BY DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY MARCH 27, 2019) — Today, THE PLANET offers quartet valediction of both hail and farewell.

1. ED REILLY — We first met Ed in the mid-60s at his parent’s variety store. We would stop there on our way to Wahconah Park for Red Sox games. Our next encounter came during the municipal election of 1991, when we ran in a mayoral field of five that also included incumbent Ann Wojtkowski, former councilor Jim McCaffrey, and Andy Kelly. Ed impressed us with his self-deprecation and questioning of the political process. We thought anyone smart enough to wonder why he’d be crazy enough to run for office should win an office. After he won, we covered him in newspaper columns and on talk radio. He wasn’t an “electric” speaker. Dull and soporific is more like it, but he loved to talk. A joke sums it up: “What happens when you ask Ed Reilly for the time? Answer: He tells you how to build a watch.” Our most surprising moment with Ed came when as outgoing mayor he sat in with us on the radio for commentary on the election that put Gerry Doyle in the corner office. When we asked Doyle what he would do to get the city back on track, Reilly swept up his papers, shut his briefcase, said “I’m outta here,” and stomped out. Bullet Bob Shade nearly choked on his pizza. We last encountered Ed during his most recent bid, a seat in the state legislature. He lost, but it gave us the chance to smooth over any of the rough spots in our relationship. We will remember him as a man who lifted himself up with persistence and hard work. He graduated St. Joe, went to BCC, worked in various jobs while he put himself through law school, taking night classes. That’s the kind of guy we want in our platoon.
2.  ROB GRONKOWSKI — We loved the exuberance he brought to everything, both on the field and off. Gronk’s retirement didn’t surprise anyone, especially after the New England Patriots won their sixth Super Bowl last month. Fittingly, Gronk’s highlight-reel catch, the final grab of his great career, set up the winning TD. Off the field, Gronk was Gronk, a man-child, a life-pan Apollo, who could party to the max without going the Aaron Hernandez route. Less known was Gronk’s tireless community efforts, particularly visiting sick children. Gronk came last month to the Carrier Dome in Syracuse for the Duke-SU basketball game. He didn’t refuse one autograph, one request for a photo, one handshake. His politeness and humility won everyone over. He made a lot of Patriots fans that night. THE PLANET gives the GOAT tight end our gold watch and laurels.
3.  JOHN KROL — JK’s headed for the Boston suburb of Newton. His 10-year council run we see as a footnote. For us, the most fulfilling aspect of his public life came from the fact that it furnished the basis of our friendship. Over those years, we had numerous dealings. He never refused a request for comment, showing that rarest of political gifts, a thick skin. We most enjoyed our turns on his radio-TV show, the give-and-take of which never failed to amuse. THE PLANET thanks him for that, and we wish him the best in his new future. Pittsfield’s loss, Newton’s gain.
4.  WOMEN’S BASKETBALL or GO JACKRABBITS! — We had the opportunity to enjoy a up-close view of women’s first- and second-round of the Division I NCAA Championship, held at the Carrier Dome at SU. The women’s game has rekindled our love of basketball precisely because … they play basketball. Unlike the men’s game, which has become a testosterone-laced affair with gangsta mugging replete with the unnatural terrors of individualistic slams, the women play a team game, with a ton more passing, looking for lanes, trying to find the openings. Patient, subservient selflessness might be a way to best capture the flavor. They play under the rim, not above it, and it’s a style of the game we used to see at all levels, including the pros, but rarely see today. Our new favorites are the Lady Jackrabbits of South Dakota State University (Adam Vinatieri’s an alum). The Jacks outlasted Quinnipiac in the opening round, then went on to take Syracuse in round two. THE PLANET had the pleasure of sitting with SDSU athletic director Justin Sell during the game, a man whose pride in the program retells the team’s very history of success — and not just on the court. The girls boast a collective GPA of 3.6 (3.2 for all 19 of SDSU’s teams). Sell and all the good folks who made the long haul from Brookings, S.D. gave us Northeasterners a lesson in camaraderie, class, friendliness, and ease of being. How we wish we could transplant the innocent, hand-shake Midwest personality into the feverish, howling personas of the Northeast. We now have a new team: Go Jackrabbits! THE PLANET sends our love and support, and shall keep a close watch on your doings in the next round in Portland, OR.

Hail and farewell.

————————————————————————————————————-

“A Lady’s ‘Verily’ is as potent as a Lord’s” — William Shakespeare, from The Winter’s Tale, Act 1, Scene 2.

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.

The views and opinions expressed in the comment section or in the text other than those of PLANET VALENTI are not necessarily endorsed by the operators of this website. PLANET VALENTI assumes no responsibility for such views and opinions, and it reserves the right to remove or edit any comment, including but not limited to those that violate the website’s Rules of Conduct and its editorial policies. PLANET VALENTI shall not be held responsible for the consequences that may result from any posted comment or outside opinion or commentary as provided in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and this website’s terms of service. All users of this website — including readers, commentators, contributors, or anyone else making use of its information hereby agree to these conditions by virtue of this notice. When PLANET VALENTI ends with the words “The Usual Disclaimer,” that phrase shall be understood to refer to the full text of this disclaimer.