorman, Meriden, CT: “Mr. O, we lost power in the storm and it’s been rough.  You and Miller were the only bright spots as we caught the Bolder Fresher show.”
Bill’s response: “[I] appreciate that, Kathleen.  The power situation in the Northeast is gettin’ desperate.  A clip from the Bolder Fresher show on Saturday [is] posted on BillOReilly.com.  And Miller and I will see everybody in Richmond, Virginia; and Atlantic City at the end of November.”

11/4 UPDATE: Another day, another update.  Psychotherapist Dr. Karen Ruskin was in the audience Saturday night and tweeted Dennis this afternoon:

Hi Dennis, Dr Karen Ruskin here, mental health expert- appeared on O’Reilly. Great show w Bill Sat! Will never see ED the same @DennisDMZ

An audience member viewer e-mail all the way from Montana!:
Margot Belden, Missoula, MT: “Bill, I came from Montana to see you and Miller in Connecticut!  It was worth the ordeal.  You were so funny, I had tears in my eyes.”
Bill’s response: “I hope from laughing with me, Margot, and not at me.  Signed copy of Killing Lincoln coming your way for that big trip. …”  That was followed by another reminder about the Richmond and Atlantic City shows in a few weeks.

Bolder & Fresher Tour at Westbury August 10, 2011

Posted by Mike C. in Comedy, Commentary, Internet, Media, News, Personal, Politics, Radio, TV.
add a comment

Next Saturday, Bill O’Reilly and Dennis Miller will kick off the Bolder & Fresher Tour at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury.  It’s the sequel to the Bold & Fresh Tour with Bill and Glenn Beck.

The Tour is billed this way on its website:

Bolder and fresher than ever before…  Bill O’Reilly, godfather of “no spin” and in-your-face television, and Dennis Miller, the king of references and rants, are teaming up to take the country by storm!  Your town may never be the same.

So far, three other shows have been booked after Westbury:

  • 10/29: Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT
  • 11/25: Landmark Theatre, Richmond, VA
  • 11/26: Borgata Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, NJ

I will be in the audience next Saturday.  I can’t wait.

8/21 UPDATE: Here’s my recap of the show.

Tim McCarver auto-tuned July 19, 2011

Posted by Mike C. in Baseball, Commentary, Media, Music, News, Personal, Politics, Sports, Technology, TV.
add a comment

During the last commercial break for the 8PM Eastern airing of last Friday’s The O’Reilly Factor, there was a promo for the MLB on Fox.  In the promo, Joe Buck and Tim McCarver are to be auto-tuned during their broadcasts to appeal to a younger demographic.  Tim follows through, but Joe refuses:

This promo has been running since the start of the season, but Friday was the first time I saw it.  I initially posted it to my Facebook wall, but decided to post it here, too.  As I said in my previous post, I find auto-tune hilarious and always get a kick out of it, especially if spoken word gets the auto-tune treatment.