All Star Thursday

Hello, Hello, Helloooooo,

The day is spectacular as I take my traditional walk in from 72nd Street , down the bridle path toward our Green Beach .  I crest the hill and through the trees I see…an empty field?!  The Meadow is closed??!! WTF—is this some kind of cruel joke???!!!  ARRRRRGH!

After FREAKING OUT, I began searching for the Parks Conservancy people and find out they are doing “tree pruning work.”  For ten minutes, there are frantic calls among Robbie-Rob (on Mike Bohn-Heaver’s phone) Jaime-TJH, and me.  WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?  Finally, I make my way down to the path on the South end of the Meadow where I meet Matt, the leader of the work crew.  I won’t front: I was ready to beg, borrow, or steal for time on my home turf.  Turns out he had already given the order to open the gates.  SALVATION!!!!  I called Jaime-TJH with the news and he said “Dude, the guy just unlocked the gate.  I am literally the first person on the Meadow.”  I saw this with my own eyes and the world was again turning on its axis.  As I reached the opened gate, I bumped into Mojito Man Jay–our resident entrepreneur—and he said, “Man, you think YOU’RE happy…I’m loaded up for bizness!”  Soooo….

Opening Day of the 2010 All*Star Thursday season began with a Mighty Heave featuring Ralphy-Boy, Jaime-TJH, and me.  The breeze was a little squirrelly, but the conditions (which we don’t stinkin’ need) were basically perfect.  Ralph was snapping off high arcing forehands, Jaime throwing backhands with great aplomb, and I unleashed every throw I could think of.  By the time I got back, Robbie Rob-was up with James and Daniel.  Our Young Bucks are truly inspirational to our crusty crew of graybeards.  As time moved forward, more of the Tribe arrived including Quinn-O, Fearless Lou, the Ageless Trevor Brown, the Roginator, Bradford T.  Damion Heaver (in from Paris, and Godfather to my daughter), David Fried and his wife Inga (in from Germany, and brother/sister-in-law of Sir Robert), The Oracle, TedShred and the Lovely Chrissy, and Mary-Mary.  Mr. E. Fresh earned particular notoriety because he was the first wearer of the New “FukenLazy” Yella Jersey—he looked splendid indeed, as you can see in Roger’s All*Star Thursday 2010 album on FB.

Truth be told, I have only shared a small cross-section of our first Shred Fest of the year.  I was too busy having fun to take notes this week, but I can assure you there were many hummin’ Jams all day and into the night.  I recall being in one with Robbie-Rob and James where we hit a Double O’Malley (6 touches, no delay), I sent a high zing set to Rob and heard the peanut gallery shout “Gitis!”  They must have been reading his mind as he went for some very big air and CRUSHED said Gitis.  There was a roar of “Gitis: On Command!” from the crowd, though Mr. Fried assured me he heard nothing but the spin of the Styler as he lined up the catch.

The air was electric all afternoon.  The entire Tribe was thrilled to have survived the winter on the hard concrete and was thriving on the green grass of home.  There was much mixing and matching of partners with Quinn-O and Trevor on one side, Roger, Fresh, and Rob on another, and every friggin’ body having a blast.  Clearly the Jam to watch was TedShred and The Oracle goin’ Mano a Mano.  It remains rare that any hot pair goes uninterrupted for too long, but these two really put on a show.  It was not the particular combos and co-ops that were impressive, it was the give and take of two of the finest Jammers anywhere, playing a duet and making it appear like a Jazz orchestra.  There was a very nice sequence of dropless speed-flow where TO hit a ‘Goatus’ (standing Gitis), flipped the disc back to Joey who followed with a Scarecrow to an ‘insta-throw’ that I am still processing.  Doug E. Fresh announced “I’m comin’ down!” and those three took it to a level that enticed Robbie to make it a quintessential quadrangle Jam.  Oh F***in’ YEAH!

I took advantage of the inspired play to grab a Margarita and then the Roginator to get my own groove on, and Young James joined us.  Then coolest thing happened—looking to the West, I saw the arrival of a familiar face in a canary yellow (decidedly NOT Yella) shirt, toting a suitcase behind him.  In strode one Emmanuele Digitronik Faustini.  He came straight from the airport to the Jam.  There are very few that have gotten a more geographically and stylistically diverse set of jams over the course of one visit to the States, than our friend Zanardi.  And Hell Yeah he Jammed!!!!  In fact he was in the Last Jam of the evening, making the day complete.

There were a couple of folks who missed the fun though.  It appears that Ivan-TJH and Kevin will be trying to duck wearing the new Yella Jersey.  The Board is going to have a tough decision, though I’m voting for my ‘son’ because he was out on Wednesday and said he was coming.

The Blessings of our weekly Tribal gathering continue to multiply.  The Hard Corp of the Big Apple is a large and ever expanding family, with ties throughout the world.  The question we ask is simple: When are you comin’ down?  That’s right, I mean YOU!

ALL*STAR THURSDAYS, BABY! WOOF, WOOF, WOOF, WOOF!!!!!!!!

TP-TJH

Yo, Yo, Yo!

The weather was cold, rainy, and miserable as I trudged towards the soggy Meadow.  Just Kidding–check the date!

We finally got a break when Wednesday’s cloud cover gave way to crystal clear blue skies and bright sunshine for our appointed day.  Word was out that Sir Jonathan of Willett was in town, so we had a Guest Jammer in the hole to start out.  I got there just before 4pm and our Columbia contingent (meaning  James and Daniel) were already Jammin’, while Robbie-Rob was taking in the sunshine with his consort Sue.  Shortly thereafter my boy Fearless arrived.  As I began the nailing process, up strolls Bill Doobs, now a Woodstocker, along with his progeny and his betrothed Linda.  We are gonna have a good day, I thought to myself.

The energy and hunger of James and Daniel is great for the Hard Corps of the Big Apple.  They were prepping for the finals of a Columbia Talent Show, so they wanted folks to play quickfastandinahurry and Rob obliged.  As this contingent started to warm up the space, we were joined by the Roginator, Kevin,  the aforementioned J-Will, The Ageless Trevor Brown, Quinn-O, Chuck Kuske (our Cinematographer) JB,  Bradford T., The Oracle, Mary-Mary, and even Jay the Mojito Man.

There were many Jam combinations, the ebbed and FLOWED over the course of the day.  I got Bill Doobs for my first Jam, and James hopped in, getting all fired up.  Bill has incredibly fast hands and makes plays that seem impossible at the outset, yet suddenly there’s that spinning Bad Attitude seal after the disc has gone under/around/through arms n’ legs moving in a blur.  Inspired by this, James was nailing his own newly acquired Bad Attitudes and Scarecrows with abandon.  He even added a nice spinning Gitis to punctuate one sweet O’Malley sequence.  I should note that it was during this Jam that Sir Tedley and the Lovely Chrissy arrived wear Bunny ears in honor of the holiday.  She was even carrying a basket of bright colored Easter Eggs.  I thought this was cute.  Said eggs became infinitely more appealing when she indicated they were filled with Tequila infused lime Jello shots.  Oh BABY! 😀

There were so many nice Jams, that it was hard to track all of them as I was playing.  Rob, Joey, Roger, and Willett went after it pretty hard.  Then Daniel joined in with me, Bill, and James for a while.  After taking a brief water break, I joined in with TedShred and Kevin.  The former was incredible—as always—and Kevin was having a nice Flow day.  He was particularly mindful of not having to use his entire arsenal in each combo, and making sure to seal.  Bravo!  Kevin took a break and J-Will slipped in.  His game is based on subtlety to a greater extent than most.  He makes things look so easy, that it will take a moment for you to realize the amazing sequence of moves he just sealed with a Vacationesque Scarecrow.  Other combos of note include The Ageless Trevor Brown, Quinn-O, and Doobs; Bradford T. and Chuck doing a Jam/Heave Thang; and any jam that included Robbie-Rob who is playing with a level of passion and skill that few can match.  Oh, and the Oracle?  What can I say—I have long since run out of words to describe his mastery.  All Friggin’ Hail!  Period.

There was much more Flow-filled Frisbee Frolicking that defines the inner workings of the Tribe, but I shall finish by adding a note of optimism.  Sheep’s Meadow opened a couple of weeks early this year.  The Official A*T season opens up this coming Thursday so, all together now…don’t be shy…with feeling:

ALL*STAR THURSDAYS BABY!  WOOF, WOOF, WOOF, WOOF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  😀

TP-TJH

Hail and Well Met to My Plastic Peeps,

The winter in New York City was brutal.  We had the most snow in history followed by a monsoon that dropped four (4) inches of rain with gale force winds last Saturday.  We may not need no stinkin’ conditions, be even the Hard Corp of the Big Apple didn’t Jam that day.  The crew waited until the wind died down and Jammed Sunday.  But that is not why the Jammin’ Heaver is breaking his winter silence.

March 18th began Spring Training for the 2010 All*Star Thursday s Season.   The day was beautiful as I approached the (Naumberg) Bandshell where Robbie-Rob and Emmanuele Digitronik Faustini aka Zanardi already had ‘slammed the child on the hard concrete’* during the first Jam of the day.  To start the A*T season with a built in Guest Jammer and to have incredible weather was truly a gift.  I got nailed up and got loose with a smooth Jam with my two compatriots.  Rob was a Phlaud machine, ringing up $10 in “One Dollah!” increments while Zanardi was really amazing.  He’s completely ambiDISCerous with his throws, has moves for days, and he plays the NYC passing game as if he was a Native Noo Yawkuh.    The three of us had done the Jam ‘til Death thang on Tuesday, so this was nice and comfortable as we awaiting reinforcements.  And did the troops ever arrive?  Are you kidding?

Fearless Lou stepped up to the plate gingerly for a 4-Man Mannequin Jam on his post-surgical knee.  Then TedShred strolled in followed by The Oracle, the always reliable Roginator, Kevin, along with Bradford T. in civvies.  Sue (Rob’s Consort), JB, and the Lovely Chrissy toting our favorite lime and Agave infused beverage were also in attendance.  The Jamming was fast and furious with everyone mixing and matching as the mood suited.  Actually, I think I was the one who mixed things up the most.  There were so many variations to choose from I just followed the Flow wherever it would go.

There was Zanardi and Roger getting a dose of TedShred while Rob and I played a twosome.  The Oracle then said “I’m comin’ down” and the three of us had a go of it.  This may well have been my favorite Jam of the afternoon because it was an odd dynamic.  It took us a little while to warm up…the disc seemed untamable, not willing to follow our commands.  Then, suddenly it began to click and the Magic started happening.  There was a nice O’Malley leading to a dropless sequence that went on for long enough to be noticed.  Then we got really hot.  Rob was going crazy, utilizing his echo-location derived skills to complete inspired combinations with Walrus sized seals.  The Oracle provided miracles as only he can– incredibly subtle combos followed by spot on throws with both hand from every release point.  I even got into the act hitting a Teabag set over my head, to a high foot brush that I then chased down, to three consecutive brushes, into a full contact chest roll while heading between the benches.  I even heard a smattering of applause from the onlookers.  Life is GOOD!

There were many other combinations.  I got Roger and TedShred then me and Sir Tedley went at it as a twosome for a while.  The Last Jam featured Me, Ted, Zanardi, Kevin, and the Roginator.  Pretty sure that Zanardi, Roger and Ted Gitised out as the light waned while Kevin and I kept at it until it was time to head to Chez Meier for some post Jam pizza and ambrosia.  2010 promises to be quite special in NYC.  The Hard Corps of the Big Apple has one question for you.  Yes, YOU!  When are You Comin’ Down???

Peace Out, Yo!

TP-TJH



‘Twas the day before Christmas
and all through the land,
came a call from TedShred
for a Christmas Eve Jam.

The cold and the snow
could not deter
our intrepid band,
we were NOT dressed in fur.

Instead we came out
all decked out for sweat,
in shorts over fleece pants.
The Jam was all set.

When Tall Paul arrived
there was a disc in the air,
spinning so mightily
in the winter sun’s glare.

There was Rob and TedShred,
The Oracle and Young Dan,
All going for Gitis.
It’s Time to JAM!

Tall Paul hit a Tea Bag pass
high into the sky,
tracked down by Young Daniel,
as easy as pie.

The Oracle was so hot
he played with such style,
he even pulled moves from
his famous Joey File.

Sir Robert, a tad rusty
from his lack of play.
He still nailed his Gitis
and then called it a day.

The sun was setting
when TedShred called out “Onus”.
Young Daniel crushed a Gitis.
Truly a bonus!!!

When we all hit
our our final seals,
‘Twas time for Margaritas…
You Know the Deal!

So now we are headed
for Two Thousand and Ten.
Are YOU coming to All*Star Thursday?
We want to know, WHEN????

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF OUR PLASTIC PEEPS!!!!!

TP-TJH and the Hard Corps of the Big Apple

Hail and Well Met!

Life is full of twists and turns so I have not been able to wrap my head around the Jam descriptions for a bit.  What follow are some of the moments from the past few weeks…

June 25^th – Given that we had just had just hosted the Devastating Dan Yarnell, it was a really pleasant surprise to walk into the Meadow and see Craig Simon along with Gary Auerbach (and the Wonderful Wendy) in as Guest Jammers.  Also in attendance were The Oracle, Fearless Lou, The Ageless Trevor Brown, Mary-Mary, Ralph Heaver, Kevin, Bradford T., Richie Regs, Doug E. Fresh with BenJAMin and Claire, Roger with The Lady Tricia and Calvin the pooch.

What I remember most about that evening was that it wasn’t raining!  We had more than 10 inches of rain in June, so this was notable.  Craig was shredding it up, doing a whole lot of high degree of difficulty maneuvering and making it look easy.  Gary (as usual) was magnificent.  Of the many players I have had the pleasure of Jamming with and seeing play, he right up there at the top of the list.  Not only does he do things that most of the best only dream of, he does it with a flow and sense of style that is uniquely his own.  I had my best Jam of the evening with Gary and Roger.  Ted and the lovely Chrissy were Yella and I had to split early since I was heading to Chicago for a wedding early the next morning.

July 2^nd – One is the Loneliest Jammer…  This is what I was thinking when the rain returned to NYC and I was sittin by myself at the Bandshell.  The Meadow was incomprehensibly open, but it was too wet to put your stuff down on so I went to our alternate site.  The Lovely Chrissy called to say that she and TedShred were stuck in Jersey due to the thunderstorms and traffic–making them both DOUBLE-YELLA!!!

So I sat there and waited…and waited…and waited.  Finally, Kevin rolled up, followed by Roger (He really is reliable!) and we got it started.  Fresh and Fearless Lou showed not to long after, as did another round of heavy rain.  But hey, we don’t need no stinkin’ conditions so we went at it pretty hard.

Richie Regs and Craig came shortly thereafter as did The Oracle.  And more rain too.  It came down hard enough that I just took off my glasses and Jammed, tracking the orange blur until I could read the spin and then figuring out what to do.  As Fresh always says “Seeing is overrated!”  Jammin’ in the rain is actually a boatload of fun and we all got in a damp but smokin’ round of plastic tomfoolery.

July 9^th – Good Day, Sunshine!  We finally got a good day on the Meadow.  I strolled in to the sight of Gary A. Jammin’ with Richie Regs, while my boy Fearless was nailing up and chatting with Kevin and the Ageless Trevor Brown.  Bradford T. came a bit later as did The Oracle.  Got in a Heave with Ralphy Boy and Jestin Heaver, and Ivan-TJH came too, so I was a happy camper.  I just took a break to get myself a Jam when TedShred and the Lovely Chrissy arrived being the Gamboa.  TO was wearing the loudest neon yellow shirt, yellow shorts, and yellow shades.  TLC was wearing a yellow top and matching shades as well.  While this was a fine show of contrition, it did not prevent The Oracle from bestowing the Yella Jersey on Sir Tedley with a flourish.

The Jams of this day were all excellent.  There was much mixing and matching of people, with Gary showing once again that he always has just one more thing to pull out of his bag.  After waiting and watching Joey, TedShred, and Gary go at it for an appropriate interval, I busted into that very hot Jam since the sun was now behind the buildings.  Later, Fearless Lou and Fresh join that one and it would up being the Everybody in the Pool end the day dusk Jam.

The Gamboa was awarded—according to the panel of 2-69 judges—to Doug E. Fresh.  Once again he showed that can step it up when the pressure is on.  TedShred made a bid to be the first to keep it in his hot little hands, but Fresh was simply THE MAN last week.  Yella?  Well that would be Roger.

That’s all for now…

Peace Out, Yo!

TP, TJH

(Edited from a three week posting titled “Three Times is the Charm Edition”)

June 4^th was a momentous day for the Hard Corps of the Big Apple because my main man John “Z” Weyand came in from the Left Coast with his lovely wife Susan to join us.  There was a significant turnout that included Richie Regs, Fearless Lou, Kevin, Bradford T., the Ageless Trevor Brown, Jaime TJH, Ben Heaver, Jestin Heaver, Henry Hucker, TedShred and the Lovely Chrissy, Quinn-O, Fresh, and even Mark The Estivator showed up.

Z earned the designation of Legend in the world of Freestyle long ago but that is only a small part of the story for me personally.  He was the only cat who deigned to Jam with me in my first LA trip back in ‘86 when I was a stranger with a High-Rigidity in the land of SkyStylers.  Not only that, he arranged for me to get a straight from LAX All*Star Thursday Jam back in 2006, and was my Wingman/Homie for my LA, San Diego, and Ventura Jams in 2008.

Z seemed to be in every Jam that day but there were two that stood out.  The combination of Z, Fresh, Quinn-O, and The Oracle was blazing hot.  The flow was smooth as silk.  Z snapped off a couple of “Dream Shots” (a UD thumb throw with MEGA Z’s and an insane flight path) and hit some incredible combinations.  After one of the most Hein combos of the day, he was a victim of Rule #2 (Good Catch/Bad Throw), proving that he is indeed human.  The other gathering of note was the Everybody in the Pool 8-man Monster Jam that featured Quinn-O, Z, Joey, Fresh, Brad, TedShred, Fearless, and yours truly.  This one went to 11 (Eleven) with the high point being an 8-man O’Malley that TO sealed with a Gitis.  OOOOOOOWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!