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Thursday, May 25, 2017

The other night, John & Suzyn spoke of an appearance in Syracuse with Graig Nettles...


...and I'm Bill White has vowed to uncover the details.
Blogger I'm Bill White said...


Great vignette last night about John, Suz, and Nettles spending time in Syracuse.
May 24, 2017 at 6:37 AM



Blogger I'm Bill White said...
John recalled a speaking engagement in the Salt City "some years ago", accompanied by Suz and Graig Nettles. Nettles made a good point about the game of baseball that John thought relevant to last night's game, but I have since forgotten it. It was a very good point, though, and isn't funny how baseball is always repeating itself. I tried to triangulate Graig's appearance with John and Suz's offseason/ hot stove schedule, but I'm not having much luck. What I can tell you is that Graig Nettles appeared at the 2012 New York State Fair on August 30th of that year, from 2 to 4 pm. I bet he stayed longer because, by all accounts, it was a pleasant day with a high of 82 degrees under sunny skies and with low humidity. What I don't know is whether John and Suz stopped by good old State Fair Boulevard that day. I just don't know. I'd hoped that a little digging would uncover that the trio were in town together when John and Suz were elected to the NYS Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame, but we all know that took place in 2016. If someone reading this post knows anything, I mean ANYTHING, about when Graig Nettles, John Sterling, and Suzyn Waldman appeared together in Syracuse, please respond. No lead is too small. This is important. Thank you.
May 24, 2017 at 3:23 PM
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Blogger I'm Bill White said...
I cannot stress enough how important this is. Please, stop what you are doing, use the Internet browser of your choice, and help me--help America--find out when John, Suz, and Graig were in Syracuse together. Thank you.
May 24, 2017 at 3:27 PM
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Blogger I'm Bill White said...
I am literally a Brett Gardner throw away from the White House today, but all I can think about is Nettles-Sterling-Waldman-Syracuse. It's that important.
May 24, 2017 at 3:39 PM
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I'm Bill White's last entry gives me a particular shudder, because I've read Borges' The Zahir: 
My friend Borges once described a Zahir, which in Buenos Aires in 1939 was a coin, a ten-centavo piece, with the letters ‘N’ and ‘T’ and the numeral ‘2’ scratched crudely in the obverse. Whomsoever saw this coin was consumed by it, in a manner of speaking, and could think of nothing else, until at last their personality ceased to exist, and they were reduced to a babbling corpse with nothing to talk about but the coin, the coin, always the coin.
While I'm Bill White's curiosity about a meeting in Syracuse between John, Suzyn & Nettles is not a concrete object like a coin, its maddening persistence suggests a relationship to Borges' lethal Zahir.

On the unlikely chance that answers can satisfy I'm Bill White's excruciating hunger, I am pleading with anyone who can provide even the paltriest details of John, Suzyn & Nettles' Syracuse meeting to please come forward.

11 comments:

Alphonso said...

Dear Bill,

Sometimes the greatest breakthroughs begin with a, seemingly, insignificant clue.

So here goes;

1. I witnessed John Sterling entering a bar in Tampa, ordering a martini, and then taking the drink outside. It was during spring training a few years ago. I have a witness if that becomes necessary.

2. Duque, Mustang and I sat in a bar, drinking and consuming some extraordinary chicken wings, during the huge anniversary party for Fenway Park several years back. When the Yankees roared back in that game to humiliate the Red Sox, we
sang, " happy birthday to Fenway," after each Yankee pile-on run. Soon, the entire bar joined in., with every Yankee run scored. Here is the important part; this bar was in the Salt City.

3. If you can figure out how these worlds collide, you may find Greg Nettles. I just don't know.

But you asked for anything. And I wanted to help. Plus, there is no game today, due to rain.

Honey Barnes said...

I once saw Floyd Little at the Pastime Athletic Club.

Does that help?

Anonymous said...

YEARS AGO, I WENT TO SAM SELTZER'S STEAKHOUSE IN TAMPA, DURING SPRING TRAINING (YOU GUYS BEEN THERE?)- AND AT THE BAR THERE I MET, AND SPOKE TO FRANK HOWARD, A YANKEE COACH BACK THEN..... NETTLES WAS A GUEST COACH IN TAMPA THAT YEAR TOO, BUT I'M GOING BACK TO AROUND 2003, OR 2004. (NETTLES WAS NOT AT THE BAR, JUST HOWARD).

I'm Bill White said...

This is exactly the start we were looking for! No lead is too small!

Anonymous said...

Follow me here: Gerry McNamara, Syracuse hero, is from Scranton. The Yankees triple-A team plays in Scranton, in the same leagues as the Syracuse Chiefs. McNamara played basketball, and the number one highlight of his career was hitting a bunch of 3's in the NCAA championship game in in 2003, in New Orleans. McNamara's number two highlight was his unworldly performance in the 2006 Big East basketball tournament in New York, home of the Yankees. John Sterling, Yankees hero, was once the voice of the Atlanta Hawks, who then occasionally played "home" games in New Orleans, including a famous 60 point performance by Larry Bird, which Sterling called. Larry Bird was the Gerry McNamara of his generation, only way, way, way better. He also played with Danny Ainge, who was once briefly a third baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays. Graig Nettles played third base. Toronto is not too far from Syracuse, and Syracuse's baseball team is now affiliated with the Nationals, but the Nationals used to be the Expos. So, Canada. And, Chien Ming Wang played for both the yankees and Nationals, who used to be the Expos. There's more, though... I am from Scranton, and have it on good authority that McNamara was a good little league and high school baseball player. He played third base once in a while, Nettles' position. Weirder still... Graig Nettles hit a home run during the first Yankees game I ever attended in New York AND I was in New Orleans when McNamara had that great NCAA championship game. Now, this where it gets really strange, my wife is from Syracuse. So, it's obvious-- find Gerry McNamara. He knows when John, Suzyn and Nettles were in Syracuse. If you can't find him, find Chien Ming Wang. He'll tell you where to find McNamara.

I'm Bill White said...

I knew that Scranton would play a role in all of this. I have booked a seat on the 8:20 p.m. Greyhound out of Durham. I arrive in Scranton at 2:20 p.m., tomorrow afternoon. There is free wifi on every Greyhound bus now, there are individual power outlets, and I am told that the legroom situation has improved significantly. I'm no prima donna, but comfort matters when you are tracking leads.

Today is my sixteenth wedding anniversary, but I told my wife that this is important. This comes first. She didn't reply. I have budgeted one full day in Scranton before I take the Sunday night Greyhound to Tampa in order to track down Alphonso's and ALL CAPS's leads. I am on the Express Bus, and I will arrive two days later (just before noon on Tuesday). Not bad for $252 and only 3 transfers. Watch for regular updates from the road.

el duque said...

God speed, I AM BILL WHITE.

I'm Bill White said...

Finally, I will return to Durham by way of Syracuse, where I can track down Honey Barnes's Pastime A.C. tip. I catch a Greyhound in Tampa at 7:35 p.m. on Friday, and I'll touch down in Syracuse just after 12 noon on Sunday, June 4th, which is my wife's birthday. I plan to remain in Syracuse for as long as it takes before returning to the Bull City.

el duque said...

And for God's sake, find Gerry McNamara!

Alphonso said...

Once upon a time, I found myself with our new President ( then known as The Donald ) in the VIP elevator at Yankee stadium. I was going there to meet Duque and Mustang , who had scheduled interviews with John & Suzyn. The Donald was with Marla. He nodded to me. She eyeballed my package ( I'm pretty sure.) in any case, she was smiling.

I then stumbled upon Tom Seaver who thought I was the expected reporter from Syracuse, and had written a book about the Scooter. After a couple of free martinis, I excused myself to go find Duque.

Long story short; Seaver also knows Nettles and I played third base. I don't think Duque and Mustang got the interviews they wanted.

Go get'em I'm Bill White.

The force is with you.

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