We're wishing all our Jewish readers a Happy New Year — and granting a day off to all members of the Streetsblog staff who celebrate. As head macher, however, I'll be manning the levers and gears today.
Wednesday night — Rosh Hashanah — would have been a great night for the Mets to clinch their best-of-three series against the Brewers, but it was not meant to be. So in anticipation of tonight's win (first pitch, 7 p.m.), I would like to share with you my one great Jewish New Year/New York Met story from my previous life as a tabloid hack at the New York Post.
The year was 2007 and your beloved Mets were in a fight with the hated Phillies for the National League East title. On Rosh Hashanah eve, the Mets needed a W, but found themselves tied 3-3 with the Atlanta Braves, who had just put up a two-spot in the top of the eighth.
Carlos Beltran led off the home eighth with a single — then promptly stole second. After a groundout, up strode Shawn Green, one of the great Jewish sluggers who was nearing the end of his 15-season career in The Show.
Green stroked a game-winning single to right center, sending the Met faithful home with dreams of a pennant (those dreams were later dashed, of course). While most fans were oblivious to the astrological importance of Green's hit, I was frantically trying to get the Post sports desk on my old-style flip phone to propose what I thought would be the perfect tabloid headline, given the name of the player who won the game and the Hebrew words for "Happy New Year":
"You gotta go with 'L'Shawn-a Tova,'" I screamed into the phone above the noise of the crowd. "It means 'Good Shawn' and it's a pun off 'Happy New Year!'" I tried to explain to the skeptical night sports editor.
"No one is going to get it," he said.
"Come on, it's the best headline ever — and you'll never be able to use it again because when is a Jewish guy named 'Shawn' ever going to get a game-winning hit?"
"This is the New York Post, kid, not the Jerusalem Post."
Well, I lost that fight, but I got a great story out of it.
Now, kick back and read today's news digest as the Semitic world rings in 5785:
- The biggest news of the day was the indicted mayor's flip-flop to allow the Department of Transportation to make McGuinness Boulevard safer. If you recall, the mayor's original flip-flop was to block the DOT from putting the deadly roadway on a diet after some big donors complained. Is it just a coincidence that Hizzoner's latest decision comes after his and Ingrid Lewis-Martin's phones were seized in a corruption investigation? (Streetsblog, Gothamist, NYDN, The City)
- Lots of outlets covered Amtrak's sort-of-self-serving report that Penn Station needs to be expanded if there is any hope of regional through-running. (NYDN, NY Times, Streetsblog)
- Reflexive vests and tests and registration all sound sensible, but Hoboken's new rule unfairly costs low-paid delivery workers instead of the app giants that hire them. (WPIX11)
- Mayor Adams's locked phone is the craziest story of the year. (Hell Gate)
- The family of a man nearly killed by a drunken, road-raging cop is suing. (NYDN)
- Where are these Queens pols when people are getting killed and maimed by car drivers? (QNS) Perhaps Tom Grech, Council Member Sandra Ung and Assembly Member Sam Berger haven't seen what roadways are like for people outside cars. Fortunately, Streetsblog videographer made this horrifying and graphic video to remind them:
