Two Decades

 It’s hard to imagine that it has now been 20 years since the terror attacks that devastated our country. The attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania shook our country to its core, but for me, it was really personal, as my dear friend Joyce Carpeneto was one of the nearly 3000 victims that day. And every September 11th, I remember her on my blog.

Joyce was simply one of the nicest people you ever could meet. I worked with her at Tower Records in Greenwich Village in the 1980s and 1990s, and she was an incredibly talented person, working in the Greenwich Village Art Department until she left for General Telecom in 1998. 

Joyce had the terrible misfortune to be on the 83rd floor of the North Tower on September 11, 2001. She and all 12 of her colleagues perished that morning, and nothing was recovered of any them.

Back in 2001, I wrote that a day won't go by that I won't think of her. And that has proven to be true. I wear a beautiful bracelet with her name on it, so she is never far from my heart.

I try to honor my friend every chance I get, but this time of year is the most special. I will be at the 20th anniversary ceremonies at the World Trade Center for the 20th consecutive year, and the following day, I will be at the Tunnel to Towers Reading of the Names of the deceased First Responders at the WTC. I am honored to read the names of 18 heroes who gave their lives for our country, and I will acknowledge Joyce when I conclude.

 

Wherever Joyce is, I know she would be pleased with the way I remember her, but she would also be a little bit "embarrassed." For her, it would be more important that her family and friends enjoy themselves and have fun as opposed to mourning her loss. When I see photos of her, I always smile, and I think of those good times we had together.

Every year, I put up the links to the previous years posts about Joyce, and this year will be no different. Please say a prayer for all those we lost on September 11, 2001, and also for those brave First Responders who we lost as well, and those who continue to suffer because of that terrible morning. They will always be a part of my prayers.

God bless you, Joyce. I was so blessed to call you my friend.

2006: Forever Missed. And Forever Loved.

2007: Never Forget. Ever. 

2008: We Can Be the Ones Who Remember 

2009: The Most Sacred Of All Days 

2010: 3000 

2011: Ten Years After 

2012: 11 Years

2013: No Other Place In The World I Could Be Today 

2014: Always and Forever Family 

2015: I'm The Lucky One 

2016: Joyce and Alice  

2017: Tower Records Forever 

2018: A Great Honor For Me This Year 

2019: 18 

2020: The Years Just Fly By 

Playing Pepper: 2021 Boston Red Sox

I had the pleasure of being a part of group of four Red Sox bloggers who took part in  "Playing Pepper 2021: Boston Red Sox." We were asked six questions concerning the club for 2021 by Daniel Shoptaw, who runs the fine St. Louis Cardinals blog "C70 At The Bat."

Every year Daniel asks bloggers from all 30 teams questions about their teams chances for the upcoming season. This is the eighth straight year I have taken part.

My thanks to Daniel for letting me take part again. Here are the questions and my answers:

 C70: Baseball in 2020 was like nothing we’ve ever seen before. What are your thoughts on that season? Did you like the rule changes? How was following baseball the same or different during the pandemic?

John: Let’s hope we never have another baseball season like 2020! It was beyond bizarre seeing no fans in the stands until the postseason. I understand some of the rule changes that were made for last season but the only one I liked was the DH in the National League. I am fully a proponent of the DH, and I hate to see pitchers hitting. I don’t like ANY of the other changes: starting a runner at second to begin the 10th inning or the 16-team playoff format. Call me a traditionalist with those two things, but starting a runner at second in the tenth is an artificial way to try to end a game. And we nearly had an under .500 team get to the World Series because of the expanded playoffs (Houston). Seven inning doubleheaders? I guess I can live with it for now.

 
C70: When is Chris Sale expected to return and what do you expect from him when he does?

 John: Alex Cora said he isn’t expecting Chris Sale back until after the All-Star Game. The Sox have to be careful with him, and rushing him back makes little sense unless the Sox surprise a lot of people in the standings this year.

C70: Alex Cora is back as manager after a year away. What are your thoughts about his return and how much of an impact will it have on the 2021 season?

John: I believe Alex Cora’s return will have a positive effect on the club, especially with J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers, who struggled mightily last season. I heard that every player who played under Cora in 2018-19 gave the thumbs up for his return. That’s good enough for me.

C70: There’s been a lot of trade rumors around former Arkansas Razorback Andrew Benintendi. Do you believe he will be traded? Should he be traded? [Note: Every year at least one team does something after I send out questions that invalidates one.  Boston did this last year to me as well!  So everyone just told me what they thought about the trade.]

John: I was sorry to see Andrew Benintendi leave. I understand the trade as his stock had fallen since 2018. Still he’s still a young player and I thought he would bounce back from his injury-riddled 2020 season. I remember seeing Franchy Cordero play in San Diego. I just hope he’s not the second coming of Wily Mo Pena.

C70: What is your expectation for this team this coming season?

John: A lot has to go right for the Red Sox to compete in 2021. I don’t see them making the playoffs but I think they can surprise the naysayers. I’m hoping for a 82-83 win season.

C70: Overall, what sort of grade would you give this organization and why?

 John: Chaim Bloom has a plan, and it will take time to bear fruit. So the fans have to be patient this year. He has improved the farm system, and has brought in some versatile position players. The pitching has the bigger question marks. Hard to give the Sox a grade on this off season until we see how some key players perform.

It's Good To Be Back, And On My 15th Anniversary

 Hello everyone. I am finally back on my blog, after a long absence! My computer went out on me in late October of last year, and it took me a while to getting around to get a new one. And now, finally, I am back! I also decided to take a little break from blogging. But it's good to be back!

I am still doing Facebook Live Trivia Night, but a little more infrequently, now about twice a month. I will return to posting the Q&A back here soon. Our next Trivia Night is this coming Thursday night, March 18th at 8 PM ET.

Today is the 15th anniversary of starting The Mighty Quinn Media Machine, so I thought this would be a good day to re-start. It was always fun to blog, and a friend suggested a few weeks ago that I go back to writing again. So I will be posting a little more frequently.

I hope everyone is doing well, and it's good to be back!