The Writer's Life 7/24 -

Baseball writers are proffering their opinion on the Skanks acquisition of Ichiro from the Mariners, the team he spent eleven years with. His once awesome hitting skills seem to be in steep decline. Being a Yankees-hater and a fatalist when it comes to the Bronx Bombers, I predict that the 11-time all-star will be revived, embraced by their front-running fans, and become instrumental in another Bronx championship. Add 30 points to the batting average, ten homers to a slugger's total, and 25% more pitching wins to anyone who dons pinstripes. Phooey!

The NY Post had several superb articles today: Brian Costello profiled Hall of Fame RB Curtis Martin (Patriots, Jets), who revealed that he actually hated football, describing it as a "headache." He used it to stay out of trouble as a youth, and as a means to acquire wealth as a professional. As someone who played and coached at the high school level, I can attest that it is no picnic. I loved game day and film review, but the rest of it was a grind.

Boxing legend Jake LaMotta, 90, the subject of Martin Scorsese's critically acclaimed Raging Bull (1980), is still going strong. Like Mike Tyson, he is doing a one-man show, off-Broadway, singing and telling stories. Given his take no prisoners boxing style, how in the world is he still alive, let alone coherent, not suffering "...the pocketful of mumbles" Paul Simon described in The Boxer? He must have amazing genes. Now there's a brain that should be studied by scientists. Reviewer Frank Scheck was not kind to the show, rating it only one-and-a-half stars.

Gabriel Malor had a terrific op-ed piece today, citing eight instances since 9/09 where the media labeled felons and murderers as Tea Party members or conservatives, only to have to retract. Several turned out to be Democrats, one was a conspiracy nut, another an environmental wacko, another a communist, and one a terrorist. The elites really believe all of us on the right are potential, if not downright, murderers.  

RIP Sherman Helmsley, 74, who made us laugh as George Jefferson, one of Archie Bunker's foils on All in the Family, and who eventually moved on up to his own show, The Jeffersons, and later starred on Amen.

My customers have all been women the past two days. I'm reminded of the mysteries I've sampled, in which the murderer almost always is a woman. My thanks to the woman who purchased 31 Dias de Albanza, and the elderly woman of color who purchased a King James version of The Bible.

Visit Vic’s sites:
Vic’s Third Novel (Print or Kindle): http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic’s Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic’s Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic’s 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic’s 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic’s Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f