Why 2-year-old Jim Gearhart loved good cops and good beer

When Chris Christie ducked a pretty simple question by veteran columnist Paul Mulshine with a nasty swipe about drinking, it left a bad taste in Jim Gearhart's mouth.

Paul Mulshine of the Star-Ledger asked why the governor needed to spend $300 million, without legislative approval, to rennovate the Statehouse. Christie answered Mulshine should "should start drinking later in the day or start writing earlier."

Jim's been a longtime fan of Mulshine's, and he didn't like the cheap shot. He's known Mulshine to be a fan of great beer — but not one to abuse it.

So says Jim in the latest edition of the Jim Gearhart Show podcast, every Thursday on iTunes, Google Play and the New Jersey 101.5 app.

But maybe it struck Jim so pointedly because he, too, loves great beer. And he's pretty sure he knows where that love comes from — a memory of being just 2 years old, joining off-duty police officers as they drank. Little "Mouse" Gearhart even got to sample the head of the beer.

"That memory did two things to me that account for a lot of my attitudes and behaviors," Jim says. For one, it instilled in him a great affection for good beer. "The other is a great affection for police."

That's just part of the latest installment of the Jim Gearhart Podcast, available every week on New Jersey 101.5 and in the New Jersey 101.5 app. You can also subscribe with your favorite podcasting app for iPhones, Android devices or your computer:

Subscribe to the Jim Gearhart Show on the NJ 101.5 app to get alerts of new episodes.

Love podcasts? Also check out Forever 39, Annette and Megan's new podcast about turning 40 — and loving life along the way. This week, they explore sexting and their celebrity woman cruashes.

Tthe New 'Jersey' Guys, Chris and Dan, ask talk about their sports heroes, and whether the NBA finals are even worth watching. And in Speaking Millennial, Bill Spadea, Jay Black and JEssica Nutt celebrate their new recording space at the NJ101.5 radio station by speaking with newly-graduated millennial Brett Felgoise (and his father).

— Townsquare Media staff

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