Short Al from Brooklyn was a Mets devotee who, having been a regular at Ebbets Field since boyhood, provided an old-timer's perspective. He called in the predawn hours nearly every day since WFAN went on the air in 1987, becoming a favorite of Steve Somers, a host known as "The Schmoozer" who shared Al's love for the Mets but prodded him to get to the point by saying, "Time is short and so are you."

Short Al suddenly disappeared from WFAN's airwaves last year, leading some listeners to worry that he had joined the great lineup of FANdroids who have died, including John from Sandy Hook and Doris from Rego Park.

Short Al was an early riser and was able to reach the station using speed-dial. Short Al's familiar phone number yielded no answer, but Mr. Malusis finally managed to find out ... that Short Al from Brooklyn was albert Kaufman, an 81-year-old retired letter carrier and a widower. Last year, Mr. Kaufman was hospitalized after a fall, and he left his Marine Park apartment to live with a daughter in Bensonhurst.

"He's doing fine except for one thing," Mr. Malusis said. "He can't call anymore. His daughter won't let him."

"Reached at his daughter's apartment, Mr. Kaufman - in his familiar Brooklyn accented - confirmed that she did indeed put the kibosh on 4 a.m. phone calls to WFAN-AM (660).

"She gets up at 6 to go to work, and if I talk on the phone, I wake her up," he said. ... Also, he said, his daughter's phone doesn't have speed-dial.