Buddy....Trixie.....Snow........Wolverines.....

This post is a bit of a potpourri of recent stories and events. I will start with the loss of one of my childhood idols from the New York Mets, number 3, Derrel McKinley "Bud" Harrelson.

Bud had been battling alzheimer's in the last several years and at 79 years old he recently succumbed to the complications from this illness. Buddy Harrelson was one of those players that was often performing as an unsung hero. Yes, he would get some recognition for his skills on the field, named to the National League All-Star team twice. He was a Gold Glove winning shortstop and elected into the New York Mets Hall of Fame.

Perhaps his most unique accomplishment as a Met was that he is the only player/coach who has been part of three franchise World Series appearances as well as two World Series rings. As any Met fan knows, this is quite the fete.

However, it seems that Buddy's greatest accomplishment was being a solid, humble man who also gave back to his community. Other than shoving his yearbook picture in front of him, so many years ago beyond memory, to obtain an autograph, I sadly never had the chance to really meet the man and chat.

When I posted on my social media about the passing of Bud, it was interesting to see some of the responses of people who did have the privilege of meeting or knowing him.

Below are just a few.

I could go on and on about Bud Harrelson stories, but most Met fans reading this I'm sure have many of their own.

I will just say losing people like this from our childhood really hits upon the value of the innocence of youth and truly how fleeting it is. Rest in Peace Bud. Thank you for being such a genuine Met and more importantly a good guy to emulate.

Next up I wanted to mention the passing of Joyce Randolph. Better known as Trixie from the Jackie Gleason classic, The Honeymooners. Joyce recently passed at the age of 99, just one shy of the Smucker's Jar.

Joyce also falls into the category of not being the superstar, but certainly a necessary part in making The Honeymooners one of the most watched shows in the history of TV. The other half of Art Carney's Ed Norton character, her ability to set up the punch line and react so perfectly was timeless.

I would watch WPIX(now my workplace) every night from 11PM to Midnight, usually alongside my mom in the living room. It was sort of our catching up on the day period, but also ending our day with laughs, first from the Odd Couple and then The Honeymooners.

It got to the point where we would often finish the punchlines before they did on screen, but we still found it funny. To this day we can still feed each other lines and have the other finish it.

I suppose again this loss took me back to more innocent days in my life. Hence the reason I've linked this with the loss of Bud Harrelson. Unlike Bud, I actually did have a moment with Joyce Randolph. I got on the elevator at NBC one work day and who should be on the elevator by herself, the one and only Joyce Randolph. Obviously Joyce was well into her 80s at this point, but I recognized instantly.

I said hello and introduced myself and she was shocked that I knew who she was. I went on to tell her about my night time routine of watching the show and how many of my friends watched every episode hundreds of times. She was so overwhelmed and genuinely appreciative it was a sweet moment. She went on to tell me I made her day and what a pleasure it was to meet me.

Rest in peace Joyce. I'm so glad I had the chance to meet you and express my appreciation. Your reaction was priceless.

Now for another topic. While some of us in the Tri-State area around NYC have seen snow this winter, the snow drought in NYC persists as of the writing of this column. The last 1 inch or more snowfall took place on February 13th, 2022. That's 701 days without a snowfall of one inch in any single day.

To be precise, there was a snowfall of almost two inches split over two different days on February 27-28 last year, but that was not in one midnight to midnight measured day(how records are kept). As of my putting this post together, it appears we may be in line to receive an inch or more of the somewhat rare white powder on this Tuesday, January 16th. If this comes to fruition, the streak will finally be broken.

As a meteorologist I would be remiss if I didn't commit to a forecast at this point. So here goes:

I would say there is a 60% chance of Central Park picking up 1-3 inches with this system.

A 30% chance we will see accumulations under an inch again.

A 10% chance of seeing now snow at all.

Let's see how it pans out. One thing for certain we are going to be experiencing real winter time temperatures for the next few days with another chance for some snow on Friday, although that is far from clear cut. Of course you could always get the latest updates on PIX11 News where you can find me 4PM-5PM & 6PM-7PM, Monday thru Friday.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention and congratulate the Michigan Wolverines on their National Championship over Washington. While I'm not an alum of the University of Michigan, I have been a fan of the team since 8th grade. It felt nice to finally root for a winning championship team. Go Blue!! Even Enzo my grandson got into the game.

If you've gotten this far I thank you sincerely for this rather self indulgent post. Sunshine Always!!!