BARRY NOLAN FIRED FOR HIS BILL O'REILLY EMMY AWARD OUTBURST AND PROTEST!

BASTARDS!

It appears that a grave injustice has been perpetrated by the moguls of mass media, most likely under pressure from network bigwigs, politicos and a conservative audience. But whatever the forces lurking inthe background, former tabloid television host Barry Nolan has been fired from his job as a cable system infotainment show host because he spoke out against his former tabloid television rival Bill O'Reilly receiving a local Emmy award, calling O'Reilly a "mental case" and threatening to bring O'Reilly's comic TV foil and genuine mental case Keith Olbermann to the awards show as his date.

O'Reilly received his award on May 10th with nary a peep from Barry, who was in the crowd. But Barry reportedly had attempted to leaflet the room with pages from the sex harassment case filed again O'Reilly and was stopped by security .

And today it's reported that Comcast gave Barry the boot on Tuesday, after a two-week unpaid suspension.

Now, look: we wrote s few weeks back that we thought Barry was being silly and unfair in calling O'Reilly names and saying it was wring to award him, since O'Reilly obviously deserved the honor for rising so far above his lowly local news roots. And we had some fun with Barry after he wrote in and insulted our editor, Burt Kearns, accusing him of sobriety, then went on a literary rampage in our comments section, going so far as to call one of our readers a "dipstick."

But Barry was well within his rights to make a scene. And amid his pompous posturings and partisan pipings, he explained his motives pretty simply:

"It is an award that is meant to recognize high standards - and both personal and professional integrity. I grew up in the 60's. If you thought something morally wrong was being perpetrated - you protested (bringing Olberman ((sic))) you didn't just bend over and grab your ankles and say 'yes sir may I have another.'"

We don't know what has been going on behind the scenes, or if the bizarre behaviour Barry had exhibited on this site had carried over into his workplace. But we do know that public opinion in and around Boston, which is not as liberal as many perceive, was against him, and that if he's being fired simply because of this publicity stunt, then SHAME ON YOU, COMCAST!

Did Barry's O'Reilly obsession go too far?

Was O'Reilly behind the firing?

This story is only beginning.

Meanwhile, Barry went back to the Boston Herald, where he first shot off his mouth, to announce the repercussions:

BOSTON HERALD
May 22, 2008

Comcast fires Barry Nolan
over Bill O’Reilly protest

By Jessica Heslam / MediaBiz

CN8 has fired veteran TV journalist Barry Nolan for publicly protesting the decision by the local Emmy Awards to honor Fox News blowhard Bill O’Reilly.

Nolan tells MediaBiz he was fired Tuesday following a two-week, unpaid suspension.

“I knew going in that there was serious risk that I’d lose my job,” Nolan said yesterday, “but nobody likes it when people tell them to stifle, not even Edith Bunker.”

A CN8 spokeswoman issued this statement: “Effective May 20, Barry Nolan is no longer employed by CN8, The Comcast Network. Backstage will continue to air weeknights at 8:00 p.m. with host, Sara Edwards, and its talented team of reporters and contributors.”

Before the May 10 awards, Nolan sent e-mails to industry colleagues encouraging them to write to the Emmy governors - if they shared his opinion - and let them know “this is an appalling choice for an honor.”

“He’s delusional,” Nolan said of O’Reilly, a former Boston TV anchor. “He’s a man that mangles the facts.”

At the awards, Nolan said he quietly put fliers on tables that “simply had” quotes from O’Reilly as well as three pages from the sexual harassment lawsuit O’Reilly settled that was brought by his former producer.

Security approached Nolan and told him he couldn’t distribute information at the event.

Nolan says he has no regrets about speaking out against giving O’Reilly “the highest honor” that the local Emmy Awards can bestow. Past winners include Mike Wallace and Natalie Jacobson.

“When they announced O’Reilly people booed,” Nolan said, “and it wasn’t me. I was quiet.”

Nolan says he just got his five-year watch at CN8. As for his future, he plans to get his lawn in good shape and spend time with his wife.

UFO secrets revealed in Dr. Ruehl's bizarre news

The Realm Of Bizarre News, Episode XXII

Tabloid Baby pal, contributor, columnist and TV, movie and music video star Dr. Franklin Ruehl Ph.D. embraces the squeaking and meets an ET named Elgar in this week's installment of The Realm of Bizarre News.

AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE ANNOUNCES THAT 'THE SEVENTH PYTHON' WILL OPEN NINTH ANNUAL MODS & ROCKERS FESTIVAL; STAR NEIL INNES TO APPEAR & PERFORM

We’ve been telling you about it for weeks now, but now the esteemed American Cinematheque has officially announced that its Mods & Rockers Film Festival will open with the world premiere of The Seventh Python, the new musical feature film about musical satirist and unheralded superstar Neil Innes, produced by our pals at Frozen Pictures.

And not only will Neil Innes be appearing at the legendary Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre for the premiere on June 26th— he’ll also be performing in a special concert at the theatre the following night:

Here’s the announcement from the American Cinematheque:

June 26 - July 9, 2008

Mods and Rockers

An Egyptian Theatre exclusive!

Join us for our ninth Mods and Rockers Festival, straddling the months of June and July in wide-stance, rock star fashion. We’re kicking off with the World Premiere of THE SEVENTH PYTHON, a superb documentary about founding Bonzo Dog Band member (and prime Python and Rutles accomplice) Neil Innes (who’ll be appearing In-Person)! It’ll be a super fun night, followed by another evening with Neil live in concert at the Egyptian.

We’ll also be featuring the U.S. Premiere of LOVE STORY, the fascinating documentary about key L.A. ‘60s band, Arthur Lee and Love as well as the Los Angeles Premiere of THIS IS GARY MCFARLAND, an incisive look at the Mod, ascot-wearing vibraphonist who died mysteriously in 1971. Plus in July you can look forward to screenings of Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett rarities as well as the welcoming of filmmaker Tony Palmer In-Person for his multi-episode extravaganza ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE, a glorious celebration of American music over 4th of July weekend. For more details go to: www.modsandrockers.com.

Thursday, June 26 – 7:30 PM
Rare L.A. Show by Neil Innes -
Double Feature: World Premiere!
Python/Rutles/Bonzos Star
Neil Innes In-Person!

THE SEVENTH PYTHON, 2008, Frozen Pictures, 88 min. Dir. Burt Kearns. "The Most Famous Rock Star You’ve Never Heard Of…" 40 years after he made his debut in the Beatles’ MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR as a founder member of the legendary Bonzo Dog Band, the gloriously unplanned career of Neil Innes is spotlighted in this new documentary. Featuring appearances by all 5 surviving members of Monty Python. "You've got to remember that the Bonzos did 26 television shows with Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, and Terry Gilliam. I think Eric's acknowledged that there was an influence from the Bonzos in terms of the anarchy. There is a link…when the band first met Eric and Mike and Terry and whatnot, there was a certain mutual suspicion, 'cause we were crazy guys just coming off the road. And they'd come from Oxford and Cambridge, and they'd written stuff for David Frost, and they were young, up-and-coming writers…It was a kind of cross-fertilization that took place over a couple of years. We all became very good friends." – Neil Innes (from a Perfect Sound Forever online music magazine interview) http:///www.theseventhpythonmovie.com.

THE BONZO DOG DOO-DAH BAND 40^th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT, 2007, Classic Rock Legends, 89 min. Featuring original members: Neil Innes, Roger Ruskin Spear, Rodney Slater, Vernon Dudley Bohay-Nowell, Sam Spoons, Bob Kerr and the Irrepressible "Legs" Larry Smith. The year 2006 marked the 40th anniversary of the release of ‘My Brother Makes The Noises For the Talkies’, the first record by The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. The part of the late great and sorely missed Vivian Stanshall is performed here in the live concert variously by Messrs Stephen Fry, Adrian Edmondson, Phill Jupitus and Paul Merton. For the first time since the group broke up in the early ‘70s, a British stage once again resounded to the inspired flights of lunacy of the Bonzos favorites performed live. Some of the songs included: "My Brother Makes The Noises For The Talkies," "Little Sir Echo," "Falling In Love Again," "We Are Normal," "The Trouser Press," "My Pink Half Of The Drainpipe," "Mr Apollo," "Look At Me, I'm Wonderful," "Rhinocratic Oaths," "Monster Mash," "Urban Spaceman," "Canyons Of Your Mind," "The Intro and Outro" and more! http://www.bonzodog.co.uk Plus Rutles and Bonzo Dog film and TV rarities. Discussion in between films with Neil Innes.

Friday, June 27 – 7:30 PM
Rare L.A. Show by Neil Innes -
Live Performance of Monty Python,
Rutles & Bonzo Dog Songs!

LIVE CONCERT WITH NEIL INNES. In celebration of the World Premiere of the new film about him, THE SEVENTH PYTHON, Neil Innes gives a very rare solo concert to celebrate the celebrations. He will perform songs from throughout his 40-year career, including material from the Bonzo Dog Band, Monty Python and Rutles canons. Entire program approximately 120 min.

The prestigious festival was founded by producer, humorist and impresario Martin Lewis (left) and Cinematheque programming director Dennis Bartok in 1999. Martin Lewis, who recently pulled off an unprecedented, historic reunion of The Rutles at the Egyptian, continues as the curator and face of what’s become the most prestigious pop culture and rock ‘n’ roll film festival in the world.

Fatal Head Wound: The premonition is fulfilled

Lewis Bailey predicts another future country star

A year ago this month, brand new granddaddy Lewis Bailey warned us of the trajectory of up-and-coming country singer Elizabeth Cook. And hot damn, wouldn't you know it that nine months later he was he was sitting a Gold Circle seat watching her perform at the Grand Ole Opry.

Lewis knows his C&W. He doesn't go for the Taylor Swifts (though we think she's a cutie and is getting the kids into country, Disneyfied as it is). This afternoon, Lewis alerts us to the talents of Ashton Shepherd.

He writes:

"She's from Aladamnbama--
Sounds a lot like Patty Loveless--
Going to be big"

We believe it. Stay tuned.

Yvonne Innes meets The Queen

Britain Queen Elizabeth II, right, meets Yvonne Innes, left, the designer of a show garden entitled 'From Life to Life, A garden for George', designed to celebrate George Harrison's life, music and philosophy, as Olivia Harrison, widow of George Harrison looks on during her visit at the Chelsea Flower Show in London, Monday, May 19, 2008. The Chelsea Flower Show is the premier event on Britain's gardening calendar attracting stars of stage and screen, along with members of the royal family and the public to the fashionable event. (AP Photo/Sang Tan, Pool)

BASEBALL MITZVAH, WEEK #2: No response from IBL's Baras or IPBL's Rosen; kids suffer

On Tuesday, May 13th, Our Man Elli in Israel laid out a benevolent challenge to the two US businessmen who sought to profit most from the idea of professional baseball in Israel: Boston bagel baron Larry Baras of the failed Israel Baseball League and the Miami millionaire Magnetix maven (or should we say Boca billionaire basketball boychick) Jeffrey Rosen: Do a baseball mitzvah by helping out Shuki Goodman, who'd placed a notice on the Janglo bulletin board seeking used baseball equipment for his non-profit program for at-risk called Chein Farm Learning in the Galilee, in upper Israel.

Seven days have passed.

No response.

No mitzvah.

ISRAEL BASE-KETBALL UPDATE: "Did I say Israel Professional Baseball League? My bad!"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MACCABI HAIFA BASKETBALL
PROMOTED TO PREMIER LEAGUE
UNDER FIRST-YEAR OWNER
JEFFREY H. ROSEN

HAIFA TO PLAY IN PREMIER LEAGUE FOR FIRST TIME IN 10 YEARS
AVENTURA, FL., - Triangle Financial Services, LLC., a sports and entertainment investment firm, is proud to announce that first-year Maccabi Haifa Heat Basketball Club owner and Triangle Chairman, Jeffrey H. Rosen, has secured the team’s promotion to the Premier League (Ligat Ha’al) for the 2008-2009 season.

Maccabi Haifa upset the #1 seeded Barak Natanya 73-69 in the Second Division Semi-finals playoffs on Thursday, May 15th in front of a sellout crowd of 3,500 rabid fans in Haifa’s Romema Arena. Haifa won the best-of-five Semi-finals playoffs series, 3-1, guaranteeing the team’s promotion to the Premier League. The promotion means that Maccabi Haifa will play opponents such as Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem next season.

Players, coaches, fans, and the owner celebrated on Haifa’s home court by spraying champagne and cutting down the nets. "This is a wonderful day for the entire city of Haifa. This is how I envisioned the team when I bought it," said Rosen in an on-court interview.

Rosen, whose desire was to invest in Israel, purchased Maccabi Haifa in July of 2007, resurrecting the franchise from the Third Division. The former Rose Art President of International Operations and Chief Operating Officer had an immediate impact on the marketing of the franchise giving the team an American name, Maccabi Haifa HEAT, a custom not practiced by Israeli professional sports clubs.

Rosen’s pre-season goal was to have Haifa promoted to the Premier League under his first year of ownership. The goal was a bold one considering the team had just been promoted to the Second Division.

The road to the Premier League was not an easy one. The team struggled mightily in the beginning of the season, losing their first three games making it difficult to gain the attention of local Haifa fans. Through the first nine games of the season Haifa was towards the bottom of the league standings with a 3-6 record. However, after several player acquisitions the team turned it around going 12-5 in their last 17 games, finishing in fourth place with a 15-11 record. Haifa advanced to the Semi-finals after defeating Eliztur Yavne, 2-1, in the best-of-three Quarterfinals.

Haifa will begin play against #2 seeded Givat Shmuel in the Championship Series of the Second Division on Wednesday, May 21 at 19:30 (12:30 pm EST).

Triangle Entertainment will produce a documentary on Maccabi Haifa Heat’s unforgettable season.

ABOUT JEFFREY H. ROSEN
Jeffrey H. Rosen is the Chairman of Triangle Financial Services, LLC. Rosen is the owner of Maccabi Haifa Heat professional basketball club, playing in Israel’s third largest city. From 1977-2006, Rosen served as COO of Rose Art Industries, a major manufacturer of toys, stationery and arts and crafts. Rosen guided his company to yearly sales topping 300 million dollars in more than seventy countries. With hundreds of license agreements and thousands of innovative products, Rose Art continuously distinguished itself in an ultra competitive marketplace. Rosen is a graduate of Boston’s Northeastern University. He currently resides in Aventura, Florida and is very active in multiple charities.

ABOUT MACCABI HAIFA HEAT BASKETBALL CLUB
Maccabi Haifa has a long and storied legacy as they were one of the original eight teams to form the Premier League during the 1953-1954 season. During the 1980’s, fans would fill up Romema Arena to watch Maccabi Haifa basketball. The team’s reputation even had Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, the “yellows”, scared to visit Romema. However, the team’s stature in Haifa began to fade in the early 1990’s. In the latter part of the decade, the team returned to become a municipal team – B.C. Haifa. The team succeeded in defeating Maccabi Tel Aviv and finished fourth in the Premier League. The team was purchased by Jeffrey Rosen in July of 2007, who pledged to secure the team’s promotion to the Premier League in his first year of ownership. For more information about Maccabi Haifa, please visit www.mhbasket.co.il (Hebrew) or http://www.mhbasket.co.il/default.asp?lang=en (English).

ABOUT TRIANGLE FINANCIAL SERVICES
Triangle Financial Services, a sports and entertainment investment firm, has a diverse portfolio of international sports enterprises. The recent acquisition of the Maccabi Haifa professional basketball team in Israel along with the sponsorship of the Dragonflies, a semi-professional baseball team in Hong Kong, China, represent Triangle’s continued effort to invest in emerging international sports ventures. For more information on Triangle Financial Services, please visit www.trianglefs.com.

# #
For more information contact:
Andrew Wilson, 305-933-8308 x 123
awilson@trianglefs.com

Israel's baseball fantasy league boss Rosen says, "So long, summer 2008! Hello, Israel basketball!"

The Israel Professional Baseball League has finally removed all promise and mention of a 2008 season from its webpage.

The removal comes more than a week after league frontman, Miami millionaire Magnetix maven Jeffrey Rosen and his Triangle Financial Services, backers of the IPBL, were accused of bait-and-switch tactics because it was advertising for sponsors for a 2008 season, and then leading prospective buyers to its Israel basketball team.

Tonight, the only mention on the Triangle Financial IPBl page are calls for players, contributors and sponsors-- and the line:

For more information regarding the league,
please call 305-933-8308.

In related news, Rosen, who’s had as hard a time finding investors for his Israel Professional Baseball League as he’s had finding time to be straightforward with the news media about the state of his operation, is back to talking basketball.

Rosen bought the Haifa Maccabi team last July while he was an investor for the IBL— but months before he broke away to start a competing league after Our Man Elli in Israel revealed the financial disarray and federal securities fraud lawsuit the IBL's Baras was hiding.

Now, Haaretz reports that Rosen is placing his attentions and millions on the hardwood:

"The next big thing, if one is to believe the hype, is Maccabi Haifa, the newly promoted team from the second tier owned by Miami-based Jewish-American billionaire, Jeff Rosen.

"Maccabi Haifa was one of the original eight teams that formed the basketball premier league in the 1953/1954 season… But in 1992/1993 was relegated to the second tier… two years later to the third… bounced back to the premier league but… participated in the final four twice before… it was disbanded.

"Club officials decided to reform… the new team qualified for the first league in its first season and was then purchased by Rosen.

"Rosen immediately announced his intention to transform Maccabi Haifa into a top team in Israeli and European basketball. Haifa's budget was the biggest in the second tier but its hopes were almost lost after it lost six times in the first 9 rounds.

"…Haifa finished fourth and went on to beat its rivals in the playoffs in front of 3,500 fans. Therein lies the real cause for celebration, the return of the fans.

"On top of regular ticket sales, this season Haifa sold 150 regular and 70 VIP season tickets, a large amount for a second tier team…

"Indeed, Haifa plans on maintaining its following by becoming a force to reckon with in the premier league next season. 'We want to be in the final four,' Rosen has said, and allocated funds that will give the team a budget of 2.5 million dollars, one of the biggest in the top tier."

One other note: the Israel press keeps referring to Rosen as a “billionaire,” not millionaire. In that case, we can’t fault the guy for telling us lowly journos to bugger off!

On a sadder note, we’ll need to come with a new alliterative title to replace Millionaire Miami Magnetix maven.

Billionaire Boca basketball barimer?

Any suggestions?

Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle DVD out June 3rd

We've been telling you about the major revival of Seventies superstars The Hudson Brothers, including a new MySpace fan page, grassroots campaign to get them into he Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in February, the upcoming DVD release of their freaky Saturday morning kiddie extravaganza, The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show.

Now the details are in:

VSC (Video Service Corp.) is releasing a 3-disc DVD set on June 3rd.


The set includes every episode from the second series, along with a bonus episode from the original prime time version of the show.

Also, Brett Hudson's basement-dwelling-kid character "Chucky" gets spotlighted in a bonus featurette "The Best of Chucky Margolis."

Cost for The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show - The Complete Series is $29.98 SRP for 355 minutes' running time.

Bill, Mark and Brett Hudson moved from rock ‘n’ roll to prime time TV comedy in the summer of 1974 with their two CBS television shows as well. The first was the brief (5-episode) prime time series The Hudson Brothers Show. Then CBS moved it from Wednesday nights to Saturday mornings, expanded the program's already family-friendly variety format to appeal even more to kids, and renamed it The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show (their pal John Lennon renamed them The Kings of Saturday Morning”).

Look for Mark and Brett at the Fest for Beatles Fans June 29-July 1 in Las Vegas and in Chicago, August 8-10, signing the DVD and other memorabilia-- and performing. (Brett, one of our pals from Frozen Pictures will be screening his new film, The Seventh Python in Chicago—along with the film’s star, Neil Innes.

The Razzle Dazzle DVD has a placeholder page on Amazon.com.

...and a tip of the Tabloid Baby hat to Stephie for the tip...

COLLECTORS' ITEM ALERT: Check out the photo of the original Razzle Dazzle box art we posted back in February-- when it was advertised as a two-DVD set!

Another Israel baseball survivor voices 'no regrets'

"It was an
unbelievable
experience,
just to be there.
It was a
good decision."

Are the men behind the Israel Baseball League, who left fans and vendors hanging with a million dollars in debts and dreams of a second season up in smoke, shelling out money for a revisionist public relations campaign at this late date? It’s got us wondering, as the second high-profile veteran of the scandalized sole IBL season hits the local papers and worldwide web to sing the praises of his season in the Holy Land.

The latest is Josh Matlow, who, as the Barrie Examiner of Ontario, Canada reports, “left the IBL last season in favour of another league: the IBL.”

That first IBL is Ontario’s Intercounty Baseball League, where Matlow had played two seasons with the Barrie Baycats – and where, as we reported,he plays once again after a sidetrip to the Tel Aviv Lighnting of Israel’s IBL.

In another lengthy feature story rivaling the Connecticut Post’s take on Rafael Bergstrom of Bridgeport Bluefish (another “Double B”) over the weekend, the paper reports that the 23-year-outfielder is “glad to be back” in Canada, but has “no regrets” about 2007:

“Matlow never planned to play baseball on the other side of the world, didn't even want to at first. But everything happens for a reason in the opinion of this ballplayer.

"When the Israel Baseball League formed last season, two of Matlow's longtime friends, former Oshawa Dodgers Ian Okorofsky and Dan Drori, pleaded with their pal to weigh his options. They were off to Israel and wanted him to come with them.

"’They almost begged me,’ Matlow said. ‘But I wasn't into it at all. I was happy playing here.’

"Apprehensively, Matlow fired an e-mail to the president of the upstart league, just to gauge some interest.

"’I got a contract the next day,’ said the Richmond Hill native, who only started playing ball competitively in high school. ‘I guess he'd heard of me. It kind of fell into my lap, so I said, “why not? When are you ever going to do something like this again?”

‘Being Jewish, Matlow said the opportunity made perfect sense. Being a ball player, he also had an idea of what to expect upon his arrival in the Holy Land.

"’At first, it was looked upon as a joke,’ Matlow said. ‘Baseball in Israel is like hockey in Ethiopia. It just doesn't mix.’

“However, according to Matlow, in its first full season, the league - which is now under new ownership and a new name (Editor’s note: That’s not correct) - was a success in many ways, for various reasons.

"’’A lot of Israelis are Americans that have moved to Israel to try to become more Jewish, so it became pretty big, especially for the Americans,’ Matlow said. ‘And the other Israelis caught onto it, too. It wasn't huge, but it was also the first year. It was enough that you were recognized when you went out.’

Matlow made his mark playing for the Tel Aviv Lighting - one of six teams in the league. Batting .381 at one point, he was named an all-star.

But he figures he was slightly overshadowed by his roommate Ryan Crotin, a former Dodger who was also an all-star in Israel last season, and a fan faourite.

"’Families would invite him to Shabbat (a Jewish tradition) dinners on Fridays. He became a part of their lives,’ Matlow said. ‘I lived through him. He's that big monster, that gentle giant that everyone loves. It was really touching.’

“…Despite the preconceived notions some might have of Israel being a dangerous place, Matlow said that's simply media hype.

"’There's places in New York you don't go to, there's places in Toronto you don't go to and there's places in Israel you don't go to,’ he said. ‘Whatever you see is what's perceived by the media. That's all it is. I went there, and not a problem in the world.

"’To be honest with you, it was the most gorgeous country. It's just a perfect, perfect country,’ he added. ‘Perfect beaches, the water was like bath water ... always sunny, never rained.’

“Matlow has no regrets.

"'It was an unbelievable experience, just to be there. It was a good decision.’”

Read the entire article here, at our Baseball in Israel archive page.

Lying Lohan

So the E! Entertainment network has begun rolling out the publicity for the "reality" show starring Dina Lohan, the stage mother who helped destroyed the life and career of her golden gosling Lindsay and is now hellbent on doing the same to her two youngest including the weirdly aged-looking 14-year-old Ali.

The show is a staged farce, with mother and hostages cooped up in a swank Vegas hotel, with music recording sessions in the hotel's own studio, and we all agree exists only so viewers can revel in shared superiority to a failed performer whose reported antics make the sick hags of I Know My Kid's A Star look like the Redgraves.

Which makes us wonder why network execs shied away from the in-your-face real-life reality of a propsed series staring Dina's ex-con ex husband, the evangelising wheeler-dealer (or is it wheeler dealer evangelist?) Michael Lohan, who, bound by parole and a ankle bracelet monitor, has more charisma in one of his pinky rings than Dina does in an entire layer of fake tan spray. And more unpredictability.

Ah, we answered our own question. Check out the bootlegged tape above that we were notified someone just posted. The quality's poor, but the content? Priceless.

Somebody give this guy a reality show!

And check out the email Michael sent us when he learned the details of Dina's TV plans back in March. Now that's a bit closer to the truth. And that's Living Lohan.

"I see that there was an article on the internet about Dina's Reality Tv Show concept. And while I DO support positive programming and the "truth", even if it is "Dina's" Reality Show, it goes without saying that she stole the entire concept from me (including the title), even after laughing it off when it was presented to her in 2004. You, my attornies, the press and even Dina's former attorney, Robert Cohen have proof of this!! To date, she has used all my concepts, connections and ideas for HER own purposes. I set things up for her and the kids, then she "claims" they were her ideas and then she tries to slander me ( or has someone do it for her) and then tries to get me out of the way by having we arrested or violated by lying. I even built the house she lives in and bought all the furniture for, while she had/ has her boyfriend, her family and friends enjoying the fruits of my labor. You, alot of others, myself and especially God, know it's true! But that's OK because God brings all the truth to light, and rights the wrongs in His own way. What is worldly is temporal and that which is spitirual, is eternal. She has one, I have the other.This issue AND others will go to court, and if her show is "real" - ity, then everyone will know the truth.!!! I wonder if they will have her brother, Paul Sullivan, who God exposed and was arrested by the Feds for defrauding the 911 Victims Fund , then got caught telling people involved to lie about it on a wire tap, on the show? Or how about her brother , Matthew Sullivan, who lied about my fight with him, slandered me, and then recently got arrested himself for DWI, driving with a suspended license and possesion of drugs! Or how about her, wanna be body guards, the Dux brothers, who themselves are disgraced, lying, adultress, former NY city police officers? The of course, you have all the phoney media and false portayals for Dina and about me! Rockette...ha!! Supermom !! he, he! Manager.........Please!! Watch! Watch how God reveals the truth. What you see on the show will be one thing, but Dina and the Sullivans will slip up, behind the scenes and get exposed. Reality!!! Ha! ............ E! did an episode on E! Hollywood True stories about us, and it was as FAR from the TRUTH as you can get......E! stands for entertainment, NOT "REAL" - ity!!!!!!!!!!!!! and that's what the public will get. PS ...Be well and God Bless. My dad is in the hospital again with his cancer, and it doesn't look good this time. Dina still hasn't even had the kids visit him,call, or even send a card, even after saying what good people my family are. Nice, huh!!"

What the hell happened to Luke Ford?

Hey! What's going on with pioneer blogger and charismatic Internet personality Luke Ford? The Woodstein of the pornography industry-turned-conflicted Orthodox Jew has always been a controversial figure, but as long as we've known him, he's also been a well-groomed, camera-ready media star.

So imagine our surprise when we strolled though his site to see a photo of Luke looking like he'd been voted off Survivor, escaped from Josef Fritzl's cellar or at the very least stepped off a Chabad mitzvah tank.

We asked Luke what’s up.

TB: Nice new look. Is it religious-inspired or are you preparing for a movie role?

Luke: Yeah, the beard is a religious thing. I read an article in the February issue of Commentary magazine on the role of the beard in Judaism and then went to lunch and sat next to a guy with a beautiful long white beard -- the singer Rick Moses, a fellow convert to Judaism -- that I decided to grow a beard.

Have you indeed given up the porn coverage?

I sold lukeisback last October and have not written on porn since (not for any sites that have porn advertising anyway, I guess I've mentioned the topic a few times on lukeford.net).

Have you given up all secular pursuits?

I have not given up all secular pursuits by any means.

Who do you endorse for president?

I don't endorse anyone for president, but expect I'll be voting for McCain. Uggh.

Anything else to report?

Could you mention or link to my live cam?

You got it.

CLICK HERE FOR LUKE FORD ‘S LIVE CAM.

OLD LUKE↓

Israel baseball survivor looks back-- with gratitude

“Four guys
sleeping in cots,
basically.
It wasn't the
greatest conditions
and the food
was pretty garbage.
I was sick
for two weeks,
dehydrated.
It was crazy!"

The dream of professional baseball in Israel may be dead for this year and the foreseeable future, but for the survivors of the first season of the Israel Baseball League’s sole season, the memories—and nightmares-- are fresh.

The latest to recall the season in hell is Rafael Bergstrom, the golden boy pitcher of the champion Bet Shemesh Blue Sox and the first of a handful of players to jump from the IBL to a paid contract back in the States.

Now a starting pitcher for the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball) , but close enough to New York City to get some media attention, Bergstrom is featured in a lengthy Connecticut Post article by Rich Elliott. The 26-year-old Bergstrom looks back on a career that’s taken him around the world – but whose most memorable and potentially traumatic stop was his season in Israel.

With a winning combination of youthful exuberance, the realization that he's been lucky enough to extend that youth, and a sense of camaraderie under fire with his fellow troops— er, players—Bergstrom looks back not in anger, but with nostalgia-- and a gratefulness that many of his fellow IBL players have expressed, but which some outsiders have had difficulty comprehending, as he also confirms some of the outrages first exposed sensationally by Our Man Elli in Israel on this site.

Bergstrom talks of a career that saw him heading overseas after standout play at the University of California at San Diego and a workout with the Colorado Rockies did not add up to a MLB shot in 2004. He played first in Munich, Germany, where the fields and competition were “kind of hit or miss,” one infield featured a portable wooden pitcher’s mound, but where “his salary was roughly $1,000 a month. But his airfare, housing and his subway pass were paid for.”

After two seasons in Munich, Bergstrom moved on to Brisbane, Australia, in 2006, where he “dominated… 13-0 with a 1.40 ERA, and…130 strikeouts and 25 walks in 110 innings,” but where Bergstrom did not play for one of the teams that paid its players.

"'They gave me a host family and they just found me odd jobs to do to make money," Bergstrom said… “It was more of just like a six-month vacation playing baseball, which is fun.’”

Then it was on to the IBL.

From Rich Elliott’s article, "Bergstrom Thankful for Excellent Adventure":

“Games were played six days a week in Israel, where the competition was first-rate. Bergstrom earned $2,000 for two months. Housing was provided, but the entire league lived in the same complex.

“‘It was like a big summer camp," Bergstrom said. ‘Four guys sleeping in cots, basically. It wasn't the greatest conditions and the food was pretty garbage. I was sick for two weeks, dehydrated.

"’The first week, everybody's kind of shell-shocked, like, ‘What the heck are we doing here?” The fields weren't in good condition. But by the end, everybody was like this big family all playing in this league and just dealing with the situation and playing baseball.

“One of the fields Bergstrom spoke of was a converted softball field that had a warning track running through the middle of the outfield and a light pole in the middle of right field with a mattress taped around it. Both of the dugouts were on the same side of the field.

"’It was pretty interesting,’ Bergstrom said. ‘It was crazy.’

“But this experience — and a league championship — brought Bergstrom to the United States for the first time in his professional career. With the assistance of Dan Duquette, the director of baseball operations for the Israeli Baseball League and the former general manager of the Boston Red Sox, Bergstrom became the first player from the league to sign a contract with a U.S. team when he joined the Bluefish last August.

"'When I went (to Israel), I said, “OK, this could be it unless I can continue to move forward,” Bergstrom said. "And then I got the call from Dan Duquette about coming over here. I said I'm going to keep giving it that shot, as long as I keep progressing and feel like I'm improving and able to get guys out. Because it's been my dream, obviously, since I was a kid to play major league baseball. And that's what I've always wanted to do.’

“…Bergstrom, who will make his next start Monday at Southern Maryland, was hoping to catch on with an affiliated club during the off-season. He said he had "a couple guys" talking to him about the New York Yankees bringing him into spring training. But it did not work out.

“He still has not abandoned hope. Former Blue Sox teammate/outfielder Jason Rees and catcher Eladio Rodriguez, formerly of the Modi'in Miracle of the IBL, were signed to minor league contracts by the Yankees. Rodriguez is playing at Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (editor’s note: Eladio was recently bumped down to the AA Trenton Thunder) while Rees was released during spring training…”

Bergstrom was 7-2 with a 2.44 ERA (60 strikeouts in 56 innings) in Israel, leading the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox to the league championship. Check out the entire article here. It’s a good read.

Cloud 9 fleshing out to be a movie comedy classic!

Pop culture phenomenon alert: with a MySpace tribute page, constant exposure on pay cable television and a slobbering Internet-ogler fanbase Cloud 9, the beach volleyball sex comedy written and produced by our pals at Frozen Pictures along with Academy-Award winning producer Albert S. Ruddy is becoming a modern-day comedy classic.

Seriously.

The movie starring Burt Reynolds and featuring an all-star ensemble cast including D.L. Hughley, Paul Rodriguez, Angie Everhart, Gabrielle Reece, Gary Busey, Bruce Bruce, former Miss USA Kenya Moore, prime time TV star Katheryn Winnick, Tom Arnold and current Maxim en Espanol covergirl Patrica de Leon, among others, made a splash when it was released on DVD two years by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (a release held up by Ruddy’s successful Oscar® campaign for Million Dollar Baby), but its longevity and sleeper status is a surprise to everyone but its creators.

We stumbled upon the “Mr.Skin” factor to Cloud 9 when researching de Leon earlier this week. A Google search leads to a screen grab from Cloud 9 and a CelebVid site featuring sexy and naked stills of famous actresses. The Cloud 9 posting focuses on bikini’ed butts!

Other sites like SuperiorPics Celebrity Forums, Celebrity Movie Archive and HotFlick.net freeze the action from the flick, download the stills, polish and color them up and fetishize the beautiful actresses and, and we’re embarrassed to say—their individual body parts!

But even wilder is the new MySpace page that pays tribute to the film!


”Cloud 9 Movie Tribute” pays respects to "the sexiest, most hilarious and socially insightful beach volleyball motion picture comedy ever!" It includes video, stills and reviews, good and bad—including one that reads:

"...The definition of the phrase, "cloud nine", means a state of elation or happiness, but that's obviously a bad title for this movie. There's no one that should be happy about seeing Burt Reynolds and company at the nadir of their careers doing what they can to peddle T&A for not-even-worthy-of-Skinemax straight-to-video entertainment..."

Cloud 9’s script, that has Reynolds in a familiar rascal role, as a conman who strikes gold with a scheme to sell a beach volleyball team comprised of strippers, does have its “social insights,” with its Malibu location and characters like Tenspot the limo driver and Juan Gonzalez, a Chicano nursery owner who masquerades as Asian because "In this town, you're Mexican, you’re just an ordinary gardener-- you're Asian, you’re a landscape designer."

And it's clear that for a number of reasons (not the least being Reynolds’ charming central performance), the movie has struck a chord among moviegoers. It's become a staple on pay cable television in the States (it’s running on a number of systems this month), and has struck gold internationally. Cloud 9 is a hit in India, thanks to its kinship to a popular field hockey film starring Bollywood legend Shahrukh “King” Khan.

In an interview with journalist Yasmin Brennan coinciding with the film’s release by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, writer-producers Hudson and Kearns seemed to realize their film's potential as a sleeper hit:

HUDSON: Early on, we had this budgeted and scheduled to get Cloud 9 out for the Olympics. This was going to be a real 21st Century production. We were going to shoot this on Hi Def. We had a top DP who knew Hi Def in and out, and we had Panavision ready to do tests. But (Director) Harry (Basil) and his crew wouldn’t hear of it. They pleaded for film. And Al’s old school instincts won out.

KEARNS: Of course, it’s the best of the old school. In the end, all our experience and styles produced one hilarious, exciting picture. Harry goes for straight, lowbrow comedy. Al has the classic Hollywood sensibility. He knows how to tug at the heartstrings. (Executive producer) Gray (Frederickson) is from the Easy Riders, Raging Bulls era. He was in Big Wednesday! Burt Reynolds, what can you say? He’s an all-out legend and a true artist. And us?

HUDSON: Well, we made it happen. And we brought the contemporary vibe.

KEARNS: We kept reminding these guys to keep it more Ben Stiller and less Jerry Stiller.

HUDSON: More Vince Vaughn and less Robert Vaughn.

KEARNS: More Dodgeball, less bocci ball--

HUDSON: We get the picture.

KEARNS: Because of all that, because of the mix, Cloud 9 works.

HUDSON: We’re going straight to DVD, of course... But Harry is a direct-to-DVD director. That’s the kind of picture he makes and everyone knew that going in. And that’s not negative. It’s a whole new business and DVD and direct demand are the way of the future. Cloud 9 is going to be a great seller and a perennial rental.

At least check out that MySpace page.

Coneheaded Martians attack Dr. Ruehl's news!

The Realm Of Bizarre News, Episode XXI

Tabloid Baby pal, contributor, columnist and TV, movie and music video star Dr. Franklin Ruehl Ph.D. explores ancient Egypt and expounds on its possible origins in this week's installment of The Realm of Bizarre News.

And speaking of television, be sure to check out Tabloid Baby pal and chainsaw-wielding rock 'n' roll goddess Cherie Currie-- Dr. Ruehl's chainsaw-slinging companion on the landmark Manitoba Bigfoot Expedition of 2005, rocking that chainsaw tonight and on the weekend on CMT's Mobile Home Disaster!

Why Steve Dunleavy has been missing in action

It was ten years ago this morning that Burt Kearns awoke at the Paramount Hotel in New York City to find a message had been slipped under his door. The note read: "Frank Sinatra died. See you in L.A. Steve." Hours earlier, Burt had been facing Dunleavy in a sitdown in an Italian restaurant across the street from Langan's on 47th Street, trying to assure the tabloid legend that what he'd written about him in his forthcoming book was not going to get him arrested or deported. Dunleavy was not entirely reassured, but in the months to follow would be one of the few tabloid television heavyweights (Maury Povich, Rafael Abramovitz & Eames Yates were among the others) to support the memoir Tabloid Baby publicly without knowing what potentially toxic secrets were lurking between the covers.

We've been aware of Steve's absence from the pages of the New York Post since December, when he'd offered to write a column on the Roman Catholic Church's ban of the song Danny Boy at funerals, and have known about his health issues for months, but we haven't let on because mateship trumps scoopship, and one thing Steve Dunleavy has taught many of us is the value of mateship.

Now Steve's let the cat out of the bag, or the cat's in the bag and the bag's in the river, but in any case, it was his decision how and when to talk about it. He did this morning, with his old mate Jim Brady:

James Brady On Media
Desperately Seeking Dunleavy
James Brady 05.15.08

Star reporter for the New York Post, tabloid TV news hound, best-selling author--colorful, brawling, carousing Australian Steve Dunleavy was missing in action.

Dead? No, there would have been an obit. Stopped drinking? Not bloody likely, mate. Had Rupert Murdoch in a pious moment sacked the rogue? Not Murdoch's fiercest, most loyal and longest-running attack dog. Yet not a single, outrageous bylined story in three months. Where was Steve Dunleavy when the newspaper and nation needed him?

"It's m' legs, mate," he said when I called his Long Island home. "Sitting or lying down, no problem. It's the walking. You remember how I sprinted from bar to bar? Today I lurch from bar to bar." He blathered on about some long-time hereditary problem with his legs--vascular, something about pressure on a spinal disc, three hours of tests at Mount Sinai.

"I went to some Mickey Mouse Long Island doctors, which was my mistake. I spent two months in the Keys, sun and salt water, a little condo we have, but it didn't help. I don't use a cane but have an old shillelagh. Then Roger Wood (long-time Post editor in chief) suggested, "Go see that boy Howard Rubenstein (the PR guru). He represents every famous doctor in town." They've put me on five weeks of meds. If that doesn't do it, there's always the surgery option."

And is he drinking now? Dunleavy sort of failed to respond to that one. "Rubenstein is on top of things," he said evasively.

I sought to console my old partner in crime. "I miss work terribly," he said. "But I can't go out. If I were running up a daily 'thumb-sucker,' [his dismissive term for a Frank Rich-type opinion column] I could do it from home. But I have to be out reporting."

Dunleavy began life as a 16-year-old copy boy on the Sun in Sydney. "Five dollars a week. Then I moved to the Sydney Daily Mirror and earned my cadet ship. My dad was a famous press photographer on the Sun and we became very competitive." (He once deflated the old man's tires to beat him on a story).

And wasn't Dunleavy "a tea boy" on the South China Morning Post? "No," he said huffily, "I was a reporter by then." UPI hired him in London and in 1966 sent him to New York where he worked the 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. trick in the old Daily News Building on East 42nd Street. "UPI was a great organization then, but cheap. You didn't ask for a $10 raise because your boss probably didn't make that much."

Murdoch hadn't yet invaded America but had a news bureau upstairs in the same building, and when Dunleavy "bumped into Neal Travis in the elevator," he took on a second, part-time job "as a casual," as a freelancer was then known, afternoons. "I could use the money." He went full time in November 1967 for Rupert's bureau. "An exciting time, Charles Manson, the 1968 riots, Vietnam."

When Murdoch launched his tabloid weekly, then the National Star, in 1974 and hired me for $50,000 as an editor (I also wrote the gossip column free under a pen name), he introduced Dunleavy. "He'll be your chief reporter but don't give him a title or any authority. And don't drink in the same bars he does."

The Star newsroom on Third Avenue was a roughneck operation, mostly Aussies and Fleet Streeters, but some steals from the Daily News. Plus a freelance stringer named R. Couri Hay, today a flack for nightclubs and the darling of East Side society women, but then a bowtie-wearing errand boy innocent of grammar, punctuation, or spelling. Evenings Hay hung about, making long-distance personal calls, rifling desk drawers and reading people’s mail, and when Dunleavy caught him, he chased him around the room, cursing and throwing ashtrays at him.

It was rarely dull. There was the night a blizzard buried Manhattan and Dunleavy, "reclining" with a young woman in a snowdrift outside Elaine's, and had his foot run over by a snowplow. Snarled Pete Hamill of the Daily News, "I hope it was his writing foot."

When Murdoch bought the Post, along came Dunleavy. "Son of Sam" was Jimmy Breslin's story. But Dunleavy scored a nice "second day" beat by wangling a 3 a.m. at home interview with Sam Carr and his dog, shouting "police reporters, police reporters," when the startled Carr pulled a cocked pistol.

As Teddy Kennedy was concocting alibis for the drowning at Chappaquiddick, Dunleavy and Ray Kerrison spent a week at the Cape where, to prove or disprove something, Dunleavy stripped to swim the swift-flowing channel as Kennedy allegedly had. "I was an Australian and a swimmer," he said. And when the story and photos of the swim ran next morning, said Dunleavy, "The place looked like Jones Beach with 30 or 40 reporters in the water."

When Elvis Presley's disaffected bodyguards offered to tell (or sell) their story, Dunleavy was dispatched to Dixie where he and the bodyguards, sequestered and drinking in a rural motel, cobbled together a series of stories for the Post--and for a paperback original, destiny struck! On the book's official pub date, Presley died. Elvis, What Happened went straight to No. 1 on The New York Times list and stayed there 16 weeks.

All this notoriety led to his being put on TV. "The Boss sent me to Channel 5 News and I didn't know a damned thing about television, but I learned." That led to the syndicated Murdoch show, A Current Affair, anchored by Maury Povich, and a spin-off called The Reporters.

Celebrated for first-punch fights at Costello's now defunct saloon and for sleeping overnight in a straight-backed wooden chair in the Post's city room when the paper was on South Street, in recent years Dunleavy has been favoring a booth at Langan's, a pub near the Post's current midtown HQ, for his recuperative overnight naps.

And if the brave new meds don't kick in, and the legs don't respond, would Dunleavy agree to an operation? "Don't want to, and face it, mate. No one wants to operate on a 70-year-old man who's burned the candle at both ends. And in the middle."

(...a tip of the Tabloid Baby hat to David Peterkin for keeping us informed...)

Lots of Seventh Python photos & video at MySpace

Our pals at Frozen Pictures are really getting into gear in the lead-up to the premiere of their film, The Seventh Python. The movie opens the American Cinematheque's Mods & Rockers Film Festival at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on June 26th, and as the promotions begin, the lads are loading up their Seventh Python MySpace page with lots of production stills featuring star Neil Innes and others who appear in the film, including comedy legends John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin of Monty Python's Flying Circus, as well as members of the Rutles and the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Emo Philips, Aimee Mann and-- well, check out the MySpace collection and see for yourself.


They've also started adding exclusive Neil Innes performance video and outtakes, with a new clip planned each week til the premiere-- which would turn out to be-- ah, we'll let you do the math.


We'd mentioned that the Hollywood Walk of Fame is a fitting place for the premiere, since the multitalented comic genius Mr. Innes has spent a career avoiding fame-- but judging from some of the press material, promising that the movie takes "direct aim at today’s shallow celebrity culture," we'd venture that it could even make some noise as a convincing denunciation of the celebutardia celebrated by some of those corporate porn-pushing gossip sites out there.

Eladio stuck in traffic on Yankees' Thunder Road

Eladio Rodriguez, the great brown hope of the former Israel Baseball League, is languishing. The IBL’s co-MVP got a late call to the New York Yankees’ Triple-A team in Scranton Pennsylvania last month, but lasted only a day—and one great game-- before being shipped to the Yankee’s lowly Single A branch in Staten Island. And though he’s since been kicked up a notch to Double A and the Trenton Thunder-- a Yankee farm team that is not not named for the Bombers-- he’s the third catcher on the team and not likely to show off his stuff any time soon.

Mike Ashmore, a beat writer for the Hunterdon NJ County Democrat, offers daily coverge of the Thunder on his Mike Ashmore’ Thunder Thoughts blog. He lists Eladio last in his weekly team power rankings:

24 - Eladio Rodriguez, C (NR)
A catcher who converted to pitcher, then back to catcher for last year’s Israel Baseball League season. Currently serving as the team’s third catcher…highly unlikely to see anything resembling significant playing time.

The Thunder played to their largest crowd of the season last night (more than 7,700 fans) against the Portland, Maine Sea Dogs, and lost 7-1.

Maybe they can use a little help at the plate from an IBl batting champ…


Larry Baras or Jeffrey Rosen? Which big shot baseball Israel macher will man up to our charity challenge and do a mitzvah? Cast your vote... and stay tuned…

Our challenge to Larry Baras and Jeffrey Rosen: Guys, do a baseball mitzvah this summer!

So here are after nine months of covering the state of professional baseball in Israel and what have we got to show for it? The players have scattered to the four corners of the Earth, the most prominent being a journeyman from the Dominican Republic who’s made his way up and down in the Yankees farm system; the founder of the Israel Baseball League is facing lawsuit(s) and questions he refuses to answer as he hunkers down in a bunker of his own creation; and the American businessmen who want to take his place with a league of their own have proven to be just as secretive-- and a lot less personable!

And despite our best efforts, in the end there’s no pro ball in Israel this summer.

So how can we make some good out out of this?

How can we get Larry Baras of the Israel Baseball League and the Israel Professional Baseball League's Jeffrey Rosen to do a mitzvah?

Well, leave it to Our Man Elli in Israel to take these lemons and make lemon-flavoured hummus-- in the form of a challenge to the Boston bagel baron and the Miami millionaire Magnetix maven to do something besides lining their pockets and ignoring us.

“I got an email from Janglo, a community bulletin board for Anglos in Jerusalem. Somebody named Shuki Goodman wrote this:

farm program for english speaking kids at risk
is looking for used baseball equipment in decent condition.

Tizku L'Mitzvot,

Shuki Goodman

“Baseball equipment!! For kids at risk! I spoke to Shuki. Turns out, he's from Queens, and he used to be a vendor at Shea Stadium! Now he runs a non-profit program called Chein Farm Learning in the Galilee, in upper Israel. It’s for 14- to 17-year-old kids who, he tells me, are either starting the slide downward, or trying to climb back up.

"Heres a quote: 'One 11-year-old is here for defending his mother from his father's beatings; another kid has been kicked out of 12 schools; another one was depressed and locked himself in his room. Some of these kids have been involved with drugs and alcohol-- not all by any means, but some-- and they're looking to find their place.’

“They stay in a dorm facility, and some of the boys are so attached to the community here that they even stay for Shabbatot,’ Shuki said. ‘Playing baseball is a good thing to keep them busy. It’s a much more gentle sport then basketball or hockey, where one player can be so good he can run over the others. Baseball is so much a team sport. They all need each other, so it creates more of a unity. It teaches better values, getting along, caring for someone else.’

“Hey," Elli says, "I agree.”

And so do we, Elli. So here’s the deal:

Yo! Larry Baras and Jeff Rosen! You both were planning on a baseball season this summer, which we now know will not be happening. So certainly there must be some equipment that you have that will go unused.

Help out Shuki Goodman’s kids!

Here's an opportunity to do something for disadvantaged kids, and at the same time do something to repair your tarnished reputations.

As Shuki Goodman wrote:

Tizku L'Mitzvot.

"You should be worthy of doing mitzvot."

Here's your chance to do a really good deed.

Why not?

It’s even got Sam Peters (at left) smiling! And anyone else who wants to chip in, contact Shuki Goodman at shukig@juno.com.

We'll keep you updated.