Enthusiasm makes the difference: My thoughts on the Grateful Dead's swan song and Trey Anastasio, my new fave guitarist

The Grateful Dead at their last show.

Before I Squawk about the Yankees/Red Sox series this weekend, I wanted to talk about something else really important: how awesome it was to see the big-screen simulcast of the Grateful Dead's last concert Sunday night. It was glorious! I really enjoyed watching and listening to the concert, and dancing in the aisles (literally!) during the show, doing those awkward twirling moves Dead fans are known for! (Don't judge.)

As my Facebook friends know, I had a busy day that Sunday. First, I went to see "On the Town" on Broadway with Squawker Jon (it was a good show, but interestingly, the female characters were much more compelling than the interchangeable male sailors.) 

Then we went to dinner at City Kitchen NYC -- it is an new upscale food court in Times Square, across the street from Shake Shack. Lots of good food and drink options, and the second-floor location makes for great Times Square people-watching.

After dinner, I was off to the simulcast of the Grateful Dead's "Fare Thee Well" farewell at Soldier Field at the AMC Theater in Times Square. (There was no way in the world Jon was going to go to this show -- he is already sick of the Dead, thanks to me talking about them all of the time!)  There was a wide range of ages of people there, I was smack dab in the middle of the ages of people watching the show. 

There was also the couple who brought a toddler to the screening. Predictably, the boy squirmed and ran around the whole time. Shocker! Why somebody would bring a three-year-old kid to a screening of a very loud, long concert with lots of pot smoking going on is beyond me. But I digress.

Me in tie-dye before the show. I have had this t-shirt
since college, and can finally fit in it again! 

Here is the Grateful Dead's setlist. If you must know, I furiously chair-danced for the first two songs, while I waited to see if others were going to dance in the aisles. Then I started dancing later, as others did (I did not want to be the outlier!) And yes, I was sober! 

Set One: China Cat Sunflower, I Know You Rider, Estimated Prophet, Built To Last, Samson and Delilah, Mountains Of The Moon, Throwing Stones

Set Two: Truckin', Cassidy, Althea, Terrapin Station, Drums, Space,  Unbroken Chain, Days Between, Not Fade Away

Encore: Touch Of Grey

Encore2: Attics Of My Life

My favorite songs were Truckin' and Touch of Grey (best two performances of the show, IMHO!), Not Fade Away, China Cat Sunflower, I Know You Rider, Althea, and Throwing Stones. I could have done without the whole Drums Space thing -- that navel-gazing stuff bores me (I literally fell asleep during that part of the show!) But others seem to like it.

Overall, though, the show was fantastic. When it was over, there was nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile: and wait for the 2:30 a.m. ferry home! (I got only 2 1/2 hours sleep that night!)

But as great as it was to see and hear the Grateful Dead together (by most accounts, this was the best perfromance of their five-show tour) my MVP of the show was not an original band member. Phish singer/guitarist Trey Anastasio is 50 years old -- the exact same age as the Grateful Dead. And he had the toughest role of all -- trying to fill the shoes of the late great Jerry Garcia.

Lots of Dead fans were suspicious of the kind of job he would do. They needn't have worried. Trey was fantastic! His able singing and great guitar playing evoked Jerry without being a slavish imitation, and added something new to these classic songs. Trey ended up winning over most of the naysayers.

What impressed me most about Trey though, besides his talent, was his enthusiasm. Norman Vincent Peale, author of "The Power of Positive Thinking" and founder of Guideposts magazine, the publication that ran my Spartan Race story, also wrote a book entitled "Enthusiasm Makes the Difference." I thought of that title when watching Trey. He was soooo happy to be there, to be performing with the Grateful Dead. Instead of a too-cool-for-school rock attitude, Trey was ebullient and smiling and as enthusiastic as I have ever seen a musician. He really made the show for me. (I also loved when Bob Weir wore a "Let Trey Sing" show for the encores, which referenced him only singing a few songs during the Santa Clara concerts; he sang much more in Chicago.)

I remember when I saw The Police, one of my all-time favorite bands, reunite at Giants Stadium in 2007. The highlight of the show for me was seeing drummer Stewart Copeland, and how happy and smiling and enthusiastic he was to be playing that music again. Trey had even more enthusiasm, if that is possible!

Jambase.com shows what I am talking about. They have a page featuring clips from a videographer named LazyLightning55, who filmed a "Trey Cam" during the shows, aiming a camera on Anastasio the whole time. (Check out the clip from "Althea" below.)

Something I have noticed in our world is that people are sometimes too afraid to be enthusiastic, to show how much they like something. Some people think enthusiasm is somehow uncool. I know I sometimes come across a little strong when I show my own passions and interests. But hey, if you can't enjoy things in life, it makes for a pretty miserable existence, don't you think?

A sports cliche is to "act like you've been there before." But it is one thing to not show up the opposition. It is another thing to be all jaded all the time. There is something to be said for saying and showing how much you enjoy something! I really appreciate how Trey Anastasio didn't act like performing with the Dead was no big deal, and was unafraid to have that goofy, happy smile. Very endearing.

One other thing I appreciated about the concert. Drummer Mickey Hart said something poignant at the end of the show: "The feeling we have here -- remember it, take it home and do some good with it. I'll leave you with this: Please, be kind." Really great moment.

Tying these two things together: let's not be afraid to show our enthusiasm. And let's not be afraid to tell others kind things, and to praise them. You never know when saying something kind to somebody else could give them the encouragement they need to soar.

My thoughts on the state of the Yankees, the A-rod milestone deals, and other assorted shenanigans

Looks like I missed two of the best Yankee games this year, in Friday's and Saturday's epic walkoff wins, the first two walkoff wins of 2015 for the Bombers! Back in 2009, I was at the first "pie game' that May, and the Yanks seemed to start to have an aura again about them. That aura translated into ring #27.

I am still not sold on this current team being a World Series winner, even though they are in first place and playing much better than I expected them to. Of course, as ESPN notes, 44 wins in the first half only works out to 88 wins in the second half. So unless the league-wide mediocrity continues (the Yanks actually have the third-best record in the AL, believe it or not) they need to pick it up in the second half.

It is hilarious to me that one of the main reasons they are contending at all is because of Alex Rodriguez, the very player they wished would just go away. You know Brian Cashman is gritting his teeth every day!

It also is hilarious that the Yankees, as per orders from Hal Steinbrenner, negotiated with Zack Hample to give a $150,000 donation to the Pitch In for Baseball in order to get A-Rod his 3,000 hit ball back. And Alex even was such a good sport in the presser with Hample, who is even more of a self-promoter than I am! Hample apologized for saying some jerky things about Rodriguez, and Alex said he forgave him for it, and added: "I have a Phd in saying dumb things over the years." Me too, A-Rod!

As for the 660-homer milestone dispute, I think the Yankees got off easy. $3.5 million to charity -- an amount that is tax deductible -- plus they don't have to pay the luxury tax? IMHO, they should have paid the whole $6 million to A-Rod, or at least to charity. The organization looks a little chintzy here.

* * *

Me bandaged up after the race.

I have had a busy weekend, and will miss today's game as well. Yesterday, I ran the Arielle Newman Run, a five-mile Staten Island race which was a very eventful one. Just after the race started, I tripped over a stroller and banged up both knees and my right elbow. My mind is a blur as to how it happened but I was very shaken up by it. 

But I picked myself up, dusted myself off, and ran the five miles, bloody knees and all. The first mile or so, I was thinking about the pain in my knees, but I just kept on going. And I even ended up with a personal record for not just that race, but for a five-mile race. I looked like a hot mess, though -- I even had a bloody sock!

Afterwards, I got bandaged up (there were some EMTs stationed at the race who helped me) and I got my picture taken. 

I was in a bit of pain last night -- every time I moved my knees when trying to sleep, I ended up waking myself up. But I'll live. 

Today, I have a lot going on. I am going to see "On the Town" on Broadway, and then I have the Grateful Dead simulcast in Times Square. I don't expect to get much sleep tonight!

What a long, strange trip it's been: Getting ready for the Grateful Dead's "Fare Thee Well" tour

I know I should be writing something about the Yankees and Alex Rodriguez making a deal on his milestones (my opinion is that the Yankees got off easy) or even the Yanks paying $150K to a charity of Zack Hample's choice to get his 3,000 hit ball (my opinion is that he is even more of a self-aggrandizer than me, which is not easy to do!)

But tonight is a very important night. The Grateful Dead are doing their "Fare Thee Well" farewell tour at Soldier Field over the next three days, starting this Friday. (I will be watching a theater simulcast of the last show at a Times Square movie theater on Sunday!) And in honor of the shows, I was going to come up with a top 10 Grateful Dead playlist. But then I found this very excellent one, and my work was mostly done! (I do have some additions, though. See below!)

I am a very recent convert to becoming a Dead fan. Until 2014, the most that I knew about the band was when a lefty/hippie boyfriend of mine in college used to play the Dead's greatest hits collection "Skeletons From the Closet" during our makeout sessions.

But I was terrified of the Grateful Dead's concert noodling -- 30 minute jams weren't -- and really still aren't -- my thing. However, as I discovered after seeing the terrific documentary on Bob Weir, "The Other One: The Long, Strange Trip of Bob Weir," which Squawker Jon and I saw last April at the Tribeca Film Festival, and then when watching the 1972 Bremen Beat Club concert at last year's Meet Up at the Movies, the Dead actually had some very catchy songs, and ones which didn't have interminable navel-gazing!

In case you haven't figured this out about Squawker Lisa by now: I am a very passionate person! Stuff I like, I really, really like. So when I finally discovered the Grateful Dead, I found myself listening to them constantly, and driving Squawker Jon and others crazy by talking about the band all of the time! Hey, I am what I am. Take it or leave it!

My favorite Dead era is in the early 70s, preferably when Pigpen was still alive and performing with the group.  To that end, check out this video, which has some of my all-time faves: "Bertha," "Mr. Charlie," and "Sugaree." If this concert had "Mama Tried," it would be the perfect show! Here is another good Dead show, from 1972. Then there is this before its time tribute to Aaron Hernandez in "Mama Tried."

Anyhow, I listen to the Dead all the time now. When I'm happy. When I'm sad. When I'm angry. When I'm tired. When I am running. When I am writing. They have such a diverse oevure (yeah, I went there, with the ten-dollar words!) that they have music for pretty much every mood! I wouldn't call myself a Deadhead, per se -- I am such a latecomer to all of this! -- but I would call myself a big fan! Shocker, I know!

My day seeing Buster Posey, Matt Harvey, and some other assorted shenanigans

I had kind of a busy day yesterday, so I am going to write about it in two very long Squawks. This one will be about the crazy fun and weird stuff of the day, including meeting and interviewing Buster Posey and watching Matt Harvey warm up for the game from about 10-15 feet away, something that got me called a jinx yet again! A later Squawk will be about the honor of attending the Mets' 31st Annual New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund Game and Family Day at Citi Field. Let's get started!

My day started out in a very weird way, when I saw the following headline from the Staten Island Advance: "Great Kills dentist accused of exposing self to teen employee." It was my former dentist! Fortunately, I only went to Dr. Alan M. Kratenstein briefly last year. But, as somebody else pointed out to me, this dentist's hand was in my mouth, which made me feel sick for the rest of the morning. Oy.

Buster Posey: more charismatic
than Derek Jeter

After a few hours at work, I headed to Topps headquarters to see superstar San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey in the flesh. (Thanks to my friend Joe Favorito for the invite!) Posey appeared at a presser there for bloggers to promote the fact that he is the baseball card company's new brand ambassador. And talk about perfect timing, given that he just caught a no-hitter the night before!

You hear a lot about how Posey, who has three World Series rings in five years and an NL MVP award, and who has been voted the new Face of Baseball, is the new Derek Jeter. I actually think Posey is much more charming than Jeter, who too often seemed to talk in a monotone with dealing with the media, as if he were at a dentist visit!

Posey has real star quality. Even if you knew nothing about baseball, you would know that he was somebody, the way he carries himself. Very charismatic.

Posey opens up the Topps baseball card box set.
First card he sees? Ervin Santana. Heh.

Anyhow, he talked about why he signed up to promote Topps. He said it was "really special" to represent the brand. Posey said that baseball cards are "something the younger generation can and should get excited about." He also noted that his grandfather is a big card collector.

Someone asked Posey about what it was like to see himself on a baseball card for the first time. He called it a "cool moment" and "a little bit surreal," and said he would always remember that day. He also talked about how his three-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, act about seeing their father on a baseball card!

Of course, many of the questions were about Chris Heston's no-hitter from the night before, and for what it is like in general to catch no-hitters (Posey has caught three, one away from tying Jason Varitek, something somebody pointed out.)

Posey said that while a no-hitter is a "rare feat" is is "unique in its own way," there is also a "commonality in no-hitters" -- that the pitcher and catcher "are able to get on same page" and "keep that rhythm." Posey said the challenge was to be efficient. He also had a lot of praise for Chris Heston. Somebody asked him if he felt bad that he didn't catch one of Tim Lincecum's two no-hitters Posey had a very humble response, saying that there was no guarantee that Lincecum would have had a no-hitter that day with Posey as catcher!

This is the Ervin Santana card that
Posey touched. I took it home with me.

I got the opportunity to ask Posey a question. I asked what it was about the Giants having so many more no-hitters than other franchises, and noted that they had four no-hitters in four years, and 17 no-hitters in all.  Posey first responded by pointing out that the team has had five no-hitters in seven seasons. Heh! (I didn't even think of Jonathan Sanchez's in 2009 because that was the pre-Posey era!)

My fellow Yankee fans will appreciate who Posey said "gets a ton of credit" for the team having so many no-hitters. That would be pitching coach Dave Righetti, who had a no-hitter of his own with the Yankees in 1983.  He also credited Righetti as being "instrumental" in his progress as a catcher.

Posey was also asked about Matt Harvey, who he called a "great pitcher" with "great stuff," and said that "we know we have our hands full" facing him last night. (Well, that didn't really happen, as you will hear shortly!)

Posey said he is passionate about baseball and said that he has no specific goals, other than to "just win." Although he did then say that he would like to set the record for catcher with most rings. (Yogi Berra has 10, though, so Posey's got a way to go on that!)

A young reporter from SI for Kids then asked him a lot of questions. The best one was what superhero power Posey would want. He said to fly, as he doesn't like to sit in traffic! He also said his favorite move was Dumb and Dumber.

Then Posey did a ceremonial opening of the new Topps Series 2 set for 2015. The very first card he saw? Ervin Santana of the Minnesota Twins, who is currently serving an 80-game suspension for PEDs. Everybody laughed over this. There should have also been sad trombone music!

Here is the front of the card.
What is on the back?

We also got to hear about Topps' new Series 2 line of baseball cards for 2015, which include Chicago Cubs' Kris Bryant's rookie card. They also have some new First Pitch cards, featuring people who have thrown out first pitches at baseball games. This includes "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm and Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann of the Grateful Dead. Talk about cards that were tailor-made for yours truly! (But where was the card for 50 Cent's first pitch?)

I got a picture of the Dead baseball card, but it only showed the front side of the card. So what was on the back of the card? Someone I work with wondered: "Does the back of the card list different drugs (think LSD instead of RBI) and quantities per season?"

So I threw the question out to my Facebook friends, and received responses like: "Number of insufferable drum solos by tour," as well as "Road Trips (not W-L columns, in this case it's Good and Bad), visits to Dock Ellis' house, Toking Average, Bong Hits, Lyric Errors, etc." Other responses included "Number of times hallucinations involving fabulous furry freak brothers" and "Most joints rolled during one tour." Squawker Jon thought the Dead cards should be scratch and sniff.

When I was at Topps headquarters, I also got to say hello to Topps staffer Chris Vaccaro, who I knew from our days at the Daily News. And I got to talk to Steve Keane, my fellow Staten Islander and blogger at the Eddie Kranepool Society. Also made a new friend -- a young woman named Brandon from FanDuel.com. My phone's camera went out of whack during part of the event, so she was nice enough to share some of her Buster Posey photos with me!

Anyhow, I went back to work after this, and then headed to Citi Field in the late afternoon to go to the Answer the Call benefit game (details on that in a future Squawk.) I got to the media check-in at 5:15 p.m., as I was supposed to, but there was a snafu. Even though I had RSVPed, and gotten written confirmation on the RSVP, my name was not on the list. This could have been fixed in two minutes if the Mets' young receptionist hadn't been a (rhymes with witch). Even though I showed her this RSVP information, she simply would not listen to me or do anything about it. I wasn't surprised at how rude and unprofessional she was, given that her tank top and miniskirt getup was a very unprofessional workplace outfit, unless your workplace is on the pole!

Because of her incompetence, I had to wait 45 minutes in the media check-in area until the Mets PR person I was dealing with contacted the Mets communications director -- the same person who got us access to Citi Field for our Guideposts Spartan Race photo shoot -- to get the situation fixed, and get me into the ballpark.

Fortunately, it all worked out in the end, and I was able to get some very moving quotes from people at the picnic, including getting to talk to Rusty Staub, the founder of the benefit fund. More on that later today.

Something funny happened, though, while I was cooling my heels waiting. I saw an older gentleman with a baseball cap on his head come up to the receptionist and say that he was picking up tickets for himself, Tommy Lasorda, and Joe Torre. He then smiled at me while I was waiting -- he must have noticed how stressed I looked. His smile made me relax a little and feel better. I smiled back.

Anyhow, I saw Lasorda come in after that, and I said hello. Was glad I didn't see Joe Torre, because I would have asked him things like "Why didn't you bunt on Curt Schilling?" and "Why did you pitch Jeff Weaver in the World Series?" and "Why did you hate A-Rod so much?" and it wouldn't have ended well!

Anyhow, later on that night, I saw that same smiling, kindly man talking on the Mets broadcast with Torre during the game, talking about  prostate cancer awareness. The man was billionaire Michael Milken. How funny is that?

Matt Harvey, future Yankee

As for the game itself, I got to see Matt Harvey warm up and was about 10-15 feet behind him -- the picnic area was right behind the bullpen. He has a real swagger to him. Like Posey, Harvey has true star quality. But while Posey has an aw-shucks demeanor, Harvey is all strut.

I joked on Facebook that I was scouting him for the Yankees, since we all know he will be in pinstripes at some point!

Of course, seeing him in the flesh, and staying for the game, meant that I got the blame for being a jinx to Matt Harvey and the Mets. Squawker Jon pointed out that Harvey had never lost a game in which the Mets had scored four runs or more. That is, until now!

Me at the game, with a bad selfie.
Jon said I look very startled!

I only stayed until the middle of the sixth inning for the game, but the damage was done. Squawker Jon (and others!) blame me for Harvey's poor performance!

During the game, I walked around the park, and also had a fabulous Patron margarita, as well as some carnitas tacos (without eating the shells.) Also got to meet Facebook friend Brad Kurtzberg at the game. Nice guy!

As for Harvey, it does make me laugh how irate Jon was. He texted me: "What did u do to Harvey?" Hey, don't blame me!

In all, it was a very busy day! Will write about the second half of the day later on this Thursday.