My Fight of the Century
Reflections on the 40th anniversary of the Ali/Frazier Fight
By Ben Krull
When Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier had their first heavyweight title fight, I was 11 years old and living in New York City. Even though I knew nothing about boxing, the bout would thrust me into the social tumult of the times.
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A Hothouse Survival Tale
Sweating buckets when the AC goes out during a heat wave
By Ben Krull
I turned the knob and nothing happened. Don’t panic, I told myself, as sun poured through the blinds.
It was a 90-degree Sunday earlier this summer and the window air-conditioner in my studio apartment was dead. First came denial: the four-year-old machine just needed to ease into the June heat. All it needed was some rest. Read more
Ben for Shortstop
Yes we can put a true fan of the national pastime on the All-Star team
By Ben Krull
The league bosses have excluded me from the ballot and ESPN refuses to cover my candidacy. But if you join my write-in campaign to play in the 2010 Baseball All-Star Game, we can send a message to the establishment. Read more
Dissecting My Fox Fix
There’s nothing like Sean Hannity to get your Democratic blood rushing
By Ben Krull
It’s hard on my nerves and gives me nightmares. But like a rubbernecker who gawks at a highway accident, I am unable to look away.
I am addicted to Fox News; hooked on O’Reilly, Beck and the Obama-bashing Fox and Friends morning show. But my drug of choice is Sean Hannity. Read more
A True Believer Believes Again
In verdict for surrogate judge, a validation of Democratic screening process
By Ben Krull
The acquittal earlier this month of Manhattan Surrogate Nora Anderson, of charges stemming from her successful 2008 judicial campaign, was more than just a victory for the accused. It was also a reprieve for Democrats like myself, who have an almost religious belief in the sanctity of Manhattan’s judicial election process.
Anderson was accused of skirting New York’s $33,122 campaign donation limit by accepting $250,000 in loans and gifts from her law partner, and funneling the money into her primary campaign. The jury bought Surrogate Anderson’s argument that her maneuver could be interpreted as being legal under New York’s murky campaign finance law—a verdict that has allowed the suspended Surrogate to take the bench. Read more
Bag Ladies
The brands, the budget and back pain that make the perfect purse in Manhattan
By Ben Krull
New York has become a city of bag ladies—especially during rush hour.
While I once commuted amid unobtrusive pocketbooks, nowadays subways are packed with women carrying duffle-sized satchels, leather backpacks and cavernous totes. It is commonplace to see these bags carried in combination: an oversized satchel hanging from the shoulder, a knapsack strapped to the back and a hand clutching a purse. As a hard-core evolutionist, I predict that future generations of females will be born with a kangaroo-type pouch, because of all the bag-schlepping today’s women do. Read more
A Nose for the Cold
When a chronic sinus condition has anti-social side effects
By Ben Krull
In wintertime my nose acts as a thermometer. As a cold front approaches I find myself using more Kleenex than usual. When freezing temperatures arrive, my sinuses function as though someone has clipped a clothespin to my schnoz. Read more
Hard Times on the Hardwood
The demise of rough and tumble basketball in the Big Apple
By Ben Krull
The “city game” isn’t what it used to be. The Knicks are on course for another losing season, and it has been years since a local college team has made the NCAA tournament, much less contended for a national championship.
New York’s basketball picture wasn’t always so bleak. The five boroughs were once as well known for basketball as they were for bagels and nightlife. Read more
Mr. Disconnected
A man makes a stand against a wireless world
By Ben Krull
As I walk to the subway during the morning rush, I wonder why everyone except me is furiously working their thumbs or gabbing into their cell phones. Do my unmoving hands and lips mean that I am unpopular? Read more
My Adult Fantasy League
The secret life of an apartment pro athlete
By Ben Krull
You may think that turning 50 has made my fantasies about playing Major League Baseball a bit implausible. But I perform like an athlete half my age.
While my studio apartment is too crowded with breakable objects for me to swing a bat like I once did in my spacious childhood bedroom, I still dive on my carpeting, snagging screaming line drives and lay down perfect squeeze bunts using my toilet plunger as my bat. Read more
