Taryn Cooper Joins Team McGraw In The 2012 ING New York City Marathon Honoring Gary Carter

Sometimes it can be incredibly insidious; a stalking relentless beast that methodically operates on a timetable of its own choosing.  It has no regard to your wishes, desires or your plans.  You’re a number to it at best.  You go about your life indifferent to your own mortality – at least if you’re under 30 you do.   Ultimately, you have no real control over it.  Sure you can try to do the obvious.  Eat well.  Exercise.  Don’t smoke.  Don’t drink.  But really that’s advice for just about anyone who’s trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  However, it’s a far cry from being a panacea.  Hell it’s a far cry from being a foolproof model for prevention.  For this predator, in spite of all of our 21^st century medical advances, still has an unmovable vice grip on humanity.  James Rodgers, if he were here would agree.  Who’s James Rodgers?  He is and was my wife’s Uncle and last week Uncle Jimmy was laid to rest after battling cancer for two years until it finally metastasized to his brain.  He was 60 years old, still married to his high school sweetheart with whom he had three daughters. 

It’s not the first time Cancer has taken a member of my family.  My Grandfather battled with bladder Cancer and fought almost two years on hospice until he could fight no longer.  It ravaged a man who in his prime could walk entire New York boroughs barely breaking a sweat.  It took my wife’s mother, Arlene Rodgers, just a few years ago, she was only 54.  It’s taken the young, the elderly, the poor and the wealthy affording zero prejudice along the way.  Of all the medical advances we’ve made as a species, it kills me to think that we’re able to re-grow hair for balding men, lengthen women’s eyelashes with a cream, reverse the signs of aging using Botulism shots in the face and let’s not forget what that little blue pill can do for men. 

However when it comes to Cancer, we’ve barely scratched the surface on discovering a cure.  Hasn’t it’s time come, no? And only through research – painstaking and ultimately expensive research, will that day come when we can stop blindly shooting arrows at this cagy beast.   That’s one of the reasons when my fellow blogger at Metsmerizedonline, Taryn Cooper, also the driving force behind A Gal For All Seasons, approached me with writing this, I couldn’t help but feel both honored and proud of what she’s doing.

This coming November, as it has since it’s humble beginning in 1970 when a mere 127 runners paid a $1 entry fee, Taryn will be running in the ING New York City Marathon as a member of Team McGraw which benefits the Tug McGraw Foundation.  The Foundation seeks to improve the quality of life for children and adults affected by neurological conditions such as brain tumors, post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. As a part of Team McGraw, Coop is raising funds to support in this effort.  I’m not the only one to feel a sense of pride with what Taryn is doing.  I think her husband, Ed Leyro, sums it up best:

Think of how proud Mets fans are of the 1969 and 1986 World Championship teams. That level of pride doesn't even come close to what I feel for Taryn. I have difficulty running around the block without complaining. She's going to run around the entire city of New York! And she's doing it for a fantastic cause. It's impossible not to gush with pride when I think about her selfless act.

Brimming with pride for what Taryn is undertaking, the Leyro family are no strangers to the harsh reality that Cancer is as Ed told me:

Cancer has hit very close to home in my family. My mother is a two-time cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1979 and colon cancer in 1990. I'm happy to report that the year is now 2012, and my mother is still with us and cancer-free! Without all the money raised for cancer research over the years, I might not have been able to enjoy all these years with my mother.

It’s sobering when you think of it that according to the American Cancer Society one out of every two men will have some form of Cancer in their lifetime and one out of every three women will as well.  Think of that next time you’re at work or with your friends and family.  Cancer, if anything, is such a harsh reminder of our mortality.  I asked Taryn what drove her to attempt this incredible mental and physical challenge:

The NYC Marathon has been on my "bucket list" of things to do since I was probably a teenager. I just thought the event was something larger than myself, and I wanted to be part of it. The interest has waned over the years simply because the magnitude of running 26.2 miles just seemed too unrealistic. Until a few things changed. I live a few blocks from the finish line of the marathon, and every year on marathon Sunday, I see all the finishers walking through my neighborhood. And every year, I wonder if I'll do it myself. 
My friend Sharon Chapman ran the marathon in 2010, and she was the one who suggested that instead of relying on the lottery to enter the marathon, that I run for charity. Her charity was the Tug McGraw Foundation, which raises funds to assist in quality of life issues for brain cancer survivors and those living with neurological disorders.

To a Mets fan, the very concept of "Ya Gotta Believe" hits home and this was something Tug McGraw believed in until his untimely death, due to brain cancer. It made perfect sense, especially since my hero, Gary Carter, died of the affliction early this year. My friend Kara is also running the marathon for Team McGraw in honor of some family members who had brain cancer, and her father who suffers from a seizure disorder. Team McGraw just made sense for me. If I can run 26.2 miles, and bring awareness to a charity that does great work, then my job is pretty easy!

Those of you who know me know that I rarely if ever ask you to do something.  I would never tell you who to vote for or what to believe, for I personally believe that those ideas HAVE to come to you on your own.  YOU have to do the legwork for that, especially if it’s ever going to have some greater meaning for you.  This is one of those rare times when I ask all of you to imagine if every reader pledged a dollar to Taryn in the New York City Marathon – just a dollar.  The hundreds of thousands of dollars would be mind blowing and the good works that the Tug McGraw Foundation provides would be greatly effected and enhanced.  Taryn’s goal is to get to $3000 and so far she’s already raised more than half of that.  I say why stop there.  You Gotta Believe anything is possible. 

Please support Taryn and the Tug McGraw Foundation by heading here to donate

http://www.active.com/donate/teammcgrawnyc2012/NYCM12TCooper

The Tug McGraw Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt organization designated by the Internal Revenue Code. Their tax identification number is 20-0586256.

Summer Movie Review - The Avengers

The year was 1975.  Yours truly was still in diapers here.  Gerald Ford replaced the disgraced Richard Nixon as President of the United States.  Disco was in its prime.  And a young director by the name of Steven Spielberg forever changed the film industry and ushered in what we’ve come to know as the summer movie blockbuster when his film Jaws premiered June 20^th, eventually earning over 2 billion dollars (inflation adjusted) worldwide. 

Everything from the iconic Star Wars to the utter failure of Waterworld, Hollywood saves its best and occasionally its worst and definitely their most expensive productions for the summer release.  With the kids out of school, it’s hard to question that strategy; in fact, this summer can easily be considered one of the most anticipated in recent time. 

Over the next few months audiences will be glued to their seats as Ridley Scott returns to the Alien franchise when his film Prometheus debuts on June 8^th.  The Fourth of July weekend will mark the big screen return of Peter Parker as Sony Pictures somehow deemed it necessary to reboot The Amazing Spider-Man. Christopher Nolan will complete his Batman trilogy on July 20^th with the release of The Dark Knight Rises.  And Marvel studios, after four years of preparing audiences with films such as Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America, assigned writer/director Joss Whedon with the daunting task of assembling those main characters for The Avengers which hits theaters this weekend.

Let me be clear, this movie will summon the uber-geek out of anyone, including the most starched buttoned down personalities.  There was a time when Marvel really didn’t have all these ships in line but they’ve seriously moved on from that.  Whedon is a self-described fanboy who knows what he wants to achieve with these characters.  He totally understands the archetypes these characters represent and more importantly, he knows how to build upon them.  It’s definitely a great time to be comic geek as the visual technology has finally caught up to the imagination, making the ruminations of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby that much more of a reality. 

Admittedly I was always more of a DC fan than Marvel.  DC being the home of Superman, Batman and the Justice League were always viewed as having the more fanciful of characters whilst Marvel was lauded for being far more rooted in reality, having main characters with more relatable flaws.  One thing is certain, Marvel has been able to translate their vision onto the big screen with much greater success than anything DC has done so far even with the success of Nolan’s Batman films.  Ironically the Marvel vision hasn’t taken on the same dark tones as seen with Nolan’s Batman films, go figure. 

The Avengers is visually stunning, and that’s without seeing it in 3D, sorry I’m not a fan of that medium.  It begins on another planet where Loki and an unknown ally of his (you’ll find out later if you stay after the credits) are discussing enslaving Earth – yes I know shocking. If you’re going to enjoy these films you have to suspend disbelief at least for 2 hours. From there the team begins to assemble with each main character given their just-due screen time. 

At times it seems the script could have been tightened in the first Act, especially with the sub-plots each of the characters brings to the film.  Let’s face it; Scarlett Johannson’s Black Widow is visual eye candy here but Whedon does his best to give her character some justice.  Unfortunately I thought the various sub plots took away from the main conflict of the story which by the end of the second half kicks into high gear.

Whedon captures actions scenes in a way that should make Michael Bay green with Hulk envy.  Once the film hits its stride at about an hour in, prepare to envision Michael Bay peeing himself from both joy and utter shame as Joss Whedon flicks on the badass switch with Samuel L. Jackson-esque directorial swagger.  He’s able to do what Bay never seem to be able to do, which is to make you give a rat’s ass about his characters while creating visually jaw dropping action scenes.  Whedon brings his personal style of dialogue, which if you were ever a fan of Buffy, was witty bordering on smartass, a style I happen to love as it brings a real texture to these larger than life characters.  Sometimes it did get too convoluted and Banner's at times did seem a bit forced, as if he was shocked to be there.  Umm hello.

You’ll find Robert Downey Jr’s lines absolutely spot on.  Tony Stark is the antithesis to Chris Evans’ Captain America, who’s lines border on becoming too earnest.  But Joss Whedon makes it work.  Loki played by Tom Hiddleston, is just slimy enough without becoming a caricature.  You'll love how he meets his fate towards the end of the film and who brings it to him.  That was a gem. And even though technically he appears in the 3^rd Act when it all hits the fan, you will be shocked to know which character steals this movie in a – hint - smashing way.  All I can say is, Ed Norton you silly silly man you. What were you thinking?

Overall it’s hard not to enjoy this film.  It delivers on what Marvel Studios has had in mind over the span of over 4 movies and then some.  Hopefully the executives at DC are taking detailed notes on this and perhaps over the next few years we’ll be seeing the same treatment given to their franchise stars as well. Man of Steel, the latest Superman reboot from 300 director Zack Snyder, is due to hit theaters next summer.   

My few nit picking problems with the film were the inclusion of Loki’s army called the Chitauri.  Basically they were to the Avengers as what the Droid armies in the Star Wars prequels were.  Slightly annoying, undefined, and purposeless other than for something for the heroes to beat the ever-loving snot out of, these CGI creatures did little other than that.  It would have been nice to know what their motivation was.  But it’s a minor flaw in the grand scheme of things.  

Overall, The Avengers delivers on what a blockbuster summer action movie should be hands down.  I’ll try not to skip in the parking lot on the way back to the car.  Bad enough my wife is pretending she doesn’t know me tonight. 

The Sector gives The Avengers 3 out of 4 stars.

When You Bedazzle A Fish

Purdy.  Ain't it?

Some of you may find this odd but I’ve always had a special fondness for the Florida Marlins.  I remember their inaugural year of 1993 as if it were yesterday, partly because I lived in Florida at the time and was caught up in the fanfare of finally having a Major League Baseball team in my backyard.  Partly because it was the year my father passed away.  In fact we had planned on going to a few games that year, driving down to Miami which was just a few hours from where we lived in Orlando.  He had planned it to be part of my high school graduation gift. Dad and I never did get to see the Marlins together as he passed away that March, just over a week into Spring Training.    

I remember his excitement that we would finally be seeing a meaningful Mets game nearby.  One that wasn’t some meaningless match up in March, with players who had jersey numbers straight out of the NFL.  It was a moment that we shared that 19 years later I have never forgotten or wanted to, that is until I saw the monstrosity that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria had assembled this past off-season in south Florida. 

Donned in their new tropical rainbow Skittled colored uniforms with hues of blue, red, orange, green and yellow and black are the new Marlins.  Even Ozzie Guillen, their loose lipped manager, implied on the current season of The Franchise which airs on Showtime, that the new uniforms looked terrible.  I swear if you look at those new uniforms long enough, they could trigger seizures, especially in small children and the elderly. On their opening day of the new stadium in Miami, the players were escorted onto the field by Brazilian showgirls.  I kid you not. It was the most ridiculous thing I’ve even seen done by a Major League Baseball team.  I was waiting for Rip Taylor to jump out of the dugout and start tossing confetti at everyone.  They even carted out former Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali to “throw” out the first pitch.  Yeah, you can’t make this stuff up.

Loria this past off-season went on a spending spree, with guaranteed contracts given to Jose Reyes, Heath Bell, and Mark Buehrle totaling over $191 million dollars.   The last time the Marlins doled out that much cash, they won the World Series and like the great owner Loria is, he rewarded his Florida fan base by selling off his expensive players as if he were trafficking human body parts on the black market.  I shouldn’t be so hard on Loria; Wayne Huizenga did the very same thing in 1997 when he owned the Marlins who also ironically won the World Series that year. Those fickle Floridians; incidentally 57% of that original fanbase has passed away since then leaving time shares in Boca available. 

But that was then. Now Loria can boast his new tacky stadium with its fish tank backstop.  Again I kid you not.  And the piece de resistance, the sculpture…thing that was built in left center.  Designed by artist Red Grooms, this pyramid eyesore twirls and whirls pastel colored Marlins in a circular motion each time Jose Reyes flashes a smile or when the team hits a homerun.  Somewhere Abner Doubleday is flipping in his grave.

You mean I MAY not be here for my ENTIRE contract?

Look I get that the Marlins are a south Florida team, I’m not geographically challenged.  In fact when they debuted in 1993, and introduced the color teal to MLB, it was followed by many hems and haws from old school types.  I thought it was a fitting color considering the locale. But with this new incarnation of the Marlins, it seems they’ve adopted more of the South Beach club persona than anything else.  And speaking as a Met fan, as much as it was enjoyable to watch Jose Reyes play, let’s not try to make him out to be more than what he was.  He personified the fast, exciting, and energetic player but honestly not the smartest one ever to put on the uniform.  It seems quite appropriate for Reyes to have been lured into the shallow lifestyle that is South Beach.  Not that the Mets actually made him a real offer, but that’s an argument for another day. The good thing though for Reyes, he’ll never know just how big of a mistake he made leaving New York until he hangs up his cleats and finds out that in Miami, he’s just a really small fish in a huge pond.  Probably by then he’ll be touring with Pit Bull. 

Baseball just ain’t what it used to be.  Dad, you’re not missing anything although the Mets did sweep the Marlins in Reyes’ return to New York.  Gotta love the silver or teal or yellow or red or black lining.

Honor Thy Mets Family First

I’m old enough to recall when Chipper Jones was considered the Bryce Harper of his day. I remember seeing him on the cover of his first Beckett, an action shot of Jones turning a double play- he was a shortstop back then. Like most players from 1985 on, I had a cornucopia of his rookie cards. He was as hot of a commodity as a share of Google stock right before it went public. At the time I lived in Orlando, Florida and we didn’t have access to WWOR, the then flagship television station of the New York Mets. Satellite TV was somewhat in its infancy, not that we could have ever afforded such a luxury back then or the inclination to make the backyard look like the Arecibo listening post in Puerto Rico.

So I was essentially a Met fan living in the south and the only television channel that showed baseball was TBS, home of the Atlanta Braves. That might explain why I didn’t get deep into baseball again until around 1985. Sure we watched the Mets as they ventured to Fulton County stadium to take on Dale Murphy but it just wasn’t the same. The Braves were just plain horrible to watch. From the muted bluish hue of their uniforms to the laughable lack of talent on the field, we really watched just to see the opposing team. Of course as years went on, the Mets became synonymous not just as the team in New York but the nation; in spite of the annoying moniker the Braves self anointed themselves with as “America’s Team”.

But I admit as time went on, and as we were still without a way to follow the Mets, I did learn to appreciate what good baseball was, especially good pitching. As a Baseball fan I found myself fortunate enough to have seen the likes of Tom Glavine and John Smoltz in their early years before they earned their eventual places in Cooperstown. I remember my father telling me that Glavine would be a star one-day even though he was absolutely terrible at first. As the years progressed the Braves were finally piecing together a team that would eventually earn their franchise 14 consecutive division titles and my personal ire as a Met fan. When one of those pieces came along - one Larry Wayne “Chipper” Jones Jr. – I realized that as a Met fan, with a team that was in the midst of the Jeff Torborg era…that we were in trouble.

While the Mets seemed obsessed with winning the back pages of the New York Post and the Daily News during that time, the Atlanta Braves were biding theirs, and collecting minor league talent along the way. Chipper Jones to any Met fan old enough to know is what Kryptonite is to Superman; as if we could actually try to compare the Mets of the late nineties to the iconic superhero. Over the span of his career Jones has hit 48 home runs off Met pitching and has driven in 154 runs. It’s the kind of domination that the eventual Hall-of-Famer will forever be remembered in Met history, for better or worse as it seems the team has decided to “acknowledge” his career sometime during the 2012 season, which is going to be Chipper Jones’ last.

Look I get it. As a fan of the game, Jones is one of the greatest and deserves to be inducted one day into the Hall. As a Met fan, who has also witnessed his rise from phenom to Met-sassin, I prefer the team not take part in some elaborate, on-field ceremony to honor a guy who routinely beat the ever-loving crap out of this team. Do I blame HIM for the way the Mets were run as a franchise during Chipper’s rise, absolutely not. In many ways I look at Jones and the success the Braves have had and realize that if the Mets had the proper leadership in the front office and an ownership that wasn’t hell bent on trying to keep up with the headline grabbing Yankees, then Met fans would be the ones doing the gloating right now with one of their homegrown, retiring stars being honored by the Atlanta Braves. But things didn’t pan out quite that way at least not during that span of Met history.

I don’t hate Chipper Jones as some fans are probably going to affirm with blind affinity to the Mets. I just don’t think it’s proper for the Mets to honor him other than with a quick montage, BETWEEN INNINGS, during a game at Citifield. For a team that has yet to retire Gary Carter’s or Keith Hernandez’ or even Mike Piazza’s number, it’s inexcusable to give Chipper Jones anything other than an acknowledgment. But lets face it; this is the same team that took three years to get Citifield finally up to standards. Everything from the overemphasis on the Brooklyn Dodgers (Jackie Robinson specifically) to the lack of an area that honored the METS team history (now represented by the Mets Hall Of Fame in the lower concourse). These were major oversights that fans have been very vocal about over the last three years, and rightfully so. I just hope the organization does the right thing here. Charity isn’t the only thing that begins at home. So does showing respect for your family first.

Viva the Schmuck!

You can file this article under the “it was bound to happen” category. Seems as if Ozzie Guillen, the new Miami Marlins manager, once again has contracted foot-in-mouth disease when he was quoted saying this about the Cuban dictator Fidel Castro:

“I respect Fidel Castro. You know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but that (expletive) is still here.”

Aye dios mio Ozzie. You sure didn’t waste any time did you? I always thought the inane things that Guillen would say were a well-designed ruse; intellectual bait to get reporters or fans off his player’s backs especially when things weren't going so well. But I’m starting to believe that perhaps I’ve given him way too much credit intellectually.

His recent linguistic faux-pas has had some people calling for some kind of disciplinary action to be levied against him. Guillen has already apologized for what he said but there will be a press conference tomorrow so he can once again show just how contrite of a clown he really is. And here you thought that monstrosity of a sculpture the Marlins have erected in centerfield in their sideshow of a stadium would be the only thing to cause seizures.

If loose lips sank ships then Guillen would be the captain of the Titanic, the Exxon Valdez and the Concordia. Ozzie can you do us all a favor and shut up please? Or at least wait until your tropical skittled uniformed, overpaid and overhyped team is barely doggie paddling over the .500 mark before you go off script. As much as I think what you said and what TOWN you said it in, deserves if anything, a trip to get a head CT scan, I’m not sure if you should be punished. I think you’ve done enough to yourself already.

Who's Your Daddy On Opening Day?

April 5^th, 2012, was the 51^st Opening Day for the New York Mets. And like clockwork they won. The pre-game ceremonies were dedicated to honoring the late Gary Carter who passed away this past February from brain cancer. His immediate family including his wife, Sandy, daughters Kimmy and Kristy and son DJ, threw out the ceremonial pitches and revealed on the left-centerfield wall, the “Kid 8” memorial which is similar to the patches the team will be wearing this season. I have to give kudos to the Mets. It was a very moving ceremony that was definitely befitting the man in every way.

Amazin’-ly so the Mets have the best winning percentage on Opening Day now with a record of 31 wins to 20 losses, a .608 winning percentage. What’s also amazin’, and also unfortunately like clockwork, the team lost one of it’s starters to the disabled list when centerfielder Andre Torres aggravated his previously injured calf, while trying to track down Tyler Pastornickey’s eventual triple in the 7^th inning. I’m sure you’re all shocked.

Now would it be a new season without hearing that a Met was headed for the DL? Granted Torres has been dealing with this calf issue all of Spring Training so it’s not as if it snuck up on anyone but on Opening Day? Really? Couldn’t they give us a week? Now the team is stuck with option bad and option worse and option are you kidding me.

Option bad would be to give the starting centerfield job to Scott Hairston, a natural corner outfielder who has dealt with an injured oblique all of Spring Training. He’s a bad swing away from being molded for a body cast. Option worse would be to rush minor league outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis who in a perfect world, is at least a half a season away from getting his cup of coffee let alone the starting centerfield job for the New York Mets. Oh and by the way, he’s been injured most of Spring Training as well. Option you’ve got to be kidding me would have been calling up Vinny Rottino. No, he’s not an extra on Jersey Shore. He’s actually a journeyman who’s seen about as many minor league stadiums as Crash Davis. Did I mention Rottino is actually a catcher by trade? Of course that means he’s the perfect choice in center for the Mets!

As of late last night it seems Alderson and company have decided on calling up“Captain” Kirk. I guess when you have the depth of choices the Mets have it’s more of a matter of picking who will do the least harm. Good luck Kirk. Live long and hit homeruns for us.

Johan Santana looked impressive. I’ll be honest I was one of those who believed he was done, period. Not sometime this year or next, but done. So far he’s progressed after each start and hasn’t complained about feeling anything out of the norm. As a fan I’m ecstatic. As someone who is familiar with injuries to the shoulder I’m optimistically skeptical. He’ll be on a shorter leash this year than a Kim Kardashian boyfriend.

All in all, I’m happy the game is back. Even if this is going to be one hell of a long season.

Joe Bruno Knows...

Joe Bruno knows what it takes to be a successfully published writer. He's penned novels and has been a sports writer for The New York Tribune to Ring Magazine and even Penthouse. Trust me, no pictures of him are thankfully in the latter. He was the Vice President of the Boxing Writers Association from 1982-1986. Did I mention he knows about the Mob?

Having been raised in the 6th Ward of the Lower East Side of NYC, he's known his share of Wiseguys. He has a unique point of view on everything from sports as he's a Met AND Yankee fan to Organized Crime and life itself. He graciously offered The Spector Sector an article he penned about a group of women determined to battle their way through the difficulties of life, one fistfight at a time...yes I'm talking about Mob Wives.

It happened last Monday, and now it’s happened again on Monday April 2, 2012. And all it proves is that the American public loves to watch a train wreck. My blog Joe Bruno on the Mob got 20,000 hits before noon today; the great majority of those hits were on articles I’ve written concerning the TV show Mob Wives. ( I’ve written over 330 articles for my blog; only 16 on Mob Wives) Go figure .

I forced myself to watch Mob Wives last night (Sunday night, April, 1) and it certainly was an April Fool’s joke turned bad. Last week (March 25) the show finally disclosed that Hector “Junior” Pagan was in police custody. But even though, before Thanksgiving last year, it was revealed in the newspapers and on the Internet that Pagan was a rat for the FBI, viewers, not aware of the fact, were conned into thinking this was happening real time. Or close to real time.

On last night’s show, Renee Graziano was featured for most of the show doing her “I’m going crazy” routine. And doing a damn good job of it.

Crying. Banging her hands over her face and head. Hugging other crying mob wives like Karen Gravano, who has some experience with the rodent kingdom herself. It was enough to make my eyebrows hurt. And my four dogs were howling at the TV screen. It wasn’t until the last few minutes of the show that viewers were given a hint that Pagan was now a stool pigeon. But this revelation did not come through Renee, but from other mob wives reading the local newspapers. At the show’s end, Renee was still supposedly in the dark as to why her ex-husband “self-Incarcerated” himself, (Pagan was actually pulled off the streets by the FBI because he had served his purpose by wearing a wire while talking to several alleged mob figures, including Renee Graziano’s father Anthony “TG” Graziano, who was arrested the same day Pagan went bye bye).

Then the viewers got the all–telling promo for next week’s show. Next week, Renee will go from despair, to plain anger, as well she should, when she finds out the truth about Pagan; a man so low, he can lick the curb standing up. The producers of Mob Wives , which includes Renee’s sister Jennifer Graziano, are milking this Graziano family tragedy for all its worth (like making chicken salad out of chicken spit). Instead of telling the viewers in one minute what happened five months ago, it’s taking them three shows (maybe more) to let the viewers know:

1. Pagan went into the wind.

2. Renee is overwrought that her ex-husband is going back to jail, as well as her father.

3. Pagan is FBI informant who was instrumental in putting TG Graziano back into the can.

Welcome to the wacky world of Reality TV. It’s all about ratings, not about the truth. Surprise, surprise. I now await with bated breath the April 9, Mob Wives extravaganza. But before I watch, I’m going to get myself good and drunk so that I can endure almost 60 minutes of bad, over-the-top acting, that is no longer part of a Reality Show, but in actuality a rotten piece of half-truths manipulated by the producers to bring more viewers to the table.

I know. Watching and reporting on Mob Wives is dirty work, but someone’s got to do it. Tequila anyone?

Joe Bruno

Author of "Mobsters, Gangs, Crooks, and Other Creeps - NY City" Volumes 1, 2, and 3

http://www.amazon.com/Mobsters-Gangs-Crooks-Creeps-ebook/dp/B0058J44QO/ref=zg_bs_11010_1

http://www.amazon.com/Mobsters-Gangs-Crooks-Creeps-ebook/dp/B006H99D1U/ref=zg_bs_11010_5

http://www.amazon.com/Mobsters-Gangs-Crooks-Creeps-ebook/dp/B007OC93NM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332690571&sr=1-1