Tumbling Dice

I've been keeping as busy with pictures as I have with words during the past month.  Many of my photos have been shared on Tumblr.  If you've missed some of them, click on the subheadings below to see the photos which accompany my short write-ups.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Is there anything more American in springtime than Opening Day in major league ballparks across the United States?  When the teams are from Washington DC and New York City and the pre-game ceremonies include a huge American flag, probably not!  

Back to campus on a gorgeous spring day

If you return to visit the college you attended a generation ago, it’s bound to confirm that “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”  At Seton Hall University, that means a statue of the Pirates mascot appears outside the Richie Regan Recreational and Athletic Center ready to charge the Walsh Library.  The sun continues to set on President’s Hall and the Immaculate Conception Chapel as it has since the 19th century.  And, students still enjoy a break from studies by playing wiffle ball on the University Green.

Cosmos Country, 2014

It’s NASL soccer on turf with an eclectic roster featuring Brazilian-born former Spanish international Marcos Senna, but today’s Cosmos is not the club your father may have seen a generation ago.  The 2014 edition plays second-division soccer in front of a few thousand fans at Hofstra University, not 40,000-70,000 as it did at the New Jersey Meadowlands, although it continues the winning tradition established in the 1970s and ’80s when it was among the world’s most famous soccer clubs.

Today’s New York Cosmos, however, features some things not seen many years ago — ultras standing and chanting for 90+ minutes behind a goal and a sponsor prominently displayed on banners and uniforms.  At yesterday’s home opener, Pele was even on hand to pose (sort of) for pictures with fans old and new.

Yesterday’s Coney Island, today

The Parachute Jump stands as tall as ever, its colors probably blinding the ghosts of yesterday’s thrill seekers.  Wonder Wheel cars slide through their circles, the sounds of the Cyclone and its shrieking riders a background soundtrack. An antique car sits by Nathan’s, like a picture from a vintage postcard or book. 

On a pleasant spring weekend day, Coney Island remains as vibrant as ever, attracting the tired, the poor, the huddled masses and many others, just as it did over a century ago.  Signs of new investments hint at possibilities of even greater summertime memories ahead.

Behind Wilson Hall

Many Monmouth County residents and vacationers have seen Wilson Hall as they peek to the south while passing through Monmouth University. Erlanger Gardens, situated just west of Wilson Hall’s back rooms, is another of the university’s architectural gems.  The garden occasionally hosts students and events, but often sits peacefully at sunset.

The Frenchman

He won’t be appearing in the World Cup for the first time in 20 years this summer, but Thierry Henry is expected to continue being in top form as the New York Red Bulls attempt to capture their first MLS Cup this season.

After scoring 51 goals in 123 internationals for the French national team, Henry has notched 45 goals in 106 matches for New York, including one in last night’s 4-0 win against Houston.  He remains difficult to mark as he roams around the pitch, and still gets past defenders who challenge him, always to the joy of Red Bull Arena ultras grateful for his skills and leadership.  

On the subject of Tumbling Dice, don't the Rolling Stones -- all officially senior citizens -- still sound great in concert?  (Thank you, Wang Lynn, for sharing your video of them performing the song in Shanghai last month.)   

Garland Jeffreys, Coney Island and me

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that I heard the first song, “Coney Island Winter,” from Garland Jeffreys' upcoming disc on WXPN-FM only days after reading the news that Coney Island’s new Scream Zone was opening to the public. The Brooklyn-based musician and amusement park have intersected with my life at many points. Why not with each other this time, as they introduce something new?

Just two months ago, I saw Garland Jeffreys entertain his fans at a concert in Moorestown, NJ (that’s a picture of Garland and me after the show). He sounded great as he sang from his heart. We left appreciating what a kind and giving guy he is, and what a talented musician he remains.

Garland Jeffreys’ album, Escape Artist, was one of my soundtracks for the summer of 1981. My wife and I were newly wed, and his record spun on our turntable dozens of times those hot months. I can still almost hear “Modern Lovers,” “96 Tears,” “R.O.C.K.” and others songs from that album in the two-family house we shared with another newly wed couple. In fact, that music helped facilitate the formation of a great friendship.

Almost 25 years later, one of those friends mentioned to me that Garland Jeffreys had played a “house concert” in northern New Jersey. It introduced us to the concept of house concerts, where a few dozen fans see an artist perform in someone’s living room for a very reasonable price and have the chance to meet them.

Garland Jeffreys grew up in Brooklyn, NY, which he still calls home. The Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of his youth was only a short distance from Coney Island, which also was a significant part of my New York City childhood. After sunny summer days at nearby Brighton Beach, our family would often go over to Coney Island to eat at Nathan’s, ride the Wonder Wheel, the carousel where I could lean over and grab some token rings and, when I was a bit older, ride the Cyclone.

I remember going to Coney Island for my 10th birthday. As seedy as the place had gotten by the mid-1960s, it was still special to me and other New Yorkers. Even after moving to New Jersey, I never went too long without returning to Coney Island.

In the mid-1980s, driving back from business meetings in Long Island, I talked a couple of co-workers into going there just to ride the Cyclone. After my cousin’s high school graduation party -- in Sheepshead Bay – in 2002, my wife and parents walked around there with me for old-time’s sake. Five years later, my youngest son and I enjoyed ourselves there for a few hours before a Brooklyn Cyclones baseball game in the shadows of the long-closed Parachute Jump.

Two summers ago, my big brother and I made Coney Island part of a weekend romp through the city. It reminded us how much we enjoyed the long subway train ride from Manhattan through Brooklyn…but also made us realize that our bones had gotten too old for the bumpy thrills of the Cyclone roller coaster.

Don’t bother telling Garland Jeffreys he’s too old to be making good music. The Brooklyn man’s concert performance and new song indicate he still has the heart and mind of a young artist.

And, don’t tell that parcel of Brooklyn land, Coney Island, to sink into the Atlantic Ocean with the ghosts of its past. Scream Zone, the new Luna Park that opened two years ago, and the oldies-but-goodies Cyclone and Wonder Wheel indicate it still has some fun to share with New Yorkers.

To see some old and new Coney Island footage, go to www.garlandjeffreys.com and click on the video for “Coney Island Winter.”