John Allen

Firemen and police have a big Celtic background, from way back when New York police and firemen were mostly of read more

Firemen and police have a big Celtic background, from way back when New York police and firemen were mostly of Irish and Scottish descent.

For Opening Day last year, almost 22,000 fans arrived at the ballpark within an hour of the first pitch. We read more

For Opening Day last year, almost 22,000 fans arrived at the ballpark within an hour of the first pitch. We advise they arrive a lot earlier on Monday. The later the fans wait to arrive, the more difficult it will be to get to and enter the ballpark.

Frank is definitely not a keeping-the-seat-warm kind of figure. I've known Frank fairly well for six years. I wouldn't use read more

Frank is definitely not a keeping-the-seat-warm kind of figure. I've known Frank fairly well for six years. I wouldn't use the term 'rising star,' but in the world of the Vatican he is very highly thought of ... he's someone who could be an archbishop someday.

It's better to try, no matter how awkward you feel, than not to try it at all. Would you rather read more

It's better to try, no matter how awkward you feel, than not to try it at all. Would you rather deal with the consequences or the prevention?

Am I surprised by how slow he's moving? My basic answer is, yes. I knew he was not going to read more

Am I surprised by how slow he's moving? My basic answer is, yes. I knew he was not going to turn the Earth on its head overnight. But given the vastness of his ambitions ... I would have expected in the first eight months he would be doing lots of things of consequence: more significant personnel moves, more significant documents, more serious public engagements, etc., etc.