On a personal note, last month, Avery and I made our first trip down the shore, just the two of us. The weather wasn't great, but we wanted to see my grandparents and give my wife some time to nap. We hit The WindMill for lunch with my grandparents, my parents and the Fishers. From there, we made a trip south and went to the aquarium at Jenkinson's in Point Pleasant. Needless to say, I had been to Jenks many times before...but never the aquarium and never with my daughter.
Watching her face react to the fish, the sharks, and the penguins was absolutely priceless. We spent about 45 minutes in the aquarium and it might have been the best $10 I have ever spent. We then walked over to the bar because there was a band playing. She wandered out in to the middle of the empty dance floor and started swaying back and forth to the music. We listened for a few minutes and then shared an ice cream cone on the boardwalk. Definitely the best day of the summer for me.
The best day of Yankee season (so far) came on Friday, September 11. In the third inning, Derek Jeter lined a single to right field for his 2,722nd hit to pass Lou Gehrig as the Yankees all time hit leader. Jeter has been a model of consistency throughout his career, performing at the highest level, and playing the game the right way. Off the field, he has handled his status as the prince of the city without one misstep. No DUI's, no bad quotes, no drama...he just plays the game and dates gorgeous women. Jeter is a winner in every sense of the word.
This week, Bruce Springsteen celebrated his 60th birthday. It brought back memories of the night after his 50th birthday when he played the Philadelphia Spectrum and the following night in the First Union Center (now Wachovia Center). It was a very different time for me in seeing Springsteen and the E Street Band. I was seeing a lot of the material for the first time that year since before March, I had never seen the E Street Band.
The night after Bruce's birthday, September 24, 1999, they played a rescheduled show. The show was originally to take place the week before, but a hurricane forced it to be postponed. Of the six shows Bruce played in Philly, this was the only one in the Spectrum, which is a building that Bruce has been playing since 1976. It is also much smaller than the building next door. Bruce opened by playing a tape someone sent his mom with a song titled "The Big 50". From there, the band launched in to Growin' Up (tour premiere) and No Surrender. The other tour premieres that night were Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street, The Fever, and the last song...Blinded By The Light. I was with my good friend, Will Smith, and after Land of Hope and Dreams, I said if he played anything else, it would be the best show of the tour. Blinded was simply amazing.
The following night, Bruce opened with Incident on 57th Street. My favorite song of all time...I almost left after the first song. Also played that night were New York City Serenade and Jungleland, making for one stunner of a show. After the show, me, Fresh, and the two Daves hung out in the parking lot for hours hitting softballs off the Spectrum. A great night capped by a call in to WFAN on the way back to Belmar. I am gearing up for another run of Bruce shows, including the a couple at the Spectrum. My last show of the tour, if plans hold, will be at the Spectrum and if by chance it is the last E Street Band show I ever see, it's a great great venue.
So...congratulations to the captain, happy birthday to the boss, and I can't wait for the next trip down the shore with Avery.
"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive..." BS
JN
