Did That Really Just Happen?

I couldn’t NOT write to you after the extraordinary events of the last 10 days.

I sent out my last issue of Between Flights on June 3, right before leaving the house to watch Game 1 of the Knicks vs Spurs NBA Finals with Dan and Nicholas.

Well, they did it! The Knicks are NBA Champions for the first time since 1973!

We took Nicholas to his first game when he was, I think, 6 years old? That night, the Knicks lost in overtime. Nicholas was inconsolable. As he sat there crying, an older guy leaned over and said: “get used to it, kid.”

They say you’re only as happy as your child is…well, I am so happy today.

Here’s what Nicholas had to say about this moment.

Dan, Nicholas and I watched Games 1, 4 and 5 together at District Local. It’s Nicholas’s “Cheers.” The day he found his apartment in Chelsea, he happened upon it, and sat at the bar and ordered lunch. He told the bartender he had just gotten an apartment nearby. She welcomed him like he'd been coming in for years—and he has been ever since. It's that kind of place.

It was the perfect spot to watch the games. Packed, loud and festive. When the Knicks somehow came back and won game 4 after trailing by 29 points (OG!), everyone went crazy. Including me.

I kept thinking of the first line of “The Wizard and I”: “Did that really just happen?”

In this 5-second clip you may or may not be able to play, the woman you hear screaming a high B is me! (Yes, I checked the pitch on my piano.)

When we got home that night, or rather, morning, Nicholas sent us this text:

I found the 8:30pm start of the games excruciating. You felt in limbo all day, waiting for the game to start. On Saturday morning, I had the bright idea of how to kill some of the time before game 5, and I treated myself to a ticket to the 5:00pm show of Every Brilliant Thing starring fellow Knicks fan Mariska Hargitay. I love the show, having done it myself in 2019 at TheatreSquared in Fayetteville, AR.

I’m so glad I went. She was incredible.

Mariska feels the same way about the Knicks as I do. In fact, in this article she said that she took 4 minutes off the show in order to make it to MSG in time for game 4. Which is something I would totally do!

We fell behind early, like in all the other games, but Nicholas said: “We know how to do this.” And he was right. His favorite player, Jalen Brunson, put the team on his shoulder, scoring 45 points in one of the greatest performances in NBA playoff history. Make that, New York sports history. We wept when the game was over. An unforgettable moment for me and my boys.

Yesterday I was scheduled to sing God Bless America at the 7th inning stretch at the Mets vs Atlanta game. I was supposed to do an 11:30am soundcheck, but when I realized Saturday night was game 5, I asked if I could skip it. Thank goodness they said yes. We got home at 2:15am and of course I couldn’t sleep. Dan and I got to the game after it started, and it was so hot, we actually only watched part of an inning and retreated to the air-conditioned green room.

During the 6th inning, I made this VERY polished video for you so you could see behind the scenes of me practicing God Bless America. If this video doesn’t open, you can watch it here.

I’m happy to say that the song went well. And the Mets won 8-1! It’s been a dismal start to the season, but I’m a cockeyed optimist—perhaps the Mets will be inspired by the Knicks and have a comeback for the ages.

That’s it for this rather impromptu issue of Between Flights. (I actually decided to write it on my way to the Mets game!)

Thanks for reading. And thanks to everyone who sent emails and messages about the Knicks.

I leave you with this great song by Cole Porter, “I Happen To Like New York.” It seemed appropriate.

Have a wonderful week!

xoxo Liz

PS Lest you think we only wear Knicks gear, here is us cleaned up at the Tony Awards last weekend!

PPS And, here’s where you can find me the next few months:

June 21-28 BULGARIA TO BUDAPEST Playbill Cruise

July 5 ELDRED, NY The Wizard and I: Liz Callaway Sings Stephen Schwartz

July 15-18 NEW YORK, NY Boom! (with Ann Hampton Callaway)

July 18 LIVESTREAM Boom! (with Ann Hampton Callaway)

July 24-26 LONDON The Wizard and I: Liz Callaway Sings Stephen Schwartz

Aug 13 NASHVILLE, TN Liz Callaway: Broadway and Beyond

Aug 18 FLUSHING, NY National Anthem Mets vs Padres

Aug 21 HAWLEY, PA Broadway and Beyond

CLICK HERE FOR MY FULL SCHEDULE

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