June 17, 2025 • 38 mins
We kicked off the program with four news stories and different guests on the stories we think you need to know about!
For the second year in a row, nearly 2 million adults in Massachusetts either cannot afford enough to eat or worry about the source of their next meal, according to a statewide study by the Greater Boston Food Bank. Catherine D’Amato, GBFB’s CEO and President stopped by.
Update on the Lowell pubs allowing underage patrons! Melanie Gilbert – Lowell Sun reporter checked in.
This $1 food could help fight diabetes and heart disease…beans! Dr. Fahmi Farah – Cardiologist returned to discuss it with Dan.
19th Century Baseball Is Alive And Well In Newbury! A New England vintage 1864 rules baseball league that plays competitive live games! With Brian Sheehy - President of the Essex Base Ball Organization.
Now you can leave feedback as you listen to WBZ NewsRadio on the FREE iHeart Radio app! Just click on the microphone icon in the app, and be sure to set WBZ NewsRadio as your #1 preset!
For the second year in a row, nearly 2 million adults in Massachusetts either cannot afford enough to eat or worry about the source of their next meal, according to a statewide study by the Greater Boston Food Bank. Catherine D’Amato, GBFB’s CEO and President stopped by.
Update on the Lowell pubs allowing underage patrons! Melanie Gilbert – Lowell Sun reporter checked in.
This $1 food could help fight diabetes and heart disease…beans! Dr. Fahmi Farah – Cardiologist returned to discuss it with Dan.
19th Century Baseball Is Alive And Well In Newbury! A New England vintage 1864 rules baseball league that plays competitive live games! With Brian Sheehy - President of the Essex Base Ball Organization.
Now you can leave feedback as you listen to WBZ NewsRadio on the FREE iHeart Radio app! Just click on the microphone icon in the app, and be sure to set WBZ NewsRadio as your #1 preset!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's nice eyes, Dan ray I'm doing you Beazy Boston's
News Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Thank you very much, Madison. And when the Red Sox
play in Seattle tonight, Raffi Devers will be playing in
San Francisco against the Cleveland Guardians. Never thought i'd see
that day, that's for sure. Well we'll see that tonight.
My name is Dan ram the host of Night's Side,
a baseball fan too, by the way, talk show host
in real life, been a baseball fan, and I follow
(00:27):
that pretty closely. We talked about Raffie Devers last night.
Tonight we will be talking in all probability a lot
about the fact that the Karen Reed jury has come
back now with four questions. They have finished a second
full day of jury deliberations without a verdict, but some
are suggesting that those questions in the way in which
(00:49):
they were asked might suggest that the jury is close
to a verdict that might come down tomorrow. We'll see
how that all works out. But tonight we will talk
to you about the trial trial number two, beginning at
nine o'clock this hour. We have four very interesting guests. Again,
my name is Dan Rayam the host of the show,
Rob Brooks, is back in the control room, back at
(01:09):
the big Socket in downtown Medford, well not downtown Medford,
it's part of Medford, Massachusetts, kind of an undisclosed location.
We really shouldn't tell you where it is, but you know,
and I'm obviously broadcasting from a bunker somewhere. So we
will now get to the more serious topics of the night,
and one that is serious here in Massachusetts. We're very
(01:30):
successful state, or a state that has great hospitals, great universities.
We're considered to be a state that has a high
value and high cost of living, but a good living lifestyle.
And yet yet for the second year in a row,
(01:52):
nearly two million adults in Massachusetts. That's a lot of people. Yeah,
they cannot afford enough to eat or worry about the
sos of their next meal. According to a statewide study
by the Greater Boston Food Bank with US as Captain Tomato,
she is the Greater Boston Food Banks CEO and President, Catherine.
Welcome to Night's side. How do you have There's only
(02:15):
six point seven million people in Massachusetts, so boy, this
does work out to about one out of every three
adults are having problems with food insecurity it does.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
First of all, thanks for having me and at least,
you know, spending some time on this subject. There's so
many things, and as you pointed out, it's a great state, right,
I mean, we've always had a very strong economy, and
you know, on the other side, we've always had a
very high cost of living and that's part of what
people are facing right now with increased inflation, you know,
(02:47):
cost and groceries, cost of housing, so many things and
such uncertainty you know that folks are facing.
Speaker 4 (02:54):
Do I have a job?
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Do I not have a job? You know, it's my
company going to be sold, is it not. There's just
so much uncertainty and volatility, and that puts folks in
a situation where they have to make a lot of trades. Dan,
you know, take their food money for something. You know,
it might be daycare, might be education, might be housing,
could be your rent, it could be you know, your
(03:17):
food money is kind of flexible because we have a
very strong pantry system in our commonwealth.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
We have a great pantry system and I'll call them
common Wealth and you folks are really the top of it.
The Greater Boston Food Bank. I was at a fundraiser
that we support on the Cape the Cape called Family Food.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
The Family Pantry Sure.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Family Pantry in Harwich, and so we do that fundraiser
every year. Here's my question. There will be some people
who's skeptical tonight, and I got to be honest, I'm
a little skeptical too, and that we're in a state
that there's the unemployment rate is right around with a
(04:00):
national averages. We tend to be a little bit below that.
I know we're an expensive state, but food prices and
by the way, I shop at the grocery store probably
three to four times a week from my family, and
I watch prices really carefully. They've been fairly stable, particularly
after the scare that was thrown at us with the
tariff conversation earlier this year. Egg prices have dropped a
(04:23):
little bit. I haven't seen huge jumps. Oh, I've seen
it in some of the like Pepbridge Farm cookies. They
haven't come down, but I'm not buying those babies. I
love Pepperidge Farm cookies, but I'll stick with my Nobisco
oreos to to save by my diet because I'm not
gonna spey four bucks for you know, a dozen cookies.
(04:48):
I'd rather buy the family pack. So so how do
we define this? I mean that we have the food
programs in this state. We've just gone through a couple
of billion dollar with people who are here, who we
have housed and fed. Why do we not have enough
money for people in that we've just passed the millionaires tax,
(05:12):
which supposedly grew generated much more money than anyone would
have expected. I would think we're fairly high clover here.
This is this is, this is disgraceful that people in
our state go to beout hungry at I particularly kids.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Yeah, you've asked about one hundred great questions, which I
love about you because you are you think, you think,
and you're thinking out loud, and you share with your audience.
You know the concerns of so many people. Right, so
why you know what is it?
Speaker 1 (05:44):
So?
Speaker 3 (05:44):
First of all, the state doesn't pay for the food
all the food programs, so there's a lot of philanthropy
that covers, you know, the net in our state. And yes,
there are great food programs. Many of those are federal
that are in great danger due to the reductions that
are occurring. And we'll know more about that once the
Senate side of our Congress finishes their budget process, and
(06:09):
then that will put the state in the situation where
it's going to have to decide, right, do we make
up those differences?
Speaker 5 (06:15):
Do not?
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Do we do some? Do we do none? But in
our state we have as you noted, Harwich is one
of our best partners down on the Cape, and Great
Boston Food Bank has been partnering with them for forty years.
So it's a great partnership. But people find themselves in
need the food.
Speaker 5 (06:33):
For lots of reasons.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
It's always economical. And I'm going to challenge you on
your pricing question because I'm going to go shopping with
you someday and I'm going to send you some more data.
So food prices are the greatest inflation include ever in
the last forty years due to COVID. Now, while it
went way up, you are correct, it did come down
(06:58):
in many categories and exists is a great one. It
was up, and it was up and up and up,
and then it's starting to come down and we're seeing
some relief there, but it's still more then it was
before COVID. So while a double digit inflationary pricing might
have occurred, we're down to singles. But it's still five,
(07:21):
six or seven percent more than it was, so families
have to stretch those dollars all over the place. And
housing is also one of the major issues. But families,
it's always it's always economical, and it's always political. That's
what we're seeing now, and it doesn't matter to me
what side of the aisle you are. Every administration makes
(07:43):
changes every administration, and some of them are focused on
certain things and some are focused on other things. Right now,
this budget reconciliation is very focused on finding trillions of
dollars in debt, you know, in reduction, and that's going
to impact more proportionately poor people than not in our
(08:04):
country should it all pass, So that's going to be
much more challenging for people to make ends meet. And
then it always is very personal. Could be a death,
could be an illness. It could be a parent you
have to take care of. It could be a loss
of a job. It could be an emergency, it could
be a fire, it could be numbers of things. Then
that puts you in a situation where you need some help,
(08:26):
and that we put out.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Yeah, what I'm trying to say, I want to give
you credit. I want to give the Greater Boston Food Rank.
I want to give them the cap cause family food
Pantry credit. And there's there's there's hundreds of organizations and charities.
And I got to tell you, anytime you want, Catherine,
come with me. I will take you shopping to market
bathroom Okay, and I.
Speaker 5 (08:48):
Will show you you're a market basket guy.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Okay. See that's that's an important distinction. Their prices are.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
The best, well though they are. But guess what I
will drive about ten miles to go to a market bank.
And guess what. I know that I will save on
twenty items a multiple of two, three or four dollars.
And at the end of the day, what would what
would cost me one hundred and twenty dollars will cost
me a market basket maybe seventy five or eighty, which
(09:15):
more than justifies my time and more than justifies my guess.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
But the fact that a lot of a lot of
folks are still very much the same way you do
about this oho.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
And guess what, I won't buy the expensive stuff, like
when I want to buy ice cream, it better be
two for seven dollars. I'm not paid for ninety nine.
I'm serious when I tell you that doesn't anyway.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
But what you're highlighting, Dan, is that not in a
humorous way or in the way because you could buy
what you want. Right You're in a position where you
and I can go to the grocery store. You can
buy the four forty nine item, but you're going to
get them.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Going to win. I'm serious.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
People just don't have the money at all at all.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
That's why we support That's why we got to support
food Pansy. That's why we need to support Greater Boston
Food Bank, which again is the hub of the food
bay system here in Massachusetts. How can folks get in
touch with the Greater Boston Food Bank. We're running out
of time. This is fun, but in the market basket
any day.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
And I'm going to go shopping with you, Dan. So look,
people want to help, they can do a number of things.
One is they can get financial support at GBFB dot org.
They can also get and be supportive of the pantries
in their communities. Some people very much want to be
much more localized. Right, we have over six hundred programs
(10:44):
in eastern Massachusetts that benefit from the work of the
Greater Boston Food Bank, And I believe me there's one
in your community of your listeners, and all over the country.
We have over sixty thousand organizations that take food from
the from our system. And you can volunteer, you can
get involved, you can make a difference, you can show up,
(11:06):
you can look. I also believe it's really important to vote.
Vote for what you believe in. Get registered and vote.
It's another action step. And lastly, call your state rep.
Whatever you believe, call and tell them what you think,
or your state senator or the delegation. That's another way
(11:26):
you can act as an individual in Massachusetts to cosnive
that change for those who need help.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
That's one of the things we try to do here
on Nightside. I often say, Kathy, I don't care what
you're thinking. I just want you to be thinking. And
by the way, when you get a chance, next time
you talk with Christine Menard, Dunn and Harwich, ask her,
ask her how supportive, how much we care for the
food pantry, well food listen.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
I have the quote, I will tell her that.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
And I have the honor of getting an honorary doctorate
from the mass School Law this year. And what I
learned is dieing Sullivan and you are a good friends
that you are eight.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Yeah, we work together with the Shadow Fund, which provides
veterinary care for people who cannot afford to take care
of their pets. And Diane Sullivan and she will, she
will be canonized as a saint.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
And she she's.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
An unbelievable person. Unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
He asked me if I knew you, and I said, yeah,
I do, and she said, he's terrific.
Speaker 5 (12:23):
So you are.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
And I appreciate that you're sharing a little bit about
the importance of the pantry system and that it's okay
to go if you need help, and that's why we're here.
Dan help.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Wrong with that absolutely. I did the commencement speech from
mascol believe it was two thousand and eight. It's a
great facility and Diane, as the assistant dean up there,
has done such a fabulous job. And the I mentioned
the Shadow Fund. Every penny that we raise, every penny,
there's no administrative cost. She does this out of the
(12:54):
goodness of her heart. She is a saint. She's a
living saint. Professor Dean, Assistant dean and Saliva, I'm so
glad that you mentioned Diane's name. She's the best she's
the best.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
And Katherin you're pretty great too.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Well.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
You know what it takes all of us to push
it forward, right and help those and to help our pets.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
That one absolutely all right, all dogs, all cats, all
pets go to heaven and remember that. Okay, thank you
very much. We get back it up to date you
on a lull pub story and we think that the
the conclusion to the story is what we hoped for.
We'll talk with Melanie Gilbert of the Lowell Sun. She's
(13:34):
a great reporter with that wonderful newspaper. Right after these messages.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
All right, let's get back to our conversation here, which
is what we call the nightside news update with us.
Is Melanie Gilbert. Melanie, you with us a couple of
months ago, and we were talking about a dilemma that
some of the pubs in Lowell were challenged on whether
someone under the age of eighteen could go in. They're
(14:06):
not eligible to drink or buy alcoholic beverages, but could
they go in there and you know, have a bowl
of soup or a hamburger.
Speaker 5 (14:16):
And thanks for having me back then, it's always a
pleasure to be on your show radio first time. Yeah,
oh you know here it is just put in a
nutshell for your listeners. This is like the age old
problem of underage drinking, right, is that Loll is saying.
And it was kind of a loophole, and even the
License Commission acknowledged that they've been operating under this sort
(14:37):
of a benevolent or benign theory that if you went
into a bar, you had to be of age. And
we're not just talking about people who are scamming the system,
that you had to be of age to be in
the bar. And this loophole has sort of proven the wrong.
So let me back up and just say that back
on March early March, I think it was March first, actually,
(14:58):
the Lowell Police Department conduct did alcohol compliance checks on
the Blue Shamrock in Loll and they found two underage well,
they found two females standing by the bar who appeared
to be under twenty one, and you know you have
to be twenty one to drink in Massachusetts. So they
asked them for ID and the two women presented ID
that was fraudulent, which was they're already in trouble and
(15:22):
based on the testimony of the officer, it appeared that
they were admitted to the premises but were not served alcohol.
And here's the loophole. Turns out that under Lull's Ordnance
City Ordinance that you can be under age in a
bar because we don't really have bars, we have restaurants
that serve alcohol. So it'd be like you right, be
like you're walking into the ninety nine. You know, you know,
(15:44):
it's not a problem. So you walk into a bar
and you don't have to drink if you just exactly
as you preface, as long as you just order something.
And I'm not sure if that includes a bag of
popcorn or a bag of chips, but if you order
something from the kitchen, you are allowed to be in
that bar as even if you're not of age. So
I think where the two women kind of messed up
(16:06):
until this law was challenged is that technically right now.
And the police department issued a memo Superintendent Houdon, who said,
you know this is a it's actually I'm going to
look at it here we Superintendent Hoodon wishes to express
his serious concerns regarding the technicality identified by the law departments.
His technicality has the potential to be exploited not only
(16:27):
by the underage individuals, but also by certain establishments attempting
to circumvent the law by falsely presenting themselves as pubs
or restaurants. So, you know, it was all sort of
a corker, you know, is that these the license commissions
hands are tied because the Blue Shamrock, and I think
it was the Village Smallhost was also cited that night
with a compliance check and underage teat.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
My question is this, what's the difference between any restaurant
I can think of all these restaurants you go to
Legal Seafoods. You mentioned ninety nine restaurant, you have families
in there, you have kids with their parents. Was it
the fact that these under so called underage girls were
not escorted by their parents if their parents had been there,
(17:10):
they were having a graduation evening celebration. It sounds to
me like, you know, if they go in and they're
under twenty one and they've served alcohol when they got
a problem with the license, I think the decision was
the right one here.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
Well, you know, technicality exactly is that if you're under
twenty one and you go into a establishment serving liquor
in lull. You don't need you don't need to take
sick ID is really what it comes down to. If
you order from the kitchen, you're allowed to be in
that establishment.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
Right, You kind of order from the kitchen and then
order a glass of wine, but you can't order liquor.
Speaker 5 (17:49):
But you can order from the kitchen, and you can
be in a bar with other you know, people who
are where it's really.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Just a bar.
Speaker 5 (17:56):
You know it's got when you when you go to
the Blue Shamrock, it has pool tables and it has
a jukebox, and it has a bar. But you're right
when you look at bars, typically, the way I think
of bars is so those are the places that don't
close until like one or two o'clock in the morning.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Right.
Speaker 5 (18:11):
But Applebee's Legal Seafood they all close around maybe eleven,
maybe twelve o'clock at night because restaurants, they're not barsa
they're gonna go ahead and close up and because they've
got all that prep work to do. But bars are different. So,
as the tweet chief pointed out, is that you technically
could have seventeen year olds in a bar or a
(18:31):
pub in roll at the bar not drinking, but surrounded
by adults who are drinking or other teenagers, I suppose,
and as long as they ordered food, so you know,
it's a you know, as a law currently stands, there's
nothing preventing high school students from entering a bar late
at night where college students of legal age drinking age
are also present. Is basically how he closed out his memoran,
(18:54):
and he felt that that created a risk of underage
individuals being exposed to alcohol and unsafe in bar because typically,
I think you're right, most people are. You know, you
take your kids into the you know, the ninety nine,
and you get a drink, but you're there with them,
and you know, it's not like a pub scene, and
it's kind of like, you know, the Captain Peasley, who
was who represents the police department before the license commission said,
(19:17):
you know, if it walks like a duck and it
talks like a duck, and it's a dog, except you know,
when it's not a duck, and this technicality sort of
makes it a turkey or what do you call it
sometimes might be exactly, so you know, it's it kind
of raised interesting legal issues because the bar fought back
(19:38):
and they said, wait a minute, we don't have you know,
I think when mister Petrakis applied for his license thirty
years ago, the Commission granted it and they classified him
as a restaurant, and that was his defense before the commission.
They didn't have alcohol, they weren't served alcohol. There were
no drinks in front of these two seventeen year olds
who were from Westford, so they weren't Lott residence. So
(20:00):
I'm not in violation of the statute. I'm not in
violation of the Ordnance and lull. They came in for
the food. I guess.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Well, the food is probably great, and maybe the company
of the drunks at the bar is great too, but
they weren't drinking. Melanie, thank you so much. I really
enjoyed it, and we need to get another hot story
up and well keep us bend.
Speaker 6 (20:23):
Now.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
It's better than governed fires and city council meetings, that's
for sure.
Speaker 5 (20:29):
Yes, all right, well listen to have a great night,
and thank you for having me on the show.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Thank you for joining us. Melanie Gilbert of The Low Sun,
Paul Sullivan's favorite newspaper, that's for sure, The late great
Paul Sullivan. Well, we get back. Right after the news,
we're going to tell you about a one dollar food
that could help fight diabetes and heart disease. Almost sounds
too good to be true, but it is true. We're
coming back, and don't forget to download the new and
improved night Side app. Just go to your local app
(20:56):
store on your Google account, or go and find it
anywhere for your for your your your your web, your
your your your desktop, your your all of your devices,
all of your devices. Pull that app down and make
WBZ your first preset and will always be just a
(21:16):
fingertip away. Be right back on Nightside right after the news.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
This I mentioned just before the break. All of your devices,
whether it's a desktop, laptop, cell phone, tablet, whatever, pull
down the new and improved iHeart app and you will
also be able to connect with us. There is a microphone.
When you pull it down, you'll see it that's a
bit a red microphone. You can just touch on it
(21:47):
and you got thirty seconds to give us your your thoughts,
your observations, and you can listen to it before you
send to us. Make sure it sounds exactly like you want.
You can be in touch your set in touch with
us that way too. So it's great. Now we're going
to talk with doctor Fami Fara, who is a cardiologist.
Welcome back, doctor Fara. How are you to this this evening.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
I'm doing well.
Speaker 6 (22:10):
Thank you for having me. It's great to be back
on your show.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Well, right back at you. So you have a one
dollar food that can help fight both diabetes and heart disease.
I am all ears, doctor Fara, trust me on that.
What are we talking about? Oh?
Speaker 6 (22:26):
Absolutely, you're absolutely right. There's a study that shows that
chickpeas and black beans are great for heart health and
I couldn't agree more. It's a plant based protein source
and so it has great benefits to the heart and
the study specifically showed that it decreased levels of cholesterol,
which is a major respect for heart disease, as well
(22:49):
as it reduced inflammation, which is another big reason why
we get heart disease. So it's a great source of protein.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Now, I don't want to sound like a total knucklehead here,
but easy, easy to buy at a store, I assume,
easy to prepare this is This is economical as well
as pretty.
Speaker 6 (23:09):
Convenient one hundred percent. Yes, it's very easy to find
and you can find them at any grocery store. It's
very economical. It's one of the cheapest things as far
as food products go. And you know, one of the
things that you mentioned is that any source of beings
like you know, black bean and chickpea specifically, is what
it looks looked at by any source. I mean, like
(23:32):
canned beans, for example, would be okay, But the thing
to pay attention to it'd be well, how it has
been stored, because typically stored products tend to have you know,
quite a bit of other agents like preservatives and sodium
and whatnot. So you really, if you're buying canned products,
you really do need to be able to wash those
thoroughly and get all that by product out of it
(23:54):
and then use it and then it's still considered fairly
safe and healthy.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
Okay. So if they're not in cans, which you which
you don't advise, are they available in the vegetable department.
They are.
Speaker 6 (24:09):
Majority of the grocery stores will have them. And you know,
even online now a lot of groceries are available through
online sources like Amazon, for example, they're fairly cheap affordable
and beings. Generally speaking, it is considered one of the
cheaper options that you can buy one dollar worth of
(24:29):
beans that it can go long waves. So you know,
I think this is a great option for majority of
the people just because of how affordable it is.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Okay, so what about palettes. Can these food products be
prepared in a way that keeps them safe and and
helpful to our heart and to fight diabetes? But also
uh can can also be mixed with other products what
you know, that will make them appetizing.
Speaker 6 (25:00):
Certainly, beans can be prepared in many different ways. It's
one of the most versatile products. And you know, I'm
a big foodie and I travel a lot, and I
just love enjoying different cuisines from different cultures and from
across the world of all, you know, my own background considered,
all cuisines have beans, and it can be prepared so
(25:23):
in a many many different ways. You can prepare it
and curry. You can make it with other things, other
types of vegetables. You know, you can use different types
of spices. You can make it in so many different ways.
Speaker 5 (25:36):
You can make.
Speaker 6 (25:37):
Stew out of it, you can make it, you can
use it as a replacement product for meat for chili
and such. So the use is very versatile, and it
really is a good replacement for red meat.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Now, are any of the companies that manufacture and sell
these Are any of them thinking about doing some sort
of a marketing campaign, Because I got to be honest
with you, when I read this article, I thought, gee,
I didn't realize that. I mean, I know that I
know generally the foods that are bad for you, those
(26:12):
are the foods that I like. If it tastes good,
ice cream.
Speaker 6 (26:15):
Bad, I hope they do. Actually, I hope they do
better marketing than it becomes more well known. And you know,
it's such an undervalued source of food that's so nutritious.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Yeah, it could become much more of a staple of
our diet. Obviously, there's lots of things that all of
us eat that are unhealthy. But when I think, for example,
ten years ago, I didn't know anybody who would ever
eat avocados. It just wasn't it wasn't. Addition, now you
go to any restaurant and people are ordering avocado toast
(26:52):
or avocado on the side. Somehow someone figured out how
to market avocados. Now, maybe it was because Tom Brady
was eating avocados and he was winning football games. But
there has to be a way to, uh to get
this this food product into the food stream.
Speaker 6 (27:08):
I guess Oh, I totally totally agree with you. There
are just so many different ways beans just cooked properly
could be delicious, and I just I agree with you.
I think more people need to advertise for us. Hopefully
the companies do. The bean company.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
No, no, And I know, and I know there's a
lot of companies that that that sell beans in cans
and all of that, but maybe they should they should
market them other ways as well, because look, if if
it's tasty and it's also good for you, who, I
don't know many products like It just seems to me
that when I eat something that's that tastes good, I
(27:49):
know it's got too much salt, it's got too much sugar,
it's and it's chocolate. The one thing, though, doctor, that
I eat every day that I believe is good for
my heart. I was told by my cardiologist dark chocolate.
Speaker 6 (28:03):
Dark chocolate. I agree, dark chocolate is very good for
you and your heart. The only thing to pay attention to,
of course, most of the time, our source of dark
chocolate is candy and with that, the problem is sugar
and the additives that are in it. But dark chocolate
itself is very good for you.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
So how do you get pure dark chocolate? Then help
me out here because I'm buying her. She's dark chocolate.
Speaker 6 (28:26):
That is a that's a tough thing, you know. I
myself don't know a good source of dark chocolate, but
of all the other chocolate products, dark chocolate would be.
Speaker 5 (28:36):
The way to go.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
Well, we'll save that for our next visit. How's that? Okay?
Speaker 3 (28:40):
Sounds great?
Speaker 2 (28:41):
Really enjoyed it, Doctor fami Fara, she's a cardiologist and
board sort of eyes certified invasive cardiologist. Uh and by
the way, is there any sort of a website that
that you'd like to publicize or certainly.
Speaker 6 (28:56):
Yes, my website is doctor Fammi fair www dot doctor
fommifara dot com. Also you can find me on social
media on AX and Instagram at fammy Jfarah.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
Sounds great and fammy is spelled fa h m i
pharah fa r ah. Doctor farre We've got it. Thank
you so much. We'll talk soon.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
Okay, thank you for having me.
Speaker 6 (29:18):
It was my pleasure.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
Thank you right back at you. When we get back,
I'm talking a little nineteenth century baseball. Uh yeah, eighteen
hundreds baseball alive and well in Newbury, Massachusetts, playing with
New England vintage eighteen sixty four rules and they play
competitive live games. We're going to talk with Brian Shees,
(29:39):
the president of the Essex Baseball Organization, right after this break.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Okay, I think everyone who listens to night Side knows
that I'm a baseball fan. With us. Now is Brian
she He's the president of the Essex Baseball Organization. They
played nineteenth century baseball. Hey, Brian she how are you
welcome to Nightside?
Speaker 4 (30:07):
Hey? How's it going sot out here?
Speaker 2 (30:10):
How did you get into nineteenth century baseball? I understand
the rules are quite different, we get to those in
a moment. But how did you find this or how
did this find you?
Speaker 4 (30:20):
A long long time ago, back when I was in college,
about twenty three twenty four years ago, I was working
at the library at Merrimack College, and the reference librarian
there said, Hey, my boyfriend started a team in Danvers.
They played eighteen sixties baseball. You like baseball? You're a
(30:41):
history major, why don't you go check it out? So
I did, and it's been a slippery slope down whatever
since for me.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
Okay, So you guys operate up there in Essex, or
rather in Newbury excuse me, Newbury, Massachusetts. How many teams
do you have and do you play teams from other
communities or is it all done within the confines of Newbury.
Speaker 4 (31:04):
So when we first started playing twenty plus years ago,
we were traveling all over New England, going to Connecticut,
Rhode Island, like New York. Were were kind of traveling around.
But as we got older, started having families, we kind
of settled on Spencer Pierce Little Farm in Newbery and
we have four teams based out of Spencer Pierce Little Farm.
(31:26):
Now it's a beautiful venue. We have ipswich Ail as
one of our sponsors. In the fall, there's corn in
the outfield, so it's kind of like a field of
dreams vibe. We get a couple We get a couple
hundred fans at just about every one of our games,
all the way up to like maybe a thousand some
of the bigger events that we have.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
So okay, So the dimensions of the diamond. Are they
the same? Ninety feet to the basis, sixty feet to
the mountains sixty feet six inches.
Speaker 4 (31:53):
That's a great question. Ninety feet for bases, the pitching
distance is forty five feet away. And the picture in
eighteen sixty four. The rules that we play by throws underhands,
fielders don't wear gloves and things like that. But I
don't want to skip ahead to all the rules unless
you want going to jump into that.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
No, no, that's fine. So it's it's the game as
it was played in eighteen sixty four. I know the
legend is that baseball was founded by Abne Doubleday, a
Civil War general. Is this the game that, as you understand,
that he developed.
Speaker 4 (32:32):
Well, when I teach my class on like on this,
we talk about the double Day myth, which is what
it is. It's a myth like baseball. And I do
teach a whole course on the evolution of bat ball
games and sports in general. But base like baseball, taking
a ball, hitting it with a bat or your hand,
(32:55):
it was all the way back. Human beings have been
playing bat ball games forever. There's actually a hieroglyphic or
high highlow glyph on a in the Pyramids of a
pharaoh holding a read and a ball in this game
called seeker hamat like batting the ball. So batting and
(33:17):
batting games have been around forever. If you kind of
look at the the rules of baseball that we know today,
they probably date to about eighteen forty five. Diamond, shakefield, fair, fair, foul, territory,
et cetera.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
Yeah, I also love the idea where you go to
a ballgame and even you know whether it's a little
league game or which, of course the dementia is a
little different or a major league game. So many ground
balls to third basement and shortstop the guy gets thrown
out by just one step. So if the bases were
eighty five feet would be very different, different game. So
(33:52):
how many games does do your teams play every year?
Is it all weekend games from June to September? Or
just give us the schedule? How can people get more
information if they want to come up and witness one
of these one of these sporting events.
Speaker 4 (34:07):
We played just about every weekend from the first weekend
of June all the way till the beginning of October,
typically on Sundays at Spencer Piast Little Farm We're on Facebook.
Our website isn't really up to date rightly right now,
but we are on Facebook, Instagram. Essex Baseball.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
Now, do you different teams have uniforms or is it
sort of a uniform that everybody wears.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
All four of our teams have different uniforms. All four
of our teams that play there are modeled after teams
that played in the nineteenth century. So we have the
Lowell Baseball Club, which was a team that played in
the eighteen sixties based out of Boston. They were named
after John A. Lowell, who was who helped fund them.
We have the Lynn Live Oaks, which was a team
(34:54):
that played in the eighteen seventies in Lynn. We have
the Portsmouth Rocky Hymns, which was a team that played
in ports with New Hampshire in the eighteen sixties. And
we have the newberry Port clam Diggers, which is based
on a team that played in newbury Port in the
eighteen eighties.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
Oh, that's that's great. The ball that you that you play,
I know, is of it's not a softball, it's it's
probably softer than a.
Speaker 4 (35:19):
Softball, right, It's definitely softer because in eighteen sixty four
nobody wore was wearing gloves yet.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
So they Wilson eight two thousand have not been invented,
so there was no need of it.
Speaker 4 (35:32):
No, no, but I mean the ball is a little softer.
We still have some guys who who break fingers. My
fingers a little jammed from our games this past weekend
and swollen.
Speaker 2 (35:43):
They can have it in basketball too. So when you
guys hit a ball, if somebody really gets a hold
of it, it's not going five hundred feet. I understand
that what is considered a home run distance or was
there a home run if it, you know, makes it
to the cornfield or what's what's the rules?
Speaker 4 (35:59):
I mean, there's some where we play is kind of interesting.
So you could hit a ball, I'd say the right
field if the corn is up and it's it's late September.
If you hit a ball two hundred and fifty feet,
you're probably in the corn shot. It's a decent shot.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
It's a decent shot. That's that's only fifty two feet
short of the piskey.
Speaker 4 (36:23):
Poll are like, our guys probably hit the ball, hit
the ball three hundred plus feet. But because of the rules,
if say a guy hits the ball three hundred plus
feet and the outfielder is able to run and catch it.
On one bounce, the batter is out. So people have people. Yeah,
(36:44):
people hit like hit home runs if they if they
hit the ball into a bush, there is a bush
that is in fair territory. So balls have gotten lost
in this bush and people have been able to get
around the bases because of that.
Speaker 2 (36:58):
Nothing wrong with that. Look Wrigley Field, if it gets
into the vines ground will double simple as that. Well,
look at where can folks get? Give us the best website.
I'm sure we're going to get some of our fiends
to go up there and watch. You'll go ahead, what's
the website?
Speaker 4 (37:13):
So if you go on Facebook and take in the
Essex Baseball Organization, you'll find us there.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
That's great. Sounds great, Brian. It's great that the tradition
is kept alive. Sounds like a great way to spend
a summer afternoon watching some folks play, or maybe even
get out there yourselves. You still need players or the
rosters full.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
I'm always looking for new players, new fans, new umpires,
all like all kinds of things.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
Yes, some crafty left handed relief pitchers, that's what you need. Okay,
they don't have any crafty right handers. It's always a
crafty left hander. Thanks Brian, enjoyed the conversation the president
of the Essex Baseball Organization. Sounds like a lot of
fun if you're up in that neck of the woods
on the north Shore. Thanks again, Brian. We'll talk. We'll
(37:59):
talk again.
Speaker 4 (38:00):
Thank you, final have a great night.
Speaker 2 (38:03):
All right, when we get back, we're going to talk
about Karen Reid. Some developments today, no verdict, but developments today.
Questions may give us some guidance to some of you
out there who are paralegals or legal legals or just
simply salutes. Again, this is a serious case. It does
involve the death of Officer John O'Keefe, so it's nothing to
(38:24):
be made light of. But we'll talk about it and
if you have a point of view, we'd love to
hear from you. My name's Dan Ray and this is
Night Side
It's nice eyes, Dan ray I'm doing you Beazy Boston's
News Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Thank you very much, Madison. And when the Red Sox
play in Seattle tonight, Raffi Devers will be playing in
San Francisco against the Cleveland Guardians. Never thought i'd see
that day, that's for sure. Well we'll see that tonight.
My name is Dan ram the host of Night's Side,
a baseball fan too, by the way, talk show host
in real life, been a baseball fan, and I follow
(00:27):
that pretty closely. We talked about Raffie Devers last night.
Tonight we will be talking in all probability a lot
about the fact that the Karen Reed jury has come
back now with four questions. They have finished a second
full day of jury deliberations without a verdict, but some
are suggesting that those questions in the way in which
(00:49):
they were asked might suggest that the jury is close
to a verdict that might come down tomorrow. We'll see
how that all works out. But tonight we will talk
to you about the trial trial number two, beginning at
nine o'clock this hour. We have four very interesting guests. Again,
my name is Dan Rayam the host of the show,
Rob Brooks, is back in the control room, back at
(01:09):
the big Socket in downtown Medford, well not downtown Medford,
it's part of Medford, Massachusetts, kind of an undisclosed location.
We really shouldn't tell you where it is, but you know,
and I'm obviously broadcasting from a bunker somewhere. So we
will now get to the more serious topics of the night,
and one that is serious here in Massachusetts. We're very
(01:30):
successful state, or a state that has great hospitals, great universities.
We're considered to be a state that has a high
value and high cost of living, but a good living lifestyle.
And yet yet for the second year in a row,
(01:52):
nearly two million adults in Massachusetts. That's a lot of people. Yeah,
they cannot afford enough to eat or worry about the
sos of their next meal. According to a statewide study
by the Greater Boston Food Bank with US as Captain Tomato,
she is the Greater Boston Food Banks CEO and President, Catherine.
Welcome to Night's side. How do you have There's only
(02:15):
six point seven million people in Massachusetts, so boy, this
does work out to about one out of every three
adults are having problems with food insecurity it does.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
First of all, thanks for having me and at least,
you know, spending some time on this subject. There's so
many things, and as you pointed out, it's a great state, right,
I mean, we've always had a very strong economy, and
you know, on the other side, we've always had a
very high cost of living and that's part of what
people are facing right now with increased inflation, you know,
(02:47):
cost and groceries, cost of housing, so many things and
such uncertainty you know that folks are facing.
Speaker 4 (02:54):
Do I have a job?
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Do I not have a job? You know, it's my
company going to be sold, is it not. There's just
so much uncertainty and volatility, and that puts folks in
a situation where they have to make a lot of trades. Dan,
you know, take their food money for something. You know,
it might be daycare, might be education, might be housing,
could be your rent, it could be you know, your
(03:17):
food money is kind of flexible because we have a
very strong pantry system in our commonwealth.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
We have a great pantry system and I'll call them
common Wealth and you folks are really the top of it.
The Greater Boston Food Bank. I was at a fundraiser
that we support on the Cape the Cape called Family Food.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
The Family Pantry Sure.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Family Pantry in Harwich, and so we do that fundraiser
every year. Here's my question. There will be some people
who's skeptical tonight, and I got to be honest, I'm
a little skeptical too, and that we're in a state
that there's the unemployment rate is right around with a
(04:00):
national averages. We tend to be a little bit below that.
I know we're an expensive state, but food prices and
by the way, I shop at the grocery store probably
three to four times a week from my family, and
I watch prices really carefully. They've been fairly stable, particularly
after the scare that was thrown at us with the
tariff conversation earlier this year. Egg prices have dropped a
(04:23):
little bit. I haven't seen huge jumps. Oh, I've seen
it in some of the like Pepbridge Farm cookies. They
haven't come down, but I'm not buying those babies. I
love Pepperidge Farm cookies, but I'll stick with my Nobisco
oreos to to save by my diet because I'm not
gonna spey four bucks for you know, a dozen cookies.
(04:48):
I'd rather buy the family pack. So so how do
we define this? I mean that we have the food
programs in this state. We've just gone through a couple
of billion dollar with people who are here, who we
have housed and fed. Why do we not have enough
money for people in that we've just passed the millionaires tax,
(05:12):
which supposedly grew generated much more money than anyone would
have expected. I would think we're fairly high clover here.
This is this is, this is disgraceful that people in
our state go to beout hungry at I particularly kids.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Yeah, you've asked about one hundred great questions, which I
love about you because you are you think, you think,
and you're thinking out loud, and you share with your audience.
You know the concerns of so many people. Right, so
why you know what is it?
Speaker 1 (05:44):
So?
Speaker 3 (05:44):
First of all, the state doesn't pay for the food
all the food programs, so there's a lot of philanthropy
that covers, you know, the net in our state. And yes,
there are great food programs. Many of those are federal
that are in great danger due to the reductions that
are occurring. And we'll know more about that once the
Senate side of our Congress finishes their budget process, and
(06:09):
then that will put the state in the situation where
it's going to have to decide, right, do we make
up those differences?
Speaker 5 (06:15):
Do not?
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Do we do some? Do we do none? But in
our state we have as you noted, Harwich is one
of our best partners down on the Cape, and Great
Boston Food Bank has been partnering with them for forty years.
So it's a great partnership. But people find themselves in
need the food.
Speaker 5 (06:33):
For lots of reasons.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
It's always economical. And I'm going to challenge you on
your pricing question because I'm going to go shopping with
you someday and I'm going to send you some more data.
So food prices are the greatest inflation include ever in
the last forty years due to COVID. Now, while it
went way up, you are correct, it did come down
(06:58):
in many categories and exists is a great one. It
was up, and it was up and up and up,
and then it's starting to come down and we're seeing
some relief there, but it's still more then it was
before COVID. So while a double digit inflationary pricing might
have occurred, we're down to singles. But it's still five,
(07:21):
six or seven percent more than it was, so families
have to stretch those dollars all over the place. And
housing is also one of the major issues. But families,
it's always it's always economical, and it's always political. That's
what we're seeing now, and it doesn't matter to me
what side of the aisle you are. Every administration makes
(07:43):
changes every administration, and some of them are focused on
certain things and some are focused on other things. Right now,
this budget reconciliation is very focused on finding trillions of
dollars in debt, you know, in reduction, and that's going
to impact more proportionately poor people than not in our
(08:04):
country should it all pass, So that's going to be
much more challenging for people to make ends meet. And
then it always is very personal. Could be a death,
could be an illness. It could be a parent you
have to take care of. It could be a loss
of a job. It could be an emergency, it could
be a fire, it could be numbers of things. Then
that puts you in a situation where you need some help,
(08:26):
and that we put out.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Yeah, what I'm trying to say, I want to give
you credit. I want to give the Greater Boston Food Rank.
I want to give them the cap cause family food
Pantry credit. And there's there's there's hundreds of organizations and charities.
And I got to tell you, anytime you want, Catherine,
come with me. I will take you shopping to market
bathroom Okay, and I.
Speaker 5 (08:48):
Will show you you're a market basket guy.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Okay. See that's that's an important distinction. Their prices are.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
The best, well though they are. But guess what I
will drive about ten miles to go to a market bank.
And guess what. I know that I will save on
twenty items a multiple of two, three or four dollars.
And at the end of the day, what would what
would cost me one hundred and twenty dollars will cost
me a market basket maybe seventy five or eighty, which
(09:15):
more than justifies my time and more than justifies my guess.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
But the fact that a lot of a lot of
folks are still very much the same way you do
about this oho.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
And guess what, I won't buy the expensive stuff, like
when I want to buy ice cream, it better be
two for seven dollars. I'm not paid for ninety nine.
I'm serious when I tell you that doesn't anyway.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
But what you're highlighting, Dan, is that not in a
humorous way or in the way because you could buy
what you want. Right You're in a position where you
and I can go to the grocery store. You can
buy the four forty nine item, but you're going to
get them.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Going to win. I'm serious.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
People just don't have the money at all at all.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
That's why we support That's why we got to support
food Pansy. That's why we need to support Greater Boston
Food Bank, which again is the hub of the food
bay system here in Massachusetts. How can folks get in
touch with the Greater Boston Food Bank. We're running out
of time. This is fun, but in the market basket
any day.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
And I'm going to go shopping with you, Dan. So look,
people want to help, they can do a number of things.
One is they can get financial support at GBFB dot org.
They can also get and be supportive of the pantries
in their communities. Some people very much want to be
much more localized. Right, we have over six hundred programs
(10:44):
in eastern Massachusetts that benefit from the work of the
Greater Boston Food Bank, And I believe me there's one
in your community of your listeners, and all over the country.
We have over sixty thousand organizations that take food from
the from our system. And you can volunteer, you can
get involved, you can make a difference, you can show up,
(11:06):
you can look. I also believe it's really important to vote.
Vote for what you believe in. Get registered and vote.
It's another action step. And lastly, call your state rep.
Whatever you believe, call and tell them what you think,
or your state senator or the delegation. That's another way
(11:26):
you can act as an individual in Massachusetts to cosnive
that change for those who need help.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
That's one of the things we try to do here
on Nightside. I often say, Kathy, I don't care what
you're thinking. I just want you to be thinking. And
by the way, when you get a chance, next time
you talk with Christine Menard, Dunn and Harwich, ask her,
ask her how supportive, how much we care for the
food pantry, well food listen.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
I have the quote, I will tell her that.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
And I have the honor of getting an honorary doctorate
from the mass School Law this year. And what I
learned is dieing Sullivan and you are a good friends
that you are eight.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Yeah, we work together with the Shadow Fund, which provides
veterinary care for people who cannot afford to take care
of their pets. And Diane Sullivan and she will, she
will be canonized as a saint.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
And she she's.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
An unbelievable person. Unbelievable.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
He asked me if I knew you, and I said, yeah,
I do, and she said, he's terrific.
Speaker 5 (12:23):
So you are.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
And I appreciate that you're sharing a little bit about
the importance of the pantry system and that it's okay
to go if you need help, and that's why we're here.
Dan help.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Wrong with that absolutely. I did the commencement speech from
mascol believe it was two thousand and eight. It's a
great facility and Diane, as the assistant dean up there,
has done such a fabulous job. And the I mentioned
the Shadow Fund. Every penny that we raise, every penny,
there's no administrative cost. She does this out of the
(12:54):
goodness of her heart. She is a saint. She's a
living saint. Professor Dean, Assistant dean and Saliva, I'm so
glad that you mentioned Diane's name. She's the best she's
the best.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
And Katherin you're pretty great too.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Well.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
You know what it takes all of us to push
it forward, right and help those and to help our pets.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
That one absolutely all right, all dogs, all cats, all
pets go to heaven and remember that. Okay, thank you
very much. We get back it up to date you
on a lull pub story and we think that the
the conclusion to the story is what we hoped for.
We'll talk with Melanie Gilbert of the Lowell Sun. She's
(13:34):
a great reporter with that wonderful newspaper. Right after these messages.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
All right, let's get back to our conversation here, which
is what we call the nightside news update with us.
Is Melanie Gilbert. Melanie, you with us a couple of
months ago, and we were talking about a dilemma that
some of the pubs in Lowell were challenged on whether
someone under the age of eighteen could go in. They're
(14:06):
not eligible to drink or buy alcoholic beverages, but could
they go in there and you know, have a bowl
of soup or a hamburger.
Speaker 5 (14:16):
And thanks for having me back then, it's always a
pleasure to be on your show radio first time. Yeah,
oh you know here it is just put in a
nutshell for your listeners. This is like the age old
problem of underage drinking, right, is that Loll is saying.
And it was kind of a loophole, and even the
License Commission acknowledged that they've been operating under this sort
(14:37):
of a benevolent or benign theory that if you went
into a bar, you had to be of age. And
we're not just talking about people who are scamming the system,
that you had to be of age to be in
the bar. And this loophole has sort of proven the wrong.
So let me back up and just say that back
on March early March, I think it was March first, actually,
(14:58):
the Lowell Police Department conduct did alcohol compliance checks on
the Blue Shamrock in Loll and they found two underage well,
they found two females standing by the bar who appeared
to be under twenty one, and you know you have
to be twenty one to drink in Massachusetts. So they
asked them for ID and the two women presented ID
that was fraudulent, which was they're already in trouble and
(15:22):
based on the testimony of the officer, it appeared that
they were admitted to the premises but were not served alcohol.
And here's the loophole. Turns out that under Lull's Ordnance
City Ordinance that you can be under age in a
bar because we don't really have bars, we have restaurants
that serve alcohol. So it'd be like you right, be
like you're walking into the ninety nine. You know, you know,
(15:44):
it's not a problem. So you walk into a bar
and you don't have to drink if you just exactly
as you preface, as long as you just order something.
And I'm not sure if that includes a bag of
popcorn or a bag of chips, but if you order
something from the kitchen, you are allowed to be in
that bar as even if you're not of age. So
I think where the two women kind of messed up
(16:06):
until this law was challenged is that technically right now.
And the police department issued a memo Superintendent Houdon, who said,
you know this is a it's actually I'm going to
look at it here we Superintendent Hoodon wishes to express
his serious concerns regarding the technicality identified by the law departments.
His technicality has the potential to be exploited not only
(16:27):
by the underage individuals, but also by certain establishments attempting
to circumvent the law by falsely presenting themselves as pubs
or restaurants. So, you know, it was all sort of
a corker, you know, is that these the license commissions
hands are tied because the Blue Shamrock, and I think
it was the Village Smallhost was also cited that night
with a compliance check and underage teat.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
My question is this, what's the difference between any restaurant
I can think of all these restaurants you go to
Legal Seafoods. You mentioned ninety nine restaurant, you have families
in there, you have kids with their parents. Was it
the fact that these under so called underage girls were
not escorted by their parents if their parents had been there,
(17:10):
they were having a graduation evening celebration. It sounds to
me like, you know, if they go in and they're
under twenty one and they've served alcohol when they got
a problem with the license, I think the decision was
the right one here.
Speaker 5 (17:24):
Well, you know, technicality exactly is that if you're under
twenty one and you go into a establishment serving liquor
in lull. You don't need you don't need to take
sick ID is really what it comes down to. If
you order from the kitchen, you're allowed to be in
that establishment.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
Right, You kind of order from the kitchen and then
order a glass of wine, but you can't order liquor.
Speaker 5 (17:49):
But you can order from the kitchen, and you can
be in a bar with other you know, people who
are where it's really.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Just a bar.
Speaker 5 (17:56):
You know it's got when you when you go to
the Blue Shamrock, it has pool tables and it has
a jukebox, and it has a bar. But you're right
when you look at bars, typically, the way I think
of bars is so those are the places that don't
close until like one or two o'clock in the morning.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Right.
Speaker 5 (18:11):
But Applebee's Legal Seafood they all close around maybe eleven,
maybe twelve o'clock at night because restaurants, they're not barsa
they're gonna go ahead and close up and because they've
got all that prep work to do. But bars are different. So,
as the tweet chief pointed out, is that you technically
could have seventeen year olds in a bar or a
(18:31):
pub in roll at the bar not drinking, but surrounded
by adults who are drinking or other teenagers, I suppose,
and as long as they ordered food, so you know,
it's a you know, as a law currently stands, there's
nothing preventing high school students from entering a bar late
at night where college students of legal age drinking age
are also present. Is basically how he closed out his memoran,
(18:54):
and he felt that that created a risk of underage
individuals being exposed to alcohol and unsafe in bar because typically,
I think you're right, most people are. You know, you
take your kids into the you know, the ninety nine,
and you get a drink, but you're there with them,
and you know, it's not like a pub scene, and
it's kind of like, you know, the Captain Peasley, who
was who represents the police department before the license commission said,
(19:17):
you know, if it walks like a duck and it
talks like a duck, and it's a dog, except you know,
when it's not a duck, and this technicality sort of
makes it a turkey or what do you call it
sometimes might be exactly, so you know, it's it kind
of raised interesting legal issues because the bar fought back
(19:38):
and they said, wait a minute, we don't have you know,
I think when mister Petrakis applied for his license thirty
years ago, the Commission granted it and they classified him
as a restaurant, and that was his defense before the commission.
They didn't have alcohol, they weren't served alcohol. There were
no drinks in front of these two seventeen year olds
who were from Westford, so they weren't Lott residence. So
(20:00):
I'm not in violation of the statute. I'm not in
violation of the Ordnance and lull. They came in for
the food. I guess.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Well, the food is probably great, and maybe the company
of the drunks at the bar is great too, but
they weren't drinking. Melanie, thank you so much. I really
enjoyed it, and we need to get another hot story
up and well keep us bend.
Speaker 6 (20:23):
Now.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
It's better than governed fires and city council meetings, that's
for sure.
Speaker 5 (20:29):
Yes, all right, well listen to have a great night,
and thank you for having me on the show.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Thank you for joining us. Melanie Gilbert of The Low Sun,
Paul Sullivan's favorite newspaper, that's for sure, The late great
Paul Sullivan. Well, we get back. Right after the news,
we're going to tell you about a one dollar food
that could help fight diabetes and heart disease. Almost sounds
too good to be true, but it is true. We're
coming back, and don't forget to download the new and
improved night Side app. Just go to your local app
(20:56):
store on your Google account, or go and find it
anywhere for your for your your your your web, your
your your your desktop, your your all of your devices,
all of your devices. Pull that app down and make
WBZ your first preset and will always be just a
(21:16):
fingertip away. Be right back on Nightside right after the news.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
This I mentioned just before the break. All of your devices,
whether it's a desktop, laptop, cell phone, tablet, whatever, pull
down the new and improved iHeart app and you will
also be able to connect with us. There is a microphone.
When you pull it down, you'll see it that's a
bit a red microphone. You can just touch on it
(21:47):
and you got thirty seconds to give us your your thoughts,
your observations, and you can listen to it before you
send to us. Make sure it sounds exactly like you want.
You can be in touch your set in touch with
us that way too. So it's great. Now we're going
to talk with doctor Fami Fara, who is a cardiologist.
Welcome back, doctor Fara. How are you to this this evening.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
I'm doing well.
Speaker 6 (22:10):
Thank you for having me. It's great to be back
on your show.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Well, right back at you. So you have a one
dollar food that can help fight both diabetes and heart disease.
I am all ears, doctor Fara, trust me on that.
What are we talking about? Oh?
Speaker 6 (22:26):
Absolutely, you're absolutely right. There's a study that shows that
chickpeas and black beans are great for heart health and
I couldn't agree more. It's a plant based protein source
and so it has great benefits to the heart and
the study specifically showed that it decreased levels of cholesterol,
which is a major respect for heart disease, as well
(22:49):
as it reduced inflammation, which is another big reason why
we get heart disease. So it's a great source of protein.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Now, I don't want to sound like a total knucklehead here,
but easy, easy to buy at a store, I assume,
easy to prepare this is This is economical as well
as pretty.
Speaker 6 (23:09):
Convenient one hundred percent. Yes, it's very easy to find
and you can find them at any grocery store. It's
very economical. It's one of the cheapest things as far
as food products go. And you know, one of the
things that you mentioned is that any source of beings
like you know, black bean and chickpea specifically, is what
it looks looked at by any source. I mean, like
(23:32):
canned beans, for example, would be okay, But the thing
to pay attention to it'd be well, how it has
been stored, because typically stored products tend to have you know,
quite a bit of other agents like preservatives and sodium
and whatnot. So you really, if you're buying canned products,
you really do need to be able to wash those
thoroughly and get all that by product out of it
(23:54):
and then use it and then it's still considered fairly
safe and healthy.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
Okay. So if they're not in cans, which you which
you don't advise, are they available in the vegetable department.
They are.
Speaker 6 (24:09):
Majority of the grocery stores will have them. And you know,
even online now a lot of groceries are available through
online sources like Amazon, for example, they're fairly cheap affordable
and beings. Generally speaking, it is considered one of the
cheaper options that you can buy one dollar worth of
(24:29):
beans that it can go long waves. So you know,
I think this is a great option for majority of
the people just because of how affordable it is.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Okay, so what about palettes. Can these food products be
prepared in a way that keeps them safe and and
helpful to our heart and to fight diabetes? But also
uh can can also be mixed with other products what
you know, that will make them appetizing.
Speaker 6 (25:00):
Certainly, beans can be prepared in many different ways. It's
one of the most versatile products. And you know, I'm
a big foodie and I travel a lot, and I
just love enjoying different cuisines from different cultures and from
across the world of all, you know, my own background considered,
all cuisines have beans, and it can be prepared so
(25:23):
in a many many different ways. You can prepare it
and curry. You can make it with other things, other
types of vegetables. You know, you can use different types
of spices. You can make it in so many different ways.
Speaker 5 (25:36):
You can make.
Speaker 6 (25:37):
Stew out of it, you can make it, you can
use it as a replacement product for meat for chili
and such. So the use is very versatile, and it
really is a good replacement for red meat.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Now, are any of the companies that manufacture and sell
these Are any of them thinking about doing some sort
of a marketing campaign, Because I got to be honest
with you, when I read this article, I thought, gee,
I didn't realize that. I mean, I know that I
know generally the foods that are bad for you, those
(26:12):
are the foods that I like. If it tastes good,
ice cream.
Speaker 6 (26:15):
Bad, I hope they do. Actually, I hope they do
better marketing than it becomes more well known. And you know,
it's such an undervalued source of food that's so nutritious.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Yeah, it could become much more of a staple of
our diet. Obviously, there's lots of things that all of
us eat that are unhealthy. But when I think, for example,
ten years ago, I didn't know anybody who would ever
eat avocados. It just wasn't it wasn't. Addition, now you
go to any restaurant and people are ordering avocado toast
(26:52):
or avocado on the side. Somehow someone figured out how
to market avocados. Now, maybe it was because Tom Brady
was eating avocados and he was winning football games. But
there has to be a way to, uh to get
this this food product into the food stream.
Speaker 6 (27:08):
I guess Oh, I totally totally agree with you. There
are just so many different ways beans just cooked properly
could be delicious, and I just I agree with you.
I think more people need to advertise for us. Hopefully
the companies do. The bean company.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
No, no, And I know, and I know there's a
lot of companies that that that sell beans in cans
and all of that, but maybe they should they should
market them other ways as well, because look, if if
it's tasty and it's also good for you, who, I
don't know many products like It just seems to me
that when I eat something that's that tastes good, I
(27:49):
know it's got too much salt, it's got too much sugar,
it's and it's chocolate. The one thing, though, doctor, that
I eat every day that I believe is good for
my heart. I was told by my cardiologist dark chocolate.
Speaker 6 (28:03):
Dark chocolate. I agree, dark chocolate is very good for
you and your heart. The only thing to pay attention to,
of course, most of the time, our source of dark
chocolate is candy and with that, the problem is sugar
and the additives that are in it. But dark chocolate
itself is very good for you.
Speaker 2 (28:19):
So how do you get pure dark chocolate? Then help
me out here because I'm buying her. She's dark chocolate.
Speaker 6 (28:26):
That is a that's a tough thing, you know. I
myself don't know a good source of dark chocolate, but
of all the other chocolate products, dark chocolate would be.
Speaker 5 (28:36):
The way to go.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
Well, we'll save that for our next visit. How's that? Okay?
Speaker 3 (28:40):
Sounds great?
Speaker 2 (28:41):
Really enjoyed it, Doctor fami Fara, she's a cardiologist and
board sort of eyes certified invasive cardiologist. Uh and by
the way, is there any sort of a website that
that you'd like to publicize or certainly.
Speaker 6 (28:56):
Yes, my website is doctor Fammi fair www dot doctor
fommifara dot com. Also you can find me on social
media on AX and Instagram at fammy Jfarah.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
Sounds great and fammy is spelled fa h m i
pharah fa r ah. Doctor farre We've got it. Thank
you so much. We'll talk soon.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
Okay, thank you for having me.
Speaker 6 (29:18):
It was my pleasure.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
Thank you right back at you. When we get back,
I'm talking a little nineteenth century baseball. Uh yeah, eighteen
hundreds baseball alive and well in Newbury, Massachusetts, playing with
New England vintage eighteen sixty four rules and they play
competitive live games. We're going to talk with Brian Shees,
(29:39):
the president of the Essex Baseball Organization, right after this break.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Okay, I think everyone who listens to night Side knows
that I'm a baseball fan. With us. Now is Brian
she He's the president of the Essex Baseball Organization. They
played nineteenth century baseball. Hey, Brian she how are you
welcome to Nightside?
Speaker 4 (30:07):
Hey? How's it going sot out here?
Speaker 2 (30:10):
How did you get into nineteenth century baseball? I understand
the rules are quite different, we get to those in
a moment. But how did you find this or how
did this find you?
Speaker 4 (30:20):
A long long time ago, back when I was in college,
about twenty three twenty four years ago, I was working
at the library at Merrimack College, and the reference librarian
there said, Hey, my boyfriend started a team in Danvers.
They played eighteen sixties baseball. You like baseball? You're a
(30:41):
history major, why don't you go check it out? So
I did, and it's been a slippery slope down whatever
since for me.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
Okay, So you guys operate up there in Essex, or
rather in Newbury excuse me, Newbury, Massachusetts. How many teams
do you have and do you play teams from other
communities or is it all done within the confines of Newbury.
Speaker 4 (31:04):
So when we first started playing twenty plus years ago,
we were traveling all over New England, going to Connecticut,
Rhode Island, like New York. Were were kind of traveling around.
But as we got older, started having families, we kind
of settled on Spencer Pierce Little Farm in Newbery and
we have four teams based out of Spencer Pierce Little Farm.
(31:26):
Now it's a beautiful venue. We have ipswich Ail as
one of our sponsors. In the fall, there's corn in
the outfield, so it's kind of like a field of
dreams vibe. We get a couple We get a couple
hundred fans at just about every one of our games,
all the way up to like maybe a thousand some
of the bigger events that we have.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
So okay, So the dimensions of the diamond. Are they
the same? Ninety feet to the basis, sixty feet to
the mountains sixty feet six inches.
Speaker 4 (31:53):
That's a great question. Ninety feet for bases, the pitching
distance is forty five feet away. And the picture in
eighteen sixty four. The rules that we play by throws underhands,
fielders don't wear gloves and things like that. But I
don't want to skip ahead to all the rules unless
you want going to jump into that.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
No, no, that's fine. So it's it's the game as
it was played in eighteen sixty four. I know the
legend is that baseball was founded by Abne Doubleday, a
Civil War general. Is this the game that, as you understand,
that he developed.
Speaker 4 (32:32):
Well, when I teach my class on like on this,
we talk about the double Day myth, which is what
it is. It's a myth like baseball. And I do
teach a whole course on the evolution of bat ball
games and sports in general. But base like baseball, taking
a ball, hitting it with a bat or your hand,
(32:55):
it was all the way back. Human beings have been
playing bat ball games forever. There's actually a hieroglyphic or
high highlow glyph on a in the Pyramids of a
pharaoh holding a read and a ball in this game
called seeker hamat like batting the ball. So batting and
(33:17):
batting games have been around forever. If you kind of
look at the the rules of baseball that we know today,
they probably date to about eighteen forty five. Diamond, shakefield, fair, fair, foul, territory,
et cetera.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
Yeah, I also love the idea where you go to
a ballgame and even you know whether it's a little
league game or which, of course the dementia is a
little different or a major league game. So many ground
balls to third basement and shortstop the guy gets thrown
out by just one step. So if the bases were
eighty five feet would be very different, different game. So
(33:52):
how many games does do your teams play every year?
Is it all weekend games from June to September? Or
just give us the schedule? How can people get more
information if they want to come up and witness one
of these one of these sporting events.
Speaker 4 (34:07):
We played just about every weekend from the first weekend
of June all the way till the beginning of October,
typically on Sundays at Spencer Piast Little Farm We're on Facebook.
Our website isn't really up to date rightly right now,
but we are on Facebook, Instagram. Essex Baseball.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
Now, do you different teams have uniforms or is it
sort of a uniform that everybody wears.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
All four of our teams have different uniforms. All four
of our teams that play there are modeled after teams
that played in the nineteenth century. So we have the
Lowell Baseball Club, which was a team that played in
the eighteen sixties based out of Boston. They were named
after John A. Lowell, who was who helped fund them.
We have the Lynn Live Oaks, which was a team
(34:54):
that played in the eighteen seventies in Lynn. We have
the Portsmouth Rocky Hymns, which was a team that played
in ports with New Hampshire in the eighteen sixties. And
we have the newberry Port clam Diggers, which is based
on a team that played in newbury Port in the
eighteen eighties.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
Oh, that's that's great. The ball that you that you play,
I know, is of it's not a softball, it's it's
probably softer than a.
Speaker 4 (35:19):
Softball, right, It's definitely softer because in eighteen sixty four
nobody wore was wearing gloves yet.
Speaker 2 (35:27):
So they Wilson eight two thousand have not been invented,
so there was no need of it.
Speaker 4 (35:32):
No, no, but I mean the ball is a little softer.
We still have some guys who who break fingers. My
fingers a little jammed from our games this past weekend
and swollen.
Speaker 2 (35:43):
They can have it in basketball too. So when you
guys hit a ball, if somebody really gets a hold
of it, it's not going five hundred feet. I understand
that what is considered a home run distance or was
there a home run if it, you know, makes it
to the cornfield or what's what's the rules?
Speaker 4 (35:59):
I mean, there's some where we play is kind of interesting.
So you could hit a ball, I'd say the right
field if the corn is up and it's it's late September.
If you hit a ball two hundred and fifty feet,
you're probably in the corn shot. It's a decent shot.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
It's a decent shot. That's that's only fifty two feet
short of the piskey.
Speaker 4 (36:23):
Poll are like, our guys probably hit the ball, hit
the ball three hundred plus feet. But because of the rules,
if say a guy hits the ball three hundred plus
feet and the outfielder is able to run and catch it.
On one bounce, the batter is out. So people have people. Yeah,
(36:44):
people hit like hit home runs if they if they
hit the ball into a bush, there is a bush
that is in fair territory. So balls have gotten lost
in this bush and people have been able to get
around the bases because of that.
Speaker 2 (36:58):
Nothing wrong with that. Look Wrigley Field, if it gets
into the vines ground will double simple as that. Well,
look at where can folks get? Give us the best website.
I'm sure we're going to get some of our fiends
to go up there and watch. You'll go ahead, what's
the website?
Speaker 4 (37:13):
So if you go on Facebook and take in the
Essex Baseball Organization, you'll find us there.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
That's great. Sounds great, Brian. It's great that the tradition
is kept alive. Sounds like a great way to spend
a summer afternoon watching some folks play, or maybe even
get out there yourselves. You still need players or the
rosters full.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
I'm always looking for new players, new fans, new umpires,
all like all kinds of things.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
Yes, some crafty left handed relief pitchers, that's what you need. Okay,
they don't have any crafty right handers. It's always a
crafty left hander. Thanks Brian, enjoyed the conversation the president
of the Essex Baseball Organization. Sounds like a lot of
fun if you're up in that neck of the woods
on the north Shore. Thanks again, Brian. We'll talk. We'll
(37:59):
talk again.
Speaker 4 (38:00):
Thank you, final have a great night.
Speaker 2 (38:03):
All right, when we get back, we're going to talk
about Karen Reid. Some developments today, no verdict, but developments today.
Questions may give us some guidance to some of you
out there who are paralegals or legal legals or just
simply salutes. Again, this is a serious case. It does
involve the death of Officer John O'Keefe, so it's nothing to
(38:24):
be made light of. But we'll talk about it and
if you have a point of view, we'd love to
hear from you. My name's Dan Ray and this is
Night Side
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