No 16 Oct 27
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The Oil Can The Award Winning Newsletter of the Cooperstown Rotary Club Vol. 87, No. 16— October 27, 2009 Gabe Schecter has written about the bad days in… The History of the New York Yankees n celebration of major league baseball’s postseason histrion‐ ics we invited baseball Hall of Fame researcher Gabe Schechter to share the highlights of his latest publication titled “This Bad Day in Yankees’ History — A Calendar of I Calamities.” To be sure, the storied New York Yankees have had more than their share of good days, but everyone has a bad day or two now and then. And so it is with the Bronx Bombers, a circumstance that Gabe has skillfully turned into an entire book that marches through the calendar, day by day, month by month, in‐season and off‐season, summarizing an endless litany of mishaps, misdoings, miscalculations, misstatements, missed opportunities, and mis‐ takes committed by players, managers and owners over the years since the Yankees arrived in New York City. For those baseball fans who harbor no love for the Yankees, Schechter’s calendar compendium is the perfect bedside companion or antidote for annoying relatives who worship baseball’s wealthiest and most successful franchise. “I think it’s a travesty that they are tearing down the old Yan‐ kee Stadium,” Schechter said. “It’s an historic site.” Schechter also pointed to the Yankees’ customary largesse when it comes to lavishing in luxury at their fans’ expense. “They spent 50 percent more than the New York Mets spent on their stadium and the Yankees still are going back to the city for more,” Schechter said. Two owners of the Yankees, Jacob Rupert and George Steinbrenner figure prominently in the Yankees’ calendar of calamities — Jacob Rupert and George Steinbrenner. Schechter describes Steinbrenner, the current Yankee owner, as the “most heinous” of Yankee bosses while Rupert, a Babe Ruth‐Lou Gehrig‐ era predecessor, is Schechter’s nominee for “most despicable.” “George Steinbrenner has been the Yankees’ owner for about 36 years now,” Schechter noted. As a fan once said of George, ‘he only opens his mouth to change feet.’ No owner has ever been more meddle‐ some than George Steinbrenner. He’s the only owner to be suspended twice by the Commissioner of Baseball — the first time for making an illegal campaign contribution to a Richard Nixon presidential campaign and the second time for paying off a lowlife gambler to get incriminating information about the Dave Winfield Foundation, Winfield being one of his star players with who he was feuding.” Schechter, however, gives Steinbrenner credit for paying his star players handsomely. “The Yankees currently have the biggest salaries in baseball.” That much can’t be said for Jacob Rupert, a multi‐millionaire who first made his business fortune in real estate and breweries. Schechter labels Rupert as “most despicable” because, while pretending to be los‐ ing money in the Great Depression, Rupert underpaid Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, his two stars, and then The Oil Can October 27, 2009 Page two Today’s Program Rotary Photo Album October 27 The Otsego Land Trust Executive Director Peter Hujik Forthcoming Programs November 3 General Election Day Polls Open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. November 3 Election Day Pancake Feast Cooperstown Veterans Club November 10 WW II Veterans Honor Flight Greg Furlong November 17 Springbrook Update Patricia Kennedy November 24 ur three 2009-2010 inbound exchange students above, left to right, Hubert New Member Profile—Angie Ehrway Szmigiel (Poland), Carola Neri (Italy) and Dan Gille (Mexico). December 1 O Below, the Fenimore Room at the Otesaga Hotel where we customarily Cooperstown Rotary Foundation meet for luncheon sat 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. The Otesaga is in its 100th Ellen Tillapaugh-Kuch year of operation as a resort hotel. December 8 Christmas Outreach Gathering Otesaga Hotel December 15 CCS Kindergarten Angels December 22 New Member Profile Dion Wade December 29 GSE England — Tim Hayes January 5 Dennis Savoie — The Bicycle January 12 New Member Profile T.B.A. The Oil Can October 27, 2009 Page three in the annual Tournament of Roses parade prior to col‐ Squirts from The Oil Can lege football’s Rose Bowl game. This year’s float theme Announcements & Miscellany is “Service Above Self — Service Above The Rest.” A Summary of the October 20th Business Meeting legion of youth and adult volunteers work on the pro‐ ject practically all year round and funds for the float ohn Mason came forward to present the invocation, a read‐ come entirely from voluntary individual donations. The ing titled appropriately ‘Sunshine & Smiles’ followed with televised Tournament of Roses parade is viewed by an a tag line: ‘Behind every cloud the son is always smiling.’ estimated 300 million viewers around the globe. Any We quote the rest for which John attributes his inspiration J amount, small or large, is appreciated. to Helen Steiner Rice: Lyn Edinger rose to say that the Pancake Day work “You’ll find when you smile your day will be brighter and all of sheets were making the rounds at our luncheon tables your burdens will seem so much lighter; for each time you smile as well as being posted on the club’s website. Lyn urges you will find it is true, that somebody, somewhere will smile back everyone to double check their assignments. at you; and nothing on earth can make life more worthwhile than Speaking of today’s meeting, Jeff Woeppel, the ticket‐ the sunshine and warmth of a beautiful smile! So remember when meister for Pancake Day, reminded us that there is but you smile, that you can let your love be stronger than any hate or one more week to purchase Pancake Day tickets at $32 a anger for it is better to bend than to break.” pack. Bulletin board and window posters for Pancake Our Sergeant‐at‐Arms Charles Ellsworth was not lacking for Day should also be available at today’s meeting for dis‐ guests to introduce. All three of our 2009‐2010 inbound exchange tribution in the surrounding area. students were present (see photo on page 2) — Hubert Szmigiel President Bill reported on the doings at the Rotary (Poland), Carola Neri (Italy) and Daniel Gill (Mexico). Dan Cro‐ Foundation dinner in Binghamton. Bill drove down and well, a native son of Cooperstown and past basketball star for back with our three exchange students and said he was coach Dick White’s squads, was the guest of Diana Nicols‐ impressed with the questions they asked. At the ban‐ DiLorenzo. Ron Streek was hosted by his partner Susan Streek. quet Bill accepted awards presented to our club for our Also present were John and Carolyn Kristonech, guests from contributions to Rotary International’s polio eradication California of the Streeks. campaign. Tom Heitz was privileged to present the Rotary Minute and Hubert Szmigiel, our inbound exchange student from quoted a passage from My Road to Rotary by Paul Harris written Poland, collected the happy dollars. Bob Birch said he nearly a century ago when Rotary was still in its infancy although had journeyed to Montreal to visit son Jonathan at growing rapidly: “Though the annual budget of today may seem McGill University. “The exchange rate is plummeting,” large, it is nothing compared to what it would necessarily be were Bob noted. Mary Jo McPhail celebrated the success of it not for the fact that thousands of Rotarians, not alone in Amer‐ the CCS football team which remains standing in post‐ ica, but throughout the world, are giving their best efforts in the season sectional competition. Bill Coleman said his interest of the movement without any compensation other than grandson was Captain of the CCS soccer team. Pati the satisfaction they find in advancing a movement which to them Grady reported a new grandson — Gavin Thomas holds great hope for a better world, a neighborly world.” “Paul Grady. Diana Nicols‐DiLorenzo had $5 for a bevy of Harris saw volunteer time and effort as opposed to money as the reasons — making Halloween costumes, a beautiful fall true economy of Rotary,” Tom concluded. day and issuing a dinner invitation to her father in the Richard Blabey stepped up as songmeister and we tuned up the midst of his conference call to Saudi Arabia. TRH/MRW vocal cords with You Are My Sunshine (Please don’t take my sun‐ shine away). Richard vowed that his choice of sunshine‐related music had not been influenced by John Mason’s sunny invoca‐ House Committee Schedule tion and was simply a fortuitous circumstance. We followed with (Meeting Set-up & Breakdown) [ \ more sunshine singing I’m Looking Over a Four‐Leaf Clover (One Jim Howarth — October 27 leaf is sunshine, the second is rain; third is roses that grown in the John Irvin — November 3 lane; the one remaining is somebody I adore). That ditty was Jim Kevlin — November 10 number one on the 1948 hit parade, one of the first country music Tom Lieber — November 17 ballads to climb to the top of the popular music charts. John Ramsey — November 24 President Bill called attention to a collection jar at the check‐in Martin Tillapaugh — December 1 table, a receptacle for our donations to support the Rotary’s float Doug Walrath — December 8 Rotary Club of Cooperstown (Revised 10/27/09) Membership Roll Chuck Newman, PHF a. 03/02/04; b. 09/04 The Rotary Club Of (By Date of Affiliation) Betsy D. Jay, a. 05/18/04; b. 08/02 Cooperstown Hon. = Honorary Member; PHF = Paul Harris Fellow; Martin Tillapaugh, PHF; a.