Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie.

Runner’s diary, Monday

I stayed inside because of threatening skies and humidity and ran five on the treamill in 42:56. I followed with some medicine ball work.

Music: The Hold Steady, Stay Positive

NJ vote on FISA bill

The New Jersey delegation voted 7-6 for the FISA compromise, an affront to the U.S. Constitution. All six Republicans voted for the amendments, as did Democrat Albio Sires, who represents the 13th District.

Voting against: Rob Andrews, Donald Payne, Bill Pascrell, Steve Rothman, Frank Pallone and Rush Holt, who gave an impassioned speech against the bill (above). (Thanks to Blue Jersey for alerting me to the clip.)

Runner’s diary, Friday

A very painful — in my right shin and knee and left quad — four miles today under a beautiful high sky. Time: 37:04. No music because the iPod froze up.

A good sign for the Mets?

I’ve avoided making any comment on the firing of Willie Randolph, because of how utterly dysfunctional the entire affair showed the organization to be.

But I have the game on now and I am struck by what I just watched in the top of the second against Aaron Cook of the Rockies:

Carlos Beltran — singled to right.
Carlos Delgado — homered to left, Beltran scored.
Trot Nixon — popped out to shortstop.
Damion Easley — singled softly to center.
Brian Schneider — singled to center, Easley to second.
John Maine — flied out to center.
Jose B. Reyes — singled to left center, Easley scored, Schneider to second.
Endy Chavez — singled to right, Schneider scored, Reyes to third.
David Wright — singled to left, Reyes scored, Chavez to second.
Carlos Beltran — grounded out to first.

Yes, a five-run inning. But that’s not what was striking. It was the three straight hits with two outs, something I don’t think I’ve seen from this team in more than a year.

Don’t believe everything you read

The Asbury Park Press criticizes the DEP for what it portrays as a belated entry into the battle over the MOM line, ignoring that the concerns about the Monmouth Battleground State Park raised recently are not new concerns. They have been raised before.