20th Hour: Friday the 13th

It's nice eyes.

Dan Ray, Undown's Boston's News Radio.

All right, welcome back at different show tonight. We try to do it differently, but some nights we try to do it real differently, and tonight we've done it very differently. We had four interesting guests. In the first hour. We talked about Louis ti on why is he not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He had some great calls. During the second hours, some new callers, and we talked to a guy down in North Carolina who now lives It's just a few houses away from Grady Little, to

By Oh it was Let's say it wasn't Francona or Francona, it was Oh God, the guy that was that didn't have a lot of success. Bobby Valentine pretty sure. Bobby Valentine was between Grady Little and Terry Francona. And then last time we talked about institutions that you've missed here in Massachusetts and for that matter, New England. You know, so we're gonna we're going to continue on that theme. If you want to talk about institutions that you miss that would be fine. That was a very strong hour

It's going to take a while, and of course the reason for that is the way the calendar works, and it's only be like seven or eight months before you get at least Yeah, okay, we'll have a Friday the thirteenth in June. That'll be one Friday the thirteenth for next year. But then we probably won't have another one. No, no, no, we're gonna get by here. Maybe is there one more coming that's really going to have one? It looks like, yeah, there'll only be one Friday the thirteenth, it'll be in June.

Hi Dan, I'm good in you.

I'm doing great, Vents. Appreciate your calling in. You can talk about superstitions or you can talk about something that that you miss here in the greater Boston area or New England. But which would it be here? You do both?

Then.

I was born in Haiti, moved to Boston, specifically in High Park. Dinner I've if I'm dinner I have in High Park.

Absolutely. I grew up in Readville.

Okay, yes, that's I grew up in the area, And I mean I grew up playing soccer, watching soccer. He was when I went to college, I started watching football, and it's just McNair was my fairflick quarterback.

Oh sure that he he if I'm not mistaken. Was Houston right?

He was?

Uh played for Houston.

And the Titans before that, Tennessee Titans.

All right, yeah maybe, well yeah, I think that didn't the Titans moved from Houston. I'm gonna look mcneir up here, because I know you're right in that. Did he have a pretty good career? You know? Maybe it was let me let me get how did why did mcner become your favorite? Do you have a do you have a connection with him at all?

No? I guess I was born in Hey. I just as song Arms, the kind of quite a bad player or person that you was, you know back then, did I mean? I was coming to you as do love and my friends from college they got me into football, and that's how I got into football.

I want you to know. He started with the Houston what was called the Houston Oilers, which which then became the Tennessee Oilers and then of course became the current Tennessee Titans. So yeah, uh he had ah, he had a Super Bowl season in nineteen nineteen, nineteen ninety nine. When did you start rooting from what year?

I think that was that? You Yeah, my freshman year in college.

Okay, now I get it, now I get it.

Yeah uh and.

Yeah yeah he He also played with the Baltimore Ravens as well. We forget about some of that stuff. But two years in Houston, a long time in Tennessee, ten years in Tennessee, uh, and then finished up with Baltimore Hall of Fame. I assume he's in the Hall of Fame because he should be at this point in my opinion.

Oh what about you know he passed away.

Though, Yeah, I did not realize that. That's Yeah, it says his death here, which which surprises me because I've forgotten that he had he had passed away. He died in twenty ten. Yeah wow. Uh so, yeah, he died shortly after his career ended.

Yeah, much too young, very young? Yeah, yes, yes, yeah, I mean I'm looking at it here.

He was forty seven years old when he died.

Oh I thought I was younger than that.

Uh no, you know something I think I think you're right. I think he was thirty seven years old.

I didn't ye.

Thirty seven now yeah, yeah, yeah, unfortunate.

Hey, I got to look at that. Well, okay, I can understand. Are you a Patriots fan now, Vince?

Yeah?

Yeah, yeah, okay, good, just about to check out. Have you called my show before this? It's your first time calling.

I called him four years ago. Yes, well come on.

Don't don't be a stranger, Come on back more often? Would you.

Not a birthdays? Doing things? Giving the weekend?

Oh? Happy birthday? Okay?

Uh?

And do you celebrate Christmas? Yeah? Yes, Merry Christmas?

Okay, Merry Christmas? Then thank thank you.

Thanks Vince, talk soon, Thank you very much. Bye bye bye six ladies, you can jump on board too. I got one line, well that just filled this one line at six one, seven, nine, three thirty. That's open right now. Phill it and I'll have you on before you know it. Back on night Side right after this.

Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio.

Okay, let's go back to the calls where we're gonna go to Who's next? Yeah, Larry and Dennisport down to the Cape. Larry, welcome, How are you tonight? Are you superstar? What do you miss?

I got both? I got an in proportion that you'll know. Everybody in the mid misses this. It is Benny's of Dennisport. Do you remember Benny's?

You know, I don't. I haven't been on the Cape as long as you have. Was this a restaurant? I assume? No?

No, it was, Oh my god. It was like a hardware store. Whatever you needed, whatever you needed.

In the house.

You going to Benny's. You never left empty handed. And people in Dennisport and the Midgate we still talk about it, how we missed Benny's. So anyway, superstition, Friday the thirteenth.

It is my favorite day.

Because my birthday occasionally falls on Friday the thirteenth. It was, so it's by ring day.

Okay, So wait a second, So what is your birth Your birthday is in December thirteenth, is it? No?

No, no, it's November thirteenth. It won't come on Friday until I think twenty twenty six. It was it like every six years or something.

Well, I think what happens is, when you think about it, we should have a Friday the thirteenth every seven months now because months and in different days at the combination can change. But for example, the next Friday the thirteenth is in June next year twenty twenty five, and there are no other Friday the thirteenth in the entire November.

But November thirteenth falls on a Friday. I think every sixth or seven years or something because of lap year. I never really calculated it.

Well, yeah, what happens is when it's three hundred and sixty five days in the year, that pushes the calendar ahead one year. So next year is twenty fifth, So a year from tonight it's going to be Friday and it's going to be in December, but it's going to be December twelfth because it was in alyp Ya. And two years from now, I can tell you that that Friday will be December eleventh. It just works that way.

Right exactly. So anyway, next time, maybe next time you're down the cape, though, next time you're down the cape, any ask any of your longtime neighbors, ask him about Bennie's of Dennis Port.

All right, when did that business when a business?

Oh my god, it's got to be at least ten years ago. I mean Ocean State and not Ocean State. Job lot was in there, some other place that tried to go in. Nothing else has been able to stay. It's whatever's in there now. I think it's job lots, and I think that's gone. So everybody wants a market basket to go in there.

Oh that's in Dennis right, I know, yeh, right.

Right on twenty eighth.

Yeah, oh, I know.

Exactly where that is. Yeah, it's a big there's a big set of lights, and then there's a fork in the road south.

Exactly go beyond it. Right, that's where Ocean State is. But just go go right through Dennis Sports Center and about another block or two in the rest right after Babo's trying a show, got it.

I know exactly where it is. I know we'd love to see a market basket in there.

Well yeah, all.

Right, Hey, I have a great, great, great weekend. And what do you do you celebrate Christmas? Or do you celebrate what's your what's your holiday?

Great fest of us, the holiday for the rest of us.

For the well. I hope you have a happy Festivus. Okay, Larry, thank you, calculative by bye. All right. The only line open is now that's seven eight one. Excuse me, the six one seven nine three one. That's the ninth three one, six one, seven nine ten thirty. We have two lines there. Let me go next to Joe is in Boston. Joe, how are you? Joe? You got your radio turned up here? That's you got to put you on hold. Joe. We'll come right back to you. Let me get Steven Lynn

Hello, Yeah, Hi, how are you.

I'm doing great? Thank you for calling. Always great to hear from from someone from Lynn. Go ahead, sir.

Oh yeah, Well I go way back. I grew up in the North End. Then I worked in the Financial District in Boston and there's a couple of restaurants, the Newspaper Hangouts and the old Bell in Hand on Devonshire Street. Were you familiar with that.

No, that's that goes back aways.

Give me a sixty eight Monty. Monty was the name of the fellow in there. It was around sixty eight when when I started working. And of course I'm a product of the three martini lunch.

Yes, there were a lot of free martini. How did you guys ever work in those days.

Well, well, you know, I gave out a lot of printing throughout the city and they would the printers would take me out to lunch. So you know, I could go as I'm going out with a client and you would go back to the office and then you'd have your three martinis. Then you smoke a cigar. It was crazy in those days, and no one complained about the cigar smoke, by the way, so I was.

Yeah, so I was still in college law school. So I don't know that I've ever even had a martini in my life. I'm a cors beer guy, of course, light actually or red wine. But how I know what goes into a martini? How could you build up the ability to have three martinis and do anythink functional in the afternoon.

You didn't do that, oh anyway. And then there was Warmitts on Devonshire Street. No, I don't remember.

Warms the sixties, late sixties, How long? How deep into the seventies did these go?

Only the the bell in hand and Warmitts. Warmitts went out in sixty eight, nineteen sixty eight. And it was right across the street from the Herald on uh on Devonshire Street. No, Devonshire Street, he.

Was I thought that was on Harrison.

Nope, well this was maybe it's way back all right? Well anyway. Then then there's the European on Hanover Street.

Sure, the European absolutely, yeah.

Now that was The prices were terrific and everything was great, I mean, and then that went out. Now these are all out of business. The Red Coach Grill in Saugus, remember that.

I remember the Red Coach grill that was. There were a bunch of Red Coach grills around. Absolutely those were those were I can remember as a kid, my family took our neighbors, the Gordon's, to red Red Coach grill and it was like I thought we were driving to Montana, you know, And I think it was the Red Coach Grill in Whaland or someone who was. This was like cities and towns I had never heard of. I mean, yeah, yeah, wow. So yeah, Well, I gotta ask you, Steve. I don't

Oh? Maybe six or seven years ago? I worked for Well, you know, I called you a while back. I wrote a book and I got I started talking. You had just come back from Ireland and you were I think you And it was one of those nights you you had to throw something together. And I got on the phone and I overcome. I said, I'm so damn nervous. I got to talk to Dan and I had fifteen things going through my mind and it didn't go well.

So did I have you I have you on as a guest during.

The Yeah, you did, and I it was horrible. Yeah, I just messed up. I didn't know.

Let me let me give you a second chan hold on for a second, let me give a second chance. I just got back from Ireland. Tell me the title of your book, uh not then Journey. Oh I remember that. I remember you now, Steve Sure your son sent me a copy of the book, I think, right.

Right, right, yes, yes, if we started talking about restaurants in the North End and you were you were saying, everything's so expensive today, and then you get this little little piece of meat on a plate, and you know, and in the old days you had plenty of food and it was terrific.

And then the look we got, Steve, what about Look one of my two favorite restaurants in the North End Joe Tecchi's right.

And.

Yes, I've been to both of them. And I went to Saint Mary's School with Saltecci in the not.

Then is one great American? How are you still? I haven't talked to Sally in a long time.

Yeah, you know, I went in to talk to him, uh in the North End and they all hung out in this place and it was called the Oh gosh, it was it was a golf club or something, and they were all in there smoking cigars and playing cards and I and I met him, uh and uh anyway, and all he said to me was was we went to Saint Mary's School together. And he says, what I could in school, he said, I think I think I think they threw him out of school and his father sent him off. Uh.

I think I think you're right in that. I think he went to a prep school or something prep.

School, right, and he and that's that's all I remember. But but and and quickly, there's Rita's place in Chelsea. Did you ever go there?

Yes, yeah, I've heard of that. Yep, I've been there too. Actually I thought of it though it was. I think of it's more as being in East Boston. If it's the same one we're thinking about.

Oh, yeah, you're right, it is. It's well, it's no, it was in Chelsea right on the line of these podcast.

Well, I know, I h a friend of mine uh suggested that and was and I don't know if it's still there, but it was excellent. It was excellent.

Yeah, So anyway, I thought, you know, I wasn't anything good on DV and I said, oh my gosh, I'm going to miss this because I've got all these places. Oh and there's one other one, Brandy Pete.

Oh yeah, oh yeah I have. I had a good friend of mine who used to have lunch at Brandy Pete's. He was in the television business. He was in management, and he also would have a martini lunch. Yeah.

Well, the martinis came in a in a in a water glass. Oh so anyway, and the best martini is just either either gin of vodka on the rocks, very dry. But anyway, so much Steve.

I I hate to do this to you, but I got to let you go. Do you favor? Yeah, well, well well you did very well. You you were more relaxed tonight. But look, you did a great job again. How can folks get your book? If I I hope you still have a few that you can sell?

Oh yeah, no, you know, it's more of a hobby with me. I don't sell a lot of them.

And what's the website? How can people look? There are people who are listening who might want the book, how can they get Do you still have the website? And know you must have?

Yeah, we do it's Mystic Mistic, mystic View.

What is it?

Now?

What do we do?

Ste I'll tell you what. Yeah, go ahead, you go ahead, and.

If you have it in front of you, I'll give you the opportunity to read it. If you don't have it in front of you, we can just have people google. It's called my North End Journey right.

Yeah, no, just not then journey injury. And here it is f s z s z j R. At Mystic Hyphenview dot com.

It's always good to have a simple website. See that's what.

No, that's that's my my Uh that's you get in touch with me. That's my email, ok s Jr. Mystic due dot But anyway, it was great talking.

Then I got to run here because we're we got people backed up here. Talk to you soon.

You have a great night, you bet all right?

Thanks, Merry Christmas, good night. We'll take you, oh free martini lunch. I told you we're going to talk about things differently tonight six one seven, two five four ten thirty six one seven ninety. I got some lines here. You're Friday the thirteenth, Superstitions. Okay, this is a twentieth hour. If you don't fill it up on your Friday the thirteenth, superstitions. We will go to some other topic. But I got

You're on to Night's Side with Dan Ray on wz Boston's news radio.

Back to the phones we go on this Friday the thirteenth. Hopefully you've made it through the day. We only have about twenty two minutes left. Let's talk with Lewis and Dorchester. Lewis, how are you tonight?

I'm doing fine. Dan, how are you?

I'm doing Jess grat superstitious on this Friday the thirteenth, Nah.

Not really, but uh, I recollect that one year. I don't know what year was, I'm seventy one years old. There was two or three Friday the thirteenth in one year.

Well, you're absolutely right, and I'll tell you why that happened. Okay, February, as you know, normally, except in a leit leap year, only has twenty eight days. Right, So if you get a Friday the thirteenth in a non leap year, and you get a Friday the thirteenth in February and it is a non leap year, you're going to automatically have a Friday the thirteenth in March, right, yep.

Because of the twentieth there was at least three, three or one.

Yeares absolutely, so then you have a pretty good shot at having another Friday the thirteenth. And when you think about it, March has has three extra days because it's a thirty first yep. April has two extra days, but then May has three extra days. So now you're up to Now you're at eight, which really means one. So you add two for June, you add three four July, you're at six, but then you add three for August.

Okay.

Also, then, I know everybody probably know this, and some some of the hotels don't have a thirteenth floor.

That is correct, because that's the superstition.

Yeah yeah. And also I used to work Charlene pop apartment complex and they went from eleven to fifteen. They didn't have a thirteenth number, you know really yeah, yeah, Actually.

It'll be by the way me correct myself. Let me correct myself, it won't be October, it's November. So if you get a Friday the thirteenth in February of a non leap year, you're going to get a Friday the thirteenth in March, and then you get a Friday the thirteenth in November. Works every time. What did you tell me?

So?

What did you do with that? Where you worked? I interrupted you and I apologize.

I was a maintenance mechanic.

And what sort of did you do? Everything that you have a special?

Yeah?

I did.

I did grounds and grounds work and paint. I was a painter by trade, so I did a little bit of everything.

Now you retired by now?

Or no?

You say, yeah?

Oh yeah, long time, long time. Well I lost my vision, so I'm visually imperd Oh, I'm sorry.

To hear that, Lewis, you sound much too young. You have the voice of a fifty year old.

Yeah, no, seventy one. You're all born in fifty three.

Okay, yeah, I got that. That's good. Math. Are you enjoying? Are you enjoying your retirement?

Oh? Yes?

Okay? Do you have some vision, Lewis?

Or or when you say no, really okay? You know vision is twenty twenty right?

Yes?

Vision? Okay, my left eye is twenty two hundred, My right eye is twenty one hundred. That's not bad, we mean not bad. The bigger than number the worst your vision is you know?

No, no, I know that, but.

But Lewis Lewis, those those numbers do you have? Do you know?

Okay, put it this way. I got gaucoma, so my vision. Okay, that could be a complicated, but surely you know.

No, I hear you, I hear you. Are you being seen by an ophthalmologist?

Oh?

Yes, I'm being seen by a glaucoma specialist.

You know, good? Perfect?

Okay, okay, okay, legally blind says twenty two thousand and two.

Wow, I will tell you normally those numbers. Maybe again, maybe it's the glaucoma. That's glaucoma that's causing the problem those numbers. Normally, there's a lot of kids who get you know, they turned at thirteen to fourteen and their vision is like that, and they get contact lenses and they get twenty twenty vision. But I'm not dealing with glaucoma.

So that's probably Cooma's a different different man.

Well, I wish you what do you celebrate this later this month? What's your holiday?

I just celebrate days, celebrate them all. Yep.

Oh do you celebrate Christmas?

Uh?

Not really I used to.

But well, I wish holiday. I wish you're happy holiday.

But but Dan remember we're telling you about the numbers. Yeah, it went, it went all all odd numbers was on that side. So it went from from three, five, seven, nine, eleven, fifteen, did it went to went to seventeen?

Yep, sky all right, all right, all right this yeah, so there's no no, uh no floor thirteen at the hotels are like that? Due absolutely yes, yes, Lewis my.

Friend, thirteenth floor, no thirteen floor.

We will we will talk soon, okay, can you'd be way?

You bet your happy holidays.

You stay right back at you happy holidays, you celebrate them all. Thanks, Lois, good night. We'll take a break. I'm going to get everybody in. George and Tim Dott and Linda. You guys are guaranteed. I only go one open line. I can't guarantee I'll get you on, but I'll try six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty. Coming right back on Nightside.

Now, Baptis Dan Ray live from the Window World night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.

By the way, if you are interested, and I hope you are, uh, you can find me right after the show on night Side with Dan Ray on Facebook. Let's keep rolling. You're going to try to get everybody in Tim is in Uber next Tim on night side? Hi, Tim? How are you?

I'm good? Dan number one?

Uh.

I talked about two weeks ago and you told me you want to send me a night side mock. I never got it.

I did send that. It was it was mailed my friend do me a favorite with me? You called back, Yes, it was this. I know your last name starts with an M because I saw it. I ordered it and it was sent out. No I know I didn't. Yeah, No, I absolutely, and I know I would see. Matter of fact, I'm going to tell you I'm well to do. Uh. I will call you, But here's what I want you to do. Rob's going to give you my direct line. I want you to call me Monday or Tuesday. Okay.

Okay, I'd love to Now. The main reason I called right place I go like restaurants and stuff. Have you ever been to Charlie's Kitchen in Howard Square?

Sure?

Oh?

Yeah, used to go there a lot when I worked for w BZ nights. Sure, absolutely, that's a good one.

Yeah, pretty much place, good food, good food, years ago. Right, I've been going. I'm seventy three. I used to go there when I was eighteen and twenty and I used to go to Harvard games and after the game, I go over there. Charlie was a great guy.

Yeah, is that still operational or no?

Yeah, it's still there.

Okay, is he still there? As he passed?

He passed away. After Harvey Games. I'd come in and say, Tim McMahon, sit over here, right, I have a lady friend with me. Treated me like gold in the eighties. In the eighties and eighty five, right, two cheeseburgers a salad was a dollar ninety nine.

I know it was amazing. Those those prices are never coming back.

Okay, no they're not. But I haven't been over there. Right, driving down a mass Ave, you know I'm from moving right, mass Ave is like taking your life in your own hands. So I don't go there too much.

Well, it's also tough to get parking at this point. Tim, let me do this. I want you to stand the line. Rob will give you my direct number, and I want you to give me a call. If you don't get that mug by Tuesday or Wednesday, you give me a call and I will make sure it gets you. I think it's probably already. What happens is I get a confirmation that's been sent out and it gets sent out. I'm not I'm not joking with you, Jack Dougherty at college, they're the best people in the world to deal with.

Well, I get your number right, I'll call you. I love to meet you and shake handle with you.

We can we can figure that one out too, Tim, You stay right there. Rob is going to give you my direct line. I want you to call me. What if you get the monk tomorrow or Monday, call me let me know and if not, call me like Tuesday or Wednesday. We'll make sure that that gets you. I promise.

Okay, okay, and also Merry Christmas to you and your eyes.

Merry Christmas to you as well. Tim, Thank you so much for the call. All right, let's go next too. Gotta go to Dot and med for Dot. How are you tonight? Welcome?

Hey Dan? Did you ever go to Semioni's in Cambridge?

Right?

It's in Central Square, right off the square.

Yeah, no, I would. I never spent a lot of time in Cambridge, so.

Oh oh well, that was a wonderful Italian restaurant. I mean we always used to go there for celebrations and you know, it was a great place. But one of my favorite days is Friday's the thirteenth. I love Friday the thirty because it just it just feels like a real good day. I mean, I'm not the least it's superstitious. So Friday is my housban was born on Friday the thirteenth.

Well, I hope you occasionally wear them, don't just weird, I will. I.

I had them for years and they're in great shape, excellent. I never put them in I never put them in the dryer.

Good. That's that's always important with anything when I when I do laundry, I take shirts I like or T shirts, and I hang them up, let them air drive. You got, I gotta, I gotta because I've got a couple more here. Take mer Christmas. If we don't talk, but hopefully we'll talk next week.

Okay, I hope we'll say all right.

Thanks bye bye. Let me go to Linda and Weymouth. Linda, tell us about Friday the thirteenth or something you missed. Go ahead, Linda, Hi, I.

Don't Dare'll really get upset about it. People say I do everything wrong, so hey, let them have their own opinion. But I have a question about the Baggin Center. It was a young man heavy on downstairs. I think he may have been in the fabric department. Do you know his name? We call his name?

Absolutely not. Okay, not be in the fabric department anyway. I'd be in the sports department. Okay, sorry about that.

Now on the other side, it was the sales, a lot of sales.

Okay, then okay, thank thanks Linda. That's that question I never would have expected tonight. Hey, thanks Linda Angelo and New Angelo. You're next one nights. I go ahead.

How are you doing?

Damn?

Think of to my before I go on? I was with a good friend of us with him yesterday.

Who's that?

Albert Frankie.

Told me he was out with you. He says he was up with you.

He had a meal.

Yes, we did ago, Yeah, yep, we were. We had a lovely lunch up in in Maldon. Actually yes, he told him.

Yeah. I was cheated from him a long time ago.

I guess maybe before when he even started doing that.

And I had to go back to him again yesterday.

Yeah, And how how you doing all right?

Doing the best I can. I hope my leg gets better.

That's all I told him. I told him.

I told him.

Dan talked very well about you.

All the time on the radio. He's got a laugh.

No, he's a he's a great guy. He's helped me over the years, and he's helped a lot of our our nightside listeners. And and if he gets to the point where he can't help you, he'll he'll help you find you know, if if you've got to get something in terms of surgery, he can get you to some good surgeons himself.

So yeah, and before I forget, I'm not superstitious, but what I miss us, I don't remember the Paragrin Park and it was a near tasket yeap.

List, Yeah that was on the list. That's true. That's a good one. Paragon Park. That was a place to be back in the day. Fantastic.

Yeah, yeah, not like that anymore like it used to be.

I missed that, Angelo.

I hate to do this. You were We're running out of time. I'm so glad that you that you saw doctor Frankie yesterday. And he is a a great friend of mine.

And he is right, I promise, okay, So yeah, keep in touch, keep in touch, my friend.

And Merry Christmas, okay, same deal.

And happy healthy New Year.

Absolutely, Angelo, have a great night.

You welcome, bye bye bye.

All right, we are done for the night, We're done for the week. A couple of things. I just want to tell you that Governor Chris Snuno Tuesday night at nine o'clock next Friday, night from ten to midnight, we'll be doing the Night Side Charity combine. That's really a great show. To end my broadcast here, I will be on Facebook. If you are listening to me on a computer and you'd like to say hello to me, go right now to Night Side with Dan Ray and we'll pop up at about twelve oh one twelve o two.