Alycia Lane to the WWE?

OK, this is rather gossipy of me (is "gossipy" a word?) but the Alycia Lane saga has been too much to ignore, and more enjoyable than, say, Britney. Ms. Lane is a former Philadelphia TV news anchor who got herself a wee bit of infamy when it was revealed that she sent pictures of herself in a bikini to Rich Eisen, the married anchor on the NFL Network. Problem was, Mr. Eisen's wife, Suzy Shuster (also a reporter), found them and fired back with an email of her own.

Ms. Lane responded to it all by saying that it was no big deal, and that she and Eisen have been friends for years. They often exchange photos.

Completely innocent - people of the opposite sex can just be friends...especially when sending bikini pictures. Nope...no bad intentions there.

Oh, to be able to say more.

(Incidentally, hit Google images for the bikini pictures of Lane. I'll reserve any judgement.)

Anyway, as if that wasn't bad enough, Lane found herself in further hot water - this time of the legal kind, and it ultimately cost her the job at KYW-TV. In short, she assaulted a female New York police officer. Oops.

Now comes word that she has some offers (this is from the Huffington Post)

Earlier this month, Alycia Lane was fired from her position as an anchor at Philadelphia's CBS-3 TV station. Now, her boyfriend (Philadelphia DJ Chris Booker) reports that she has been offered a new job: an on-camera job with Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). From Philly.com:

Booker said on his show yesterday that WWE boss Vince McMahon has offered Alycia a job on camera for the WWE, but a WWE spokesman was unable to confirm this information yesterday.
Lane's firing, which came after she was arrested for fighting with a New York City cop, was just the latest in a saga that has included a bikini photo scandal and an offer from Playboy.

Incidentally, that's Booker's lap that Lane is siting on in the photo above, and there also rumors that Booker is on his way back to New York to be radio personality here again (he's been here a few times).

There's something about this story that's fascinating to me. Might be the concept of her "wild child" personality/desire to be a professional. Could be the whole "platonic friendship" thing that's hitting close to home with me. Whatever - I don't know - but either way, it seemed like another fun-filled post for my loyal readers! And aren't I just the posting machine today?!

Casey Kasem...meet Chris Berman (or Ponderous...F*cking Ponderous)

Let me warn you ahead of time that the videos in this are NOT SAFE FOR WORK (also known as NSFW).

Perhaps you've never heard this, and if you haven't allow me to edu-ma-cate you. Many years ago, a naughty engineer kept the tape rolling during this explosion by Casey Kasem, and it eventually got into the public's hands...



Unfortunately, the best part if missing - when Casey says the now-classic, "Boy this is f*cking ponderous man. Ponderous, f*cking ponderous." It's become a catchphrase.

Anyway, the reason for the lesson is to move into this decade, and a tirade by Chris Berman (thanks to Awful Announcing for pointing it out).



You just never know when tape is rolling...

Yankees Worthless Fact of the Day

I have one of those "page a day" calendars dedicated to the Yankees. There's a lot of trivia - some super-easy, and some not. Today's entry is a fact - and it means nothing, but it's something I didn't know:

The first Jewish Yankees player, Phil Cooney (born Philip Clarence Cohen), played just one game for New York on September 27, 1905.

Wow! See, I can learn new things all the time!

Let's see them put that up on the scoreboard at the Stadium (old or new).

Off The Bench

I was checking out Neil Best's Watchdog this morning and read a couple of things that had me scratching my head. First...

SNY is excited about a more modest bit of news: the inaugural SNY Invitational, a high school basketball event that debuts Friday and Saturday at NYU and features four city basketball teams: Lincoln, Cardozo, Kennedy and Frederick Douglass.

Gary Cohen will handle the play by play alongside analyst John Celestand and with sideline reporter Kevin Burkhardt. The production team is headed by producer Gregg Picker and director Bill Webb, who work the station's Mets telecasts.

The event plans to add a Long Island team in '09.

Now it's groovy and all that they're doing this, but I sort of hate to see the big dogs get involved in high school stuff, since it can often lead to an overglorification of it and brings a seedy side to the forefront. I think we do a pretty passable job on WGCH (Radio, of course, not TV) without everyone going for their best dunk. And with that said, would it be possible for Gary Cohen (or any other top-notch broadcaster) to maybe give a little guy a chance to call a game like this? There must be some Lawn Guyland broadcasters who would like their moment.

Neil also had this nugget about SNY:

I'm hearing SNY is planning some sort of new show (and/or shows) that likely will feature Joe Benigno, Scott Ferrall and Chris Carlin, who have become regular personalities on the station.

OK, bad enough. Then it got worse:

I should add the name Adam Schein to the list of guys I mentioned yesterday as likely to have a role in whatever new show(s) SNY is planning. (The others are Chris Carlin, Scott Ferrall and Joe Benigno.)

Ferrall is barely tolerable, bordering on annoying, and I've softened somewhat on Carlin, thanks to his work with Kim Jones, but Benigno and Schein? How about that stooge Evan Roberts? It's amazing to me how these people get work.

I guess they're just making it easier for me to not turn SNY on.

UniWatch reminded me of a really interesting site - full of pictures of ballplayers from the 60's and 70's (including one Mr. Bobby Ray Murcer). I'd post a sample here, but the site seems a little paranoid about people probably trying to sell the pics as their own, so a lot of the pictures are watermarked. Go see for yourself. You will be reminded of some of the dreadful-yet lovable looks (like the mid-70's White Sox uniforms). You'll also see that baseball had trouble putting fannies in the seats. Chris Russo is always happy to harp on the Yankees troubles drawing during that time, but I see pictures of DODGERS STADIUM that look virtually empty. Facts are such painful things.

Oh, and the magnificent Murcer is photographed with each of his teams (Yankees, Giants, and Cubs). There's a picture of him as a Cub where it looks like he had easten a sour lemon - proof of how miserable he was away from the Yankees.

Oh, speaking of idiotic debates, I nearly lost it on the subject of great quarterbacks. Kenn Tomasch was discussing if Terry Bradshaw was overrated as a player (um...no...) and did a very detailed job of defending the Blonde Bomber. I thanked him for doing so, but got in trouble when I dared to not worship the great Lord Joseph Montana the 49er of San Francisco. From there, Kenn (who is a master debater and has a great wit) seemed to lose all focus, getting hung up on my mentioning of Otto Graham. When I think a debate like that might turn sour, I cash my chips, even if I know I have more facts to back my point. He felt I "dissed" Lord Joe by calling him a system quarterback. I just said that he was part of a system - that's all. I didn't diss him as a system QB. He was part of why the system was great, but Bradshaw, Dan Marino, Johnny Unitas, and a lot of others would have had great success in that same system. I also praised LJM the 49er of SF (eventually).

He also failed to see the point that Graham and the Browns joined the NFL and won the title in their first year in the league. Whatever. He's fun to get fired up. He borders on nasty at those moments.

I met Allan Houston (the former Knick, for those who might not know) yesterday at a luncheon in Greenwich. We see so much bad in our athletes these days, especially in the NBA (quite frankly). He was classy, gracious, and a pleasure to listen to and speak with. He even gave me a business card, and I'm hopeful I can count on speaking with him again in the future. In other words, he was everything that I always thought he would be.

A couple of radio things are in my mind as we close today. First, the 106.3 FM frequency from Mount Kisco has switched from being a simulcast of Poughkeepsie's 101.5 (classic rock) to that of White Plains' 103.9 (soft rock). One word - boring. Is it that hard to put some new concepts on the radio? It might open up some jobs to people, and give listeners another outlet for news, music, sports, talk, or whatever.

The other radio note is that I've heard (and it's no secret) that K-Rock (92.3 FM) is in trouble of switching formats. The hot rumor is that it might go country. I don't know how well country music will play in New York but it can't be worse than what's on 92.3 at this point. This new K-Rock has done nothing to expand the horizons of alt-rock; instead they play lame popular alt-rock stuff (I'm not naming names). That's why I continue to say that the only local music station that seems to think "outside the box" is The Peak (at 107.1). I have my criticisms of them (they've effectively ruined reggae for me, and there's that whole Caroline Corley/Rolling Stones thing) but they're otherwise the only music station that gets any significant amount of listening time from me.

Oh - Johan Santana+Mets=good move. It does not, however, mean the Mets are now the runaway favorite in the National League. I do think that the Yankees and Red Sox did right thing by not giving up their future (and break the bank) for Santana. I also think the Mets made a great deal - one that they HAD to make.

Just One More Cow

I've not kept up my end of this blogging thing at times, so I neglected to relay this story to you. During CBS's broadcast of the AFC Championship game, I heard Jim Nantz make a reference to a Patriots player who grew up on a ranch. It seemed like an offbeat story to me, but I just let it roll. A day later, I was listening to Mr. Imus, who said that Nantz told the story, in part, to make good on a promise to Imus. Mike Baron in The Post-Chronicle picks it up from here:

Nantz a recipient of the Pat Summerall Award for broadcasting, was a guest on Friday morning's Imus in the Morning show on WABC Radio and RFD TV and was musing about how Joe Buck was once asked by Conan O'Brien to work a phrase into the World Series broadcast. O'Brien's contention was that if Buck was as good as his reputations states, he would be able to do it. So Nantz offered to say something of Imus's choosing.

Imus chose: "Just one more cow baby, just one more cow," a humorous reference to the show's TV home of RFD.

With a little over 6 minutes left in the 3rd quarter when the Patriots had the ball, Nantz fulfilled his obligation. He said, "Watch #70 again, Logan Mankins. Kid grew up on 10,000 acre cattle ranch outside of Fresno. Was a calf roper as a kid, taught by his dad and, I'll tell you, when you're that big and you're taught calf roping and your dad says, 'hey I'm gonna bring on just one more cow', coming into the NFL and taking on your opponent is not that big a deal."

Love it. Once again, the power of the I-man.

New Additions

As I alluded to recently, my niece Kristy (in Californai) gave birth to Evelyn on December 31. Now Kristy's sister, Laura, has given birth to her second girl - Emma - who was born yesterday afternoon.

Congrats and best health to all!

Coney's Back

I don't want to steal the thunder of the guys at River Ave. Blues, who broke this story. They, with an assist from the Post, announced that David Cone has accepted a job with the YES Network, taking the place of Joe Girardi, who wil be otherwise occupied this summer.

Cone is one of the good guys in sports. He's seen a little of everything, including his young immature days with the Mets, to his years with the Yankees, Royals, and Blue Jays. I had a chance to interview him, and even spoke with him for a few minutes off the air. He's a really good guy; one of the few who "gets it", in that he doesn't take it all too seriously. And, as River Ave. Blues correctly pointed out, made one of the best sport-related commercials ever:

A Bobby Murcer Update

My guy Bobby Ray Murcer appeared at the annual BBWAA dinner in New York on Saturday. Major League Baseball's website (via the Yankees) has the details.

Quite a recovery. Good to see nice guys occasionally finishing somewhere near first.

The Ultimate Road Trip Song List

As a proud iPod owner and a music nut, I often put music lists together. With my intentions to get back on the road in 2008 (and a long daily commute to work), I decided it was time to compile the best driving songs. So what say you, blogging community? Oh I know, the readers of "Exit 55" don't post a lot of comments (I think the high for a single post might be six) but that doesn't stop me from trying.

Rolling Stone put their own list here, and while I agree with some ("Take it Easy and Runnin' Down a Dream), other were kind of questionable (I love "Turn the Page" but it doesn't inspire me to stay awake while driving across the fields of Iowa).

In fact, there are a bunch of lists out there - just Google "road trip songs" and you'll see what I mean. And I'm not looking to be genre specific. In the first draft that I put together, I had rock, metal, pop, country, hip hop and jazz all mixed together. Many of the songs are easy choices ("Born to Run", of course) but I'm looking for the things that make a drive go well for you.

I now put the job in your hands.

I Have Very Few Words For This

I received an email from the Yankees a few minutes ago about their Flex Scheduling ticket plans for 2008. The email itself mattered very little too me, and I normally discard them quickly, but something caught my eye.

I don't know if this meant to imply that the Yankees will wear this as a patch on their uniforms this season, but I hope they do. It looks really nice. More importantly, it took my breath away. It's another indication that this is really happening. I know...I know...it's a pile of concrete, and it's not the really old Stadium; it's the 70's facelifted version. But it's still my Stadium - OUR Stadium - and I'm going to have trouble saying goodbye to the grand old lady.

There's a charm and mystique to the old place, and I just don't know that it can be transported to the new building.

On The Roads

As I mentioned in my last post, I've finally put all of my road pictures on the Web. There are 399 at the moment - hardly the output of many of my peers in the highway photog business. I like many of my pictures - especially the ones when I took the time to stop the car and set the shot up. Others were shot while driving - not the best way to do it (oh don't worry - it's an art form and no animals are harmed in the process). As a result, there are a few clunkers in the bunch, but I've included them anyway.

A few pictures have been used on other people's sites, but for years I've been saying that I would put them all up, and now they're out there. I've already received some positive feedback, which is nice.

While you might think that this is a very unique hobby (and you're right), let me tell you that I'm not alone. This site has links to (currently) 167 places to look at highway photography, while you can find links to all kinds of road-related items here.

So who are my favorites? Good question:

AA Roads - Probably the site that really got me going, and arguably the most concise. Alex and Andy have worked really hard over the years to document so much of the American highway experience. A great place to start.
The Yamamoto Experience - CC Slater is, like me, a fellow New Yorker of the Hudson Valley variety. His pictures are great, and his sense of humor is even greater.
The Upstate New York Roads Site - JP Wing's site was one of the first that I discovered. Probably the first site that allowed me to say "Hey, maybe this isn't so weird after all. There are other out there like me."
Teresco.org - He asks the key question - "Why do you have so many pictures of road signs?", and gives the best answer: "Why not?"
Gibblenation - Like AA Roads, this is another good starting point. Doug Kerr (another New Yorker) and company have created a home base for much of the road world.

There are other niche sites, like Dale Sanderson's US Highway Ends. Adam Froehlig (Froggie) has a similar effort here. Steve Anderson has an exhaustive history of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Montreal roads here (and he gives a nod to me in the acknowledgments of his Taconic State Parkway page). Scott Kozel's Roads to the Future gives much of the same treatment to the roads of Virginia, Maryland and DC. More US Highway stuff can be found on Robert V. Droz's page. Cameron Kaiser did a cross-country drive on US Route 6 (which passes closely to me through Mahopac and Carmel). The Georgia Road Geek is here (he actually mailed a magnet to me that is still on the fridge!). Check out "RoadgeekCAM!" and listen to Steve Williams' own show on BlogTalk Radio. HB Elkins has roadtripped all over, especially the Southeast. There are also international sites from the UK and many others. There's a lot out there!

Lastly, there's the work of the Godfather of highway photography (in my opinion), Michael Summa. He doesn't have his own website, but he has contributed pictures to a few sites. HB Elkins has some here, while the good Comrade Yamamoto has some great New York snaps.

All of your road-related questions can be answered in the FAQ, maintained by Marc Fannin and Sandor Gulyas at Roadfan (where the FAQ resides). Wikipedia has a US Roads portal. And there's plenty of discussion to be had on misc.transport.road (better known as MTR).

I haven't even given you all of the various links that I have, though I've given you an idea of how much you can find on the web. There's much more, and I mean no harm if I didn't include your site here. Believe me, I've seen so many of them.

In most cases a simple search will get you started (that's how it worked for me). And yes, there are even the occasional meetings (including one that brought people to the Greenwich area, while I was calling a football game on WGCH). I haven't attended any...yet.

"We" even have blogs (a couple are linked over to the right) and trolls (an unnamed few who infiltrate MTR, and then I sit back and watch as the sparks fly). So we do have it all.

Enjoy my pictures. All of the usual "copyrights" apply, so just give me a head up if you want to use them. Believe me, I'm honored if you do (so long as I get the proper attribution).

If this isn't your thing, then just keep moving along. I'm sure you have your unique hobbies as well. If you don't...then get one!

I am so ready for a roadtrip (the length of NY 52 (and 55, for reasons that might be obvious)...or to Richmond...or Maine...or to Pennsylvania to visit with the great nieces...)

See you on the road.

Check Those Links

I've updated the links over on the right side of the page. Several of the additions include some intelligent Yankees blogs from writers like Peter Abraham and Mark Feinsand, and regular folks like River Avenue Blues and the Yankees Chick. OK, before you start, the Yankees Chick has a clue. I didn't add her for purpose of either equality or eye candy. Read her, watch her, and listen to her and you'll see what I mean.

Some links got wiped out because they haven't been updated in a year or so. Start writing some things and I'll return them. One of the blog writers has promised me that he'll be returning soon, so I gave him a reprieve.

And...drumroll please!...I've added a link for my pictures. Go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/steelyankee/ and please be kind. It's just the road pictures right now, but I'll be adding more.

How 'bout Them Cowboys?

I almost posted some heavy personal stuff last night but decided the time (and my mood) made for a bad mix. So I popped it in my personal journal instead and it might get posted at another time.

Anywho, I'm preparing to finally put pictures online via Flickr, and will let you know when it's all set. I've put about 400 road pictures online, but I don't think it's where I want it to be yet. They're out there, and if you stumble onto them, more power to you. I'll add other pictures of the non-road variety soon.

In the meantime, enjoy this touch of YouTube hysteria. Good stuff.

Could the Rangers be the Last Tenant?

I was afraid of this.

After the success of the NHL's Winter Classic, stories began to emerge that New York City and the Yankees had been approached about hosting the game that was ultimately played at Ralph Wilson Stadium outside of Buffalo in Yankee Stadium. This was the second time that the rumor had circulated - the first time being a few years ago. The Rangers and Islanders were the teams to play in that scenario. In the most recent version, the Rangers and Bruins were the first choice, followed by Blueshirts-Isles. In each case, the city and the team said no thanks, mostly due to what it would take to operate the Stadium for the day.

Well I guess feelings have changed. The guys at River Ave. Blues posted a story from John Dellapina in the Daily News. In short:

The NHL is working with the Yankees' high command and representatives of the city to try to play a game at Yankee Stadium next winter. While there are plenty of logistical hurdles to clear, the principals are interested.

So why am I afraid of this? Come on, people! This is YANKEE STADIUM...home of the baseball team. This is a place that opened with Babe Ruth homering against the Red Sox on April 18, 1923, and it might close out with Henrik Lundquist in net? I loved it before, but I would just prefer that it not happen now. Not as the final event in the one building that I hold so closely to my heart.

I also hear now that the Bruins are interested in a game at Fenway Park. Now THIS I love. But as always, be careful before you ruin a good and novel idea.

Oh, one last thing. I'd be dishonest if I didn't say that I'd want to go to the hockey game at Yankee Stadium. I have to be fair.

Bowling!

The above image is the 1986-1987 Mahopac High School bowling team. I wouldn't expect you to recognize any of the faces...except maybe one. Bottom row...second from right...big cheesy smile. Bingo. Your 1986-87 MHS team captain: me.

OK, I was technically a co-captain, but only because our beloved coach, the late Dan Veglia (top row, left) caved into the whining of somebody else, who was actually the best bowler on the team. I stunk, but I was a true captain - a leader. And lead them I did - to something called the Big Ten title (or something like that).

And don't start - we were a cool bunch. My great friend Scott is right above me, holding a pin and wearing his Kiss shirt. Our bus rides were one laugh riot, and they were great times. Besides, I got to be a captain and participate in something. Not everybody gets to do that, right?

Anyway, why oh why am I writing about bowling? To be honest, I hadn't stepped onto a lane in 12 years, but The Son (you remember him, right?) was invited to a bowling party at Carmel Lanes, the site of my one and only 200 game. I could only stay for a portion of the party, but when I found out that the adults could roll a game, well I had to see what I had left.

First, let's talk about Sean. He did just fine, despite getting his finger pinched between two six-pounders on the ball return. He'll live.

Did you know that they have these ramps now for kids? None of that roll-between-the-legs-jive that I did at the same age!

(True story - at one time, I could actually bowl ambidextrously, before I turned back to being a righty only. I'm weird.)

Sean recovered from his bout of finger pinching to roll an 83 (at least that's the rumor). His mother seemed to only have vague memories, as the whole experience was like being in an Iraqi prison for her - even with her sister there. The two of them were like characters out of "Where's Waldo?", except both of them were Waldo's.

Sore thumbs, anyone?

Now back to the '86-87 captain. I stepped onto the lane for the first time, rather nervously, considering I was the only player to bring my own bag, ball, and shoes (although they were flaking - they're 23 years old!). I positioned myself like I had so many times, pumping the ball near my right hip four times before beginning my advance. I pulled the ball bag, wound up, and finished with my patented leg kick, and...

A near gutter ball that produced a three.

It did get better, as I would strike a couple of times, and hit several nines that should have been strikes or, more importantly, that I should have converted into spares. I changed where I stood and the old form returned. No matter - I was having a blast, and felt some old competitive juices kick in. Hopefully nobody noticed a few of the fist pumps.

In the end, I finished with a 133 (right around my average) and dashed out the door to go call Greenwich-Stamford hockey, leaving Sandi and Lauren behind, looking like two Tiffany's shoppers waiting at the jewelry counter in K-Mart.

Good times. It actually made me think about wanting to get back into a league. Bowling=beer. Good times indeed.

Well at least we got rid of the Cowboys this weekend. Isn't it just so sad to see that pained look on Jerry Jones's face? If only the Jags could have done the same to Robert Kraft and the Patriots. Not going to happen, of course. 19-0 is on the way. And another fine playoff performance by the Colts. One Manning will play next week in the conference championship, and sadly it ain't Peyton.

Quick Update: Al Strikes Again

In my last post, I spoke of Kelly Tilghman, the Golf Channel reporter who made a comment about lynching in relation to Tiger Woods. The Woods camp called it a "non-issue" and the Golf Channel seemed to agree, and the issue seemed ready to die. Then Spokesman for all things African American Al Sharpton got involved, and that's when the Golf Channel showed they have the same spine as MSNBC, NBC News, and CBS Radio (those are Mr. Imus's old employers). They have suspended Ms. Tilghman for two weeks.

When oh when are people going to stop giving Sharpton any credence? As one African American said to me, "who allowed him to become the spokesman for all blacks? I don't want him speaking for me."

A Couple of Quick Hits (from the "Off the Bench" File)

Some pictures are just too funny. This one made me laugh out loud.

The real issue though is this: what are you people thinking? This is not, REPEAT! NOT!, a political blog, but I just can't see the upside to pulling the level/hanging the chad for Satan (remember, that's Mr. Imus's name for her). Is it that you want the return of the Clinton years, because things were so good under Bubba? If that's the case, would you have voted for Jackie, because maybe JFK's ghost would reappear?

There have got to be better options to run this country.

Tiger Woods is a smart guy - and he knows better than to get caught up in racial foolishness. So good for him for not overreacting to Kelly Tilghman of the Golf Channel, who suggested that younger players "lynch him in a back alley." If said about a white player, it just gets laughed at, yet I understand the sensitivity when it is said about a black player. Fair enough. Yet Tiger's agent said it was nothing.

Good for them.

BCS=Boring College Sports. Come on, people! College football would be better off scrapping the whole thing and returning to the days when the last games were played on New Year's Day, then we all debated the polls. This system isn't working, and it isn't compelling. I was so disinterested in a championship game being played on January 7th. Apparently many of you weren't into it either, since the ratings stunk.

Roger, I want to believe you. I'm gullible, and I admit it. For some reason, I give people the benefit of the doubt, even when the evidence looks bad. Yet with you, I'm not buying it. I don't believe Bonds, I didn't believe Palmiero, and I don't believe you. I'm not that gullible.

I was nearly in an accident last night in Bedford, NY. Somebody stopped short in front of me and I had to stand on me brake. By the grace of somebody, I didn't hit him, and the car behind me didn't hit me as well. Why am I telling this? Because the driver in front of me got out of his car, made sure I was OK, and apologized. Once in a while I still see a sense of decency in this world.

Please welcome my new great-niece, Miss Evelyn Ann, to the world. The spelling of her name might be wrong, and I have no further details about her. Apparently the Pony Express delivers baby news from California to New York. That would be the only way to explain why I only found out about the baby being born last night - via an off-hand remark in an email from my niece Steph (the newborn's aunt). It seems Evelyn was born on December 31st. My sister also didn't know.

Such is life.

Oh, before I run, I took a walk today around Cove Island here in Stamford. It is a gorgeously warm (albeit windy) day but it was a great way to refresh my mind and spirit. Plus it is a really nice place to take a walk. I was there because I was checking out phone lines at the adjacent Terry Conners Rink, where I will broadcast Saturday night's Greenwich-Stamford hockey tilt on WGCH. John Spang (and Nick Angotto) will unfortuately miss this game, but I will be joined by Dave Maloney - son of the former Rangers captain and current Rangers broadcaster. Dave Maloney (Sr, that is) also worked with us on WGCH at one time, so it's all in the family!

There's a Goose in the Hall

Richard "Goose" Gossage was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame today, and it's about time. Long-considered one of the dominant closers - right up there with Eck, Sutter, and the Great Mariano, Gossage helped propel the Yankees to a World Series title in 1978. One thing about relievers - their failures are memorable also. You can think of George Brett and Kirk Gibson when you think of the Goose.

Finally, Goose Gossage is a Hall of Famer. Unofrtunately, Jim Rice is not, falling 14 votes shy. I don't get why.

Fox Sports has more here.

Steelers Done

Well I guess that was fun if you're a football fan. It wasn't fun if you're a Steelers fan (like I am). For the second time in about a month, the Steelers and Jaguars played at Heinz Field. The Jags built up a comfy lead, and the Steelers nipped away at it. In the case of last night's game, the Stillers actually came all the way back and took the lead. Yet in the case of each game, the Jags found a way to win.

Season over...drive home safely.

Barring a Tennessee win today, the Jags will play the Patriots next week in Foxboro. I wouldn't have liked the Steelers chances, but I would have been happy to have had the opportunity.

One of my rules of sports is that when you make a big comeback, you finish the job. The Steelers didn't do that. Give credit to the Jaguars and quarterback David Garrard (who went to East Carolina...where I almost went) for getting the job done.

Now I become an observer of the NFL for the rest of the playoffs. Of the remaining teams, only the Patriots and Cowboys are the ones that I don't want to win. Hence you have your matchup for Super Bowl XLII!

Enjoy the Sunday games.

I Love the 80's

Found this via the Stuck in the 80's Blog on TampaBay.com. Sit back and relax for just about 10 minutes and you'll be treated to some of the best videos that the 1980's had to offer. Oh don't worry, some of it is brutal, but that comes with the territory. I mean, who doesn't love the flashback to Tawny Kitaen and the white car (and you all know what I'm talking about)?

Before you ask, no, there is no Huey Lewis in there, but that's the creators' choice, and doesn't detract from this being fun to watch. You can only fit so many things into a montage like this. And, yes, "Take on Me" is in there - a song and band that I have brutalized for 20 years, largely because it was Sandi's favorite band. I shouldn't have done that, despite 20 years of Huey Lewis abuse. The video is still a classic.

Anyway, enjoy this flashback.

Welcome, 2008

So I did see the New Year in...sort of. By 11:30, I was falling asleep while watching the Chick-Fil-A Bowl on TV. I woke up just in time to hear the winning touchdown, and that kind of jarred me awake again. Unable to get back to sleep, I headed out to the couch, where I was flipping the dial before watching the Honeymooners. Fred (the erstwhile cat) made his last 2007 appearance at the back door, so I let him in. After getting him downstairs, I flipped over to one of the New Year's Schlocking Eve shows to see that 2008 had already begun...by maybe two seconds or so.

That brings me to Dick Clark. Sir, you are a legend. You are the same age that my father would be. You still look physically great, while sitting behind a desk. But it's uncomfortable to watch you. I remember you from American Bandstand (perhaps past its prime in the 70's and 80's, but it was still a Saturday staple). Listening to you talk was sad because the stroke that you suffered a few years back has sapped you of the bright broadcasting voice that we're used to.

Perhaps I'm being cold. I don't mean to, but it's hard to see people that we're used to fade away.

Onto brighter and happier things. The college football bowl bash is off and running. As always, it's just not the same. I used to love my New Year's Day consisting of the Citrus, Cotton, Fiesta, Rose, Sugar, and Orange Bowls. They didn't get played on January 2nd, or 3rd, or whatever. Those were your games. They weren't sponsored, and you could even predict what network had them and which broadcasters would call it. It's just not that way anymore, and oh well for that.

With that said, best wishes to Matt Hamilton and the Mizzou Tigers in the Cotton Bowl. They lead 7-0 as I write, and I think I spotted him at least once on the Mizzou sideline.

Oh, before I run...go here and check out Mr. Huey Lewis singing with some country star named Garth Brooks on "Workin' For a Living."