Happy Birthday Red!

After a long hiatus...I am back. Not only am I back with one post, I am back with two very different, simultaneous entries. I compare it to Bruce releasing Human Touch and Lucky Town on the same day in 1992. Enjoy.

So as some of you may know...I call my mother Red. I guess it's something I picked up from my stepfather David, and it just stuck. Well, today, January 12, 2010 is my mother's 60th Birthday. Bruce wrote a song for his mother called The Wish...so I figured the least I could do was write a blog post about my mom.

To know my mother is to know that she spends every minute of her days, every fiber of her being, doing things for others. She gave up a corporate career in the food service industry to work at The WindMill...partially because her father wanter her to...and partially because it would allow her to put her family first before her career. She takes off every Friday so she can cook Shabbat dinner for anyone and everyone who wants to show up and dinner usually includes two soups, two main dishes, three sides, and at least one dessert. Then on Saturday, she treks down the shore, fighting shore traffic during the summer...all so we can be together Friday night. She invites the masses for Rosh Hashanah and Passover, year in and year out...cooking everything from scratch. She makes dozens of holiday baskets...again...everything made from scratch for people that she works with, people David works with, people I work with, people she met 20 years ago, etc.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. My mother will drop anything, any time for anyone she cares about. She flies to Florida at a moment's notice to take care of my grandparents, she used to take my car to be serviced for me because it was on her way to work, she goes to doctor appointments with my sister, and she happily took my daughter to gymnastics recently. She lets people live in her house...really. She will do anything.

She is the first one on the dance floor at any party, usually dragging or coaxing the rest of us with her. And when our family has had hard times, she is our rock.

My mother loves without limits, strings or guilt. She got that from her grandmother, Mama. She told me a long time ago that different children need different things. My sisters and brother needed more of her time, but any time I need her...she somehow knows. She used to tell me a story about how when she was in college and had no money, somehow a letter would show up from Mama with some cash in it. How did she know? My mother doesn't send me money...but she is in tune with what all of her children need from her at any given time. It's amazing.

I could go on and on, but I will just say this last thing before I finish. I live my life every day hoping to make my mother proud. She tells me all the time that she is proud of me...and even at 35 with two kids of my own...it means the world to me.

So...I will leave you with a quote from The Wish...

"And if it's a funny old world, ma, where a little boy's wishes come true

Well I got a few left in my pocket and a special one just for you
It ain't no phone call on Sunday, flowers or a mother's day card
It ain't no house on a hill with a garden and a nice little yard
I got my hot rod down on Bond Street, I'm older but you'll know me in a glance
We'll find us a little rock 'n roll bar and baby we'll go out and dance"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RED!

JN

Lukas (Luke) Nolan Neuer

On November 3rd, my wife delivered our son, Lukas (Luke) Nolan Neuer.

While it has taken me a while to write a blog entry, it wasn't from a lack of thought, or a lack of desire. So many thoughts have gone through my head when I have sat down to write this entry that I have had a hard time organizing them in my mind, let alone on the screen.

Some quick thoughts:

- Luke was born in between Games 5 and 6 of the World Series. We watched the first four innings of Game 6 together and his first home run was Matsui's shot off of Pedro.

- The first song I sang to him in the hospital was Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready". Not sure why...it just popped in to my head.

- Avery and I gave him the nickname "Buddy Buddy" the first week. Not sure why...but that's what we came up with.

- The Saturday night after he was born, Bruce was playing at the entire The Wild, The Innocent, and The E Street Shuffle album at The Garden. This is my favorite Bruce album. Right around the time the show started, Luke and I sat down on the couch...he layed on my chest...and we listened to the entire album...front to back. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

- The kid pukes...a lot. Seriously. A lot.

- As an infant, Avery really liked Jackson Browne. I think Luke likes Elvis Costello.

The rest of it, I really guess I covered in the short speech (longer because it was hard to get through without stopping to compose myself) I gave at his bris. It was a pretty emotional day and I hope I never forget the feeling I had that day. His whole world was ahead of him. It still is. I have so many things I want for him...to experience, to know, to want, etc. It's amazing to think that Christine and I are responsible for Avery and Luke...to teach them, to help them experience life, to pick them up when they fall...and to know when not to pick them up...it's a HUGE responsibility. I can't think of a bigger one. Can you?

Anyway...below is the speech from the bris with a few minor edits.

First, I’ll start with the thank you’s. To my beautiful wife, none of this could be possible, literally, without you. I love you more every day.

To our family with their never support, love, food, and shopping addictions, we can’t thank you enough.

To our rabbi, Mark Kaiserman, this is the fourth major event that you have officiated for our family and we hope there are many many more.

To everyone that came today to celebrate the bris of our son, Luke, it really means a lot to us that you took time out of your work day to joins us. Tuesday mornings are tough and we truly appreciate it.

Last…I must must must thank my daughter, Avery, who has welcomed Luke with open arms, shared her birthday week for this event, and puts 1000 smiles on my face every day.

If there was ever a day to make promises, this is probably the day. So…to Luke…we promise to be the best parents we can possibly be. We promise to learn from our parents and all of the wonderful things they did for us. I promise to teach you how to win with class, lose with grace, and always get back up when you fall down. I promise to teach you how to score great tickets, and to keep score at a baseball game. I promise to let your mother and your two grandfathers not named Neuer teach you how to fix things, use power tools, and generally fix things…although, I did do a bang up job on the mailbox. We will teach you to be polite, courteous, gracious, generous and charitable. We will try to guide you the best we can and we hope all of your dreams come true.

A quick story…

On April 8, 1974, when I was 17 days old, your Grampa Philly will tell you that I watched my first baseball game. In that game, Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record and my love affair with the game of baseball commenced. Well, your first game was Game 6 of the 2009 World Series and the first home run that you witnessed was Hideki Matsui putting the Yankee ahead and sending them on their way to their 27^th World Series Championship. So many people in this room today including, but not limited to each of my three parents, my Uncles Steven, Michael and Eddie, my Aunt Peggy, Keith, etc...and my cousin Mike who never let me go without a ticket in the old days before I had season tickets…have all taken me to Yankee games at some point in the last 35 years. It’s one of my passions. I promise that no matter where you find your passion, I will be there with you, driving you, supporting you, cheering with you…whatever it is. If your passion turns out to be the Yankees…well…that’s cool too.

So…the names. Your first name, Luke is not for Luke Skywalker, contrary to popular opinion. Your sister has Aunt Lori’s Hebrew name….well, the L at the beginning of your name is for her also. Another story…in 1987, my grandparents took me and the family to Israel to celebrate my bar mitzvah. When I came home, in my room was my first CD player, and my first CD. Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen. It was a gift from my Aunt Lori…one of so many…talk about shopping addictions…it really runs in the family. So I’ll try to skip the emotional stuff, but let’s just say that she was the one that got me hooked on Bruce a long time ago. As a quick aside, every night Avery and I listen to music and dance and her favorite Bruce song is Working on the Highway and last night, without any prompting, she started singing along to No Surrender…both from the Born in the USA album. Anyway, anyone in the room who has been the beneficiary of Bruce tickets throughout the years, I think you would agree that my Aunt Lori is worthy of being honored in both of my children’s names. As part of our promise to teach you how to be charitable, we will be establishing a small annual scholarship at The College of New Jersey that will go to a student studying to be a special ed teacher. That scholarship will be Lori’s name and you be funding it with your allowance. Just kidding about the allowance part.

Your middle name, again, contrary to popular belief is not for Nolan Ryan. While it may be a happy coincidence, if I was going to pick a name for a pitcher, your middle name would be Mariano. The N is to honor your Grandy’s (that’s my stepfather David for those who don’t know who Grandy is) Cousin Norman. He was a brilliant man who was so generous with his time, and open to our family, and really an amazingly cultured and kind man. He was a very important figure in Grandy’s life and I have such nice memories of Norman and his generosity. Sometimes, quirky…but always generous. I remember him giving me a very odd stop watch that was probably more like a fancy egg timer. I was probably 14 or 15 and he had to explain to me a few times what it was…and I am still not sure I get it.

Your Hebrew name…there are no misconceptions about this one…is Gershon for your mother’s Uncle George. Now many of you may be saying…Christine has a Jewish uncle? This is a joke right? Not a joke. Uncle George was your Papa’s best friend for more years than either of them would admit. He passed away earlier this year and while I only met him once, he embodied the word friendship, something I hope people say about you someday.

So, I know everyone is waiting for the Bruce quote. I am going to quote Bob Dylan instead. Blasphemy I know. The remake of this song by Rod Stewart is one of your Gigi’s (my mother) favorites (and I love this Pepsi commercial).

May God bless and keep you always

May your wishes all come true

May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young

May you grow up to be righteous
May you grow up to be true
May you always know the truth
And see the lights surrounding you
May you always be courageous
Stand upright and be strong
May you stay forever young

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive..." BS

Milestones

Since my last blog post, there have been several major milestones both personally, and for some of my heroes.

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

Bruce, Yankees, Giants, etc.

Just some more random thoughts for a Tuesday night.

- Ten years ago tonight, Bruce played the 14th of his run of 15 shows at the Meadowlands Arena. It was by far the best show of that stand. The tour was still in its early stages and the band was mixing in new material every night. While many thought the following night would be the best, it couldn't hold a candle to this one. Tour premieres included the opener, Night (played for the first time since 1984), New York City Serenade (played for the first time since 1975), and the closer...an amazing version of 4th of July, Asbury Park...also known as Sandy. I remember sitting on the side of the stage in the first level (Steven's side). Fresh and Marc Schwartz were sitting right above me in the second section. They headed to the hallway during Land of Hope and Dreams. When Bruce started Sandy, I saw Marc emerge from the tunnel and I thought he was coming over the railing. It was the first time something other than Land of Hope and Dreams closed a show on that tour. Just a great, great show.

The following night, Bruce did open with Jersey Girl and closed with Rosalita, and Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Melissa Etheridge guested on Hungry Heart, so it wasn't exactly a bad show. On a more personal note, my great friend Ira brought a date to the show named Alyson. They had just met at a wedding and she was coming up from DC. I gave him a hard time for bringing her to the last show of the run as it was their first date. Well, today they are married and live next door. I guess it's a good thing he didn't listen to my advice.

- Today is also the 6th anniversary of the best show of the 2003 stadium tour in Philadelphia, but that's a story for another day.

- The Yankees four game sweep of the Sox was a lot of fun. They won a blowout, an extra inning nail biter, a pitcher's duel, and finally, a come from behind win. Best of all, the pitching and the bullpen really stepped up. This series makes me believe that the Yankees could have a team that is capable of success in October.

- I rarely get excited for football season as I am usually so wrapped up in baseball this time of year. While I am completely wrapped up in baseball, I am optimistic about the Giants. I know there are some question marks regarding the receiving corps, but if they stay healthy, the defense will be special, and the offensive line should continue to push people around. As always, "if they stay healthy" is easier said (typed) than done.

- The economy is taking its toll on sports. Basketball players aren't getting the free agent contracts they expected or deserve. Baseball players lived through it last winter and Alex Rios was just given up by the Blue Jays because the White Sox agreed to pay his salary. The Blue Jays received NOTHING in return, except payroll relief. With football and basketball heading towards the expiration of their respective collective bargaining agreements, we could be in for work stopages (incredibly dumb if they let it happen) and major changes in the existing agreements for each league. Here's hoping that they all realize that they are sharing MILLIONS of dollars and should just share the pie fairly.

- StubHub has changed the landscape of the secondary ticket market. You can buy tickets to many events up until 5pm the day of the event. In many cases, the tickets will be emailed to you almost immediately. It really is a great service.

- Why is there a Ticketmaster App for the Blackberry, but not for the iPhone?

- Speaking of the iPhone, it's just an amazing device and the apps are amazing.

- My daughter continues to amaze me every day. I could type forever about all of the cool stuff she does and how funny she is. Maybe next time.

That's all for now...

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive"

JN

Perfect Day...

Ten years ago today, David Cone pitched his perfect game at Yankee Stadium against the Montreal Expos. Cone might have pitched a perfect game, but I seem to remember having a perfect day.

I started watching the game when I got home from work. Yogi Berra and George Steinbrenner had recently reconciled their differences and Yogi was being honored at The Stadium. I remember watching the ceremony and thought it was great that even though Yogi was being honored, he caught the ceremonial first pitch rather than throw it. Don Larsen did the honors.

I didn't get to watch the entire game as I had plans that night (more on that later). So, in about the 5th inning, I jumped in my car and sped up the Garden State Parkway. I was meeting my father and some other people for dinner. I pulled in to the restaurant about 20 minutes late and waited in the car for Cone to get through the top of the 8th. When he did, I raced in to the restaurant and looked for the TV. They didn't have one. I went over to the table and explained that I couldn't stay. I looked at my father and said "Coney's perfect through 8...I gotta go." Needless to say, he understood.

I don't remember what restaurant it was, or even what city, but nowhere in the immediate area could I find a place with a TV, so I sat in my car and listened as Cone completed his perfecto. What was more amazing than anything else was that he didn't walk anyone. Cone was not a control pitcher and was known for nibbling around the plate. It was amazing. It was also the Yankees third no-hitter in the last four years (Doc Gooden in 96 and David Wells in 98). Coincidentally, each of those years, they had also won The World Series.

When the game was over, I went back in to the restaurant, and told everyone the story of the game. After dinner, we were all going to see Bruce and the E Street Band at the Meadowlands Arena (then called Continental). It was the 2nd of 15 shows at the arena that summer. At the time, my father had a connection with someone that could get us some "working crew" passes so we could wander around backstage before the show. I didn't know why we were having dinner if we had these passes, but I was going with the flow.

When we got to the arena, we got the passes and made our way to the area right behind the stage. Nothing was going on, so we were just hanging out. About five minutes before the show, Paul O'Neill walked by. I gave him a big high five and asked him how come Coney wasn't with him. He said he was supposed to come, but with all of the excitement, he decided to bail. Still, it was amazing to see Paul on such a special day.

A few minutes later, Bruce and the band appeared. We were off to the side, not close enough to be in the way, but close enough to see. As each band member made his/her way up the stairs, Bruce shook everyone's hand, patted them on the back, and basically offered encouragement for a great show. As he made his way up the stairs, my father and I make our way towards our seats, which were pretty close to the stage.

I would see 12 of the 15 shows on that stand, but this show will always standout as it was my first time seeing Jungleland live. I gave me chills...literally. To have shared it with my father made it all the more special.

Tomorrow...my father and I are going to Old Timer's Day at The New Yankee Stadium. It certainly has the potential to be another perfect day.

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive"

JN

Happy 4th of July Weekend

A Happy 4th of July Weekend to everyone. Some random thoughts at the end of a great weekend.

- Yesterday was the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's famous speech. The speech was delivered by a dying man, yet he considered himself "The luckiest man on the face of the earth." The speech focused on his family, his teammates, the Yankee management, and even the New York (baseball) Giants, but he didn't focus on himself. He was a man that played with power, grace, and humility and was a true role model, even at the end. All of Major League Baseball honored him on Saturday, rightfully so. However, couldn't they have gotten someone better than Dave Otto in Chicago???

- In 1998, Southside Johnny played The Tradewinds on 4th of July weekend. I remember right before the show, coming out of the men's room and standing there was Little Steven. He was looking for the men's room, so I pointed him in the right direction. I was too nervous to say anything. That night, Little Steven played two songs with The Jukes, including Hearts of Stone (Bobby had to remind him the chords), and Jon Bon Jovi sat in for the entire show playing rhythm guitar and singing back up. It was also Jeff Kazee's first show with The Jukes. It's been all down hill since, right Jeff?

- July 1, 2004 was the night that Derek Jeter jumped in to the stands after catching a pop up to end the 12th inning. The Yankees came back to win that game in the 13th with key hits from Miguel Cairo and John Flaherty. The Yankees swept that series and it was still a time when, as Yankee fans, we thought it was our birthright to beat The Sox. All of that would change about 14 weeks later and baseball hasn't been the same since.

- July 1, 2000 was the night Bruce ended the 1999-2000 tour with the 10th show at The Garden. I think this show deserves a blog entry of its own, but it will have to wait until the 10th anniversary, next year.

- July 3, 2009, Christine and I took Avery and our nephew Anthony to The New Yankee Stadium for the first time. It was Anthony's first trip to The Bronx for a game, but Avery went to one game at The Stadium. I hope it was the first of many trips for both. A great day, and the Yankees even delivered a win.

- July 6, 2009...tomorrow Jared and I make our first trip together to New Stadium. He hasn't been yet, and I am really looking forward to showing him the new ballpark. Nothing will ever replace The Stadium, but they did build a heck of a building.

That's all for now...

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive..."

JN

Some things I think...

First of all, a very happy birthday to my dear father, Philip D. Neuer, Esq., MCR.  A great dad, friend, and now grandfather.  Happy 63rd.

Now...to some things on my mind today.

I think my wife is amazing.  One week after bringing my daughter to the tailgate party before the Bruce show at the arena, she stayed up late last night making my father an Oreo cheesecake...from scratch.  Last week, she decided not to go to the show, but came with Avery to the parking lot to hang out pre-show.  It was a perfect day.  It was Avery's first tailgate.  It was Aunt Liz and Uncle Alan's first Bruce show.  I got to sit with my mother and David.  I got Sari in to the pit.  Bruce played Incident.  What more could I want?

I think the Bruce shows I saw on this run were great.  While I wish he would play more from the new album, I go to the shows with the mindset that I will have a better time than anyone else in the arena.  There are some that say he isn't challenging the audience enough. Meanwhile, he is not playing hits, he is taking requests, and while he might not be digging deep in to the catalog, he gives it his all every night. The new album has a very positive tone.  We aren't living in a very positive time for many.  Therefore, I think the place in the show where the new songs would go has been reserved for three songs, Seeds, Johnny 99, and The Ghost of Tom Joad, that speak to the times we are living in even more so than the new record.

I think my cousin, Mike Levine is amazing.  They had the annual Texas Hold Em last week and raised over $200,000 in a terrible economy.  Since Matthew was diagnosed with FSGS, Mike has been a crusader for the NephCure Foundation, taking on the challenge head-on.  They got some great PR the same night as the poker event with a segment on Fox News.  Here is a link for those that are interested.  Link to story.

I think Mark Cuban is a genius.  For those that don't know Mark Cuban, he is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, HDNet, and other ventures.  He was the guest on The BS Report (Bill Simmons' podcast) this week and after 40 minutes I wanted to quit my job, move to Dallas, become a Mavericks fan, and work for him.  He thinks the next big growth industry will be genetic research.  I am not betting against him.

I still think Joe Girardi is a weak manager.

I think the season finale of Lost was amazing.  Anyone not watching this show should take the next seven months to catch up on DVD.

I think MLB Network is my favorite channel on television right now.  The nightly highlight shows are amazing.  One host and two former players go through the highlights and will cut to a live game if something exciting is happening.  Any baseball fan not taking advantage is missing out.

I think I like my iPhone almost as much as I liked my first TiVo.  It's close.

I think making the entire floor general admission for the Giants Stadium show was Bruce & company's way of screwing the ticket brokers.  I am not sure if it will work, but I give them credit for trying.  I am happy Bruce will be the last musical act at Giants Stadium.  If I had to bet, I would bet Bon Jovi is the first musical act in the new, yet to be named stadium.

I still think the Giants should go get Anquan Boldin.

I don't think ARod is responsible for the Yankees turnaround.  I think the starting pitching has been much better, taking the pressure off of the bullpen.  Yes, he has gotten some big hits and provides better protection for Big Tex, but I won't give ARod all of the credit.

I think Big Papi should start taking some better supplements.  We may live in a society where you are innocent until proven guilty, but every time Papi can't catch up to a 90 mile an hour fast ball, he is proving he was on something.  Kudos for him if he is clean now, but wow...he has stunk the first two months of the season.

I don't think I care Manny was juicing.  Is the 50 game suspension really a good punishment?  For someone as lazy as Manny, they should have made him play those 50 games, but not paid him.  So he lost $8m.  He doesn't care.  The punishment is in the public scrutiny.  The punishment is also more for the team than the player, although, the Dodgers are still playing really well.  Good job Mr. Torre.

I think that's enough for now.

"It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive..."  BS

JN