Daily Archives: January 13, 2010

R.I.P. Art Rust Jr.

Art Rust Jr used to talk about sports on WABC radio when I was a kid. I loved his show, which was the first sports talk radio I remember hearing. One day, must have been in 1981 or ’82, I was home sick. I got to stay in my parents bed that afternoon. Nobody else was home. I listened to Art and was desperate to ask him a question. At the time, it seemed to me to be the most important question in the world: Will Reggie Jackson hit 500 home runs?

I dialed the number to the show on our red rotary-dial phone, over and over. Once I heard the busy signal, I hung up and started to dial again. Finally, the pattern was broken by a voice. “ABC: hold.” Then silence. I was startled, so I hung up. Only to realize that I had just blown it.

I never did get through again. But for years I listened to Art Rust Jr. I don’t recall much about him. I know he was a big boxing fan and his voice was knowing and assuring and made me feel safe and in good company.

How does it feel?

I’ve always loved Scorsese’s short from New York Stories because he pokes fun at himself through the obsessive mentor-muse relationship between Notle and Arquette.

Here’s another goof record, a sports comedy classic, featuring George Harrison on lead guitar, Carol King on the electric piano and Billy Preston on the organ:

That is what the Yankees apparently have left to spend on a second left fielder and according to Joel Sherman that makes bringing Johnny Damon back the longest of long shots. No real news here but I figured it’d give you guys some baseball stuff to schmooze about that doesn’t have to do with Big Mac. I like the idea of Reed Johnson, but really, I like most of the options that are being discussed because we are talking about a role player not a key figure. And if things fall apart, we know the Yanks can always swing a trade before the trading deadline in the summer…

Last night I got a call from one of the women I served jury duty with last summer. We’ve e-mailed occasionally but her computer was on the fritz and so she found my number and called to say hello. Funny how being on a grand jury for a month with complete strangers can forge a bond. We aren’t close friends but we like each other.

“I’m not rich, but I feel blessed,” she said. “I live paycheck-to-paycheck, I don’t do well saving, but I feel rich. Even more than people who have a lot of money. I’m happy. Do you know I came into work the other day and said good morning to a co-worker and she looked up at me and said, ‘What’s so good about it?’ I said, ‘You woke up, didn’t you? You have a job, right? You have your health?’ I mean, really. Sometimes I think people just like to be miserable.”