On the day in which Charlie Weis was fired by Notre Dame, and word began to trickle that Bobby Bowden would resign at Florida State, and just a mere two days after Virginia canned Al Groh, we've received word of the biggest of them all.
Wait for it.
The suspense is killing, right?
OK.
Chip Caray has been chopped by TBS. (From the New York Times' Richard Sandomir)
I'm sure TBS will find somebody mind-numbingly awful to replace old Chipster with.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Some More Linky Dinks (With VIDEO)
Derek Jeter has been named the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. Congratulations to him. They've screwed that award up so many times, that it's hard for me to sit here and complain. There were and are other worthy candidates.
In the end, it's more about the compelling story and selling magazines. That's all.
If you haven't heard, Bob Sheppard made it official and hung up his microphone. It would appear then that Paul Olden is now the Yankees' PA Voice. River Avenue Blues picks things up from here with links to articles on Olden.
So let's add a video, from the tribute to him at Yankee Stadium on May 7, 2000. (Linked here)
This was kind of...um...bad. USC has UCLA beaten. UCLA calls a timeout as USC is kneeling down to end the game. USC says "screw this" and throws an in-your-face-UCLA touchdown. Deadspin takes over, with video.
Speaking of Deadspin, they're all over showing the not-so-positive side of the Bud Selig years. Mr. Selig is indicating that he will step down as commissioner after the 2012 season. There had to be some good things that happened, right?
Tom Hoffarth wishes Vin Scully a happy 82nd birthday. So do we. We also wish the Great Mo Rivera a happy 40th.
I was all set to tell you about my time on the Walkway Across the Hudson from this past Saturday. However, the most righteous Emperor/Camrade Yamomoto (Mr. CC Slater, that is) walked the path earlier in the day. He saw much of what I saw, and photographed more than I did. So let's link to his post.
In the end, it's more about the compelling story and selling magazines. That's all.
If you haven't heard, Bob Sheppard made it official and hung up his microphone. It would appear then that Paul Olden is now the Yankees' PA Voice. River Avenue Blues picks things up from here with links to articles on Olden.
So let's add a video, from the tribute to him at Yankee Stadium on May 7, 2000. (Linked here)
This was kind of...um...bad. USC has UCLA beaten. UCLA calls a timeout as USC is kneeling down to end the game. USC says "screw this" and throws an in-your-face-UCLA touchdown. Deadspin takes over, with video.
Speaking of Deadspin, they're all over showing the not-so-positive side of the Bud Selig years. Mr. Selig is indicating that he will step down as commissioner after the 2012 season. There had to be some good things that happened, right?
Tom Hoffarth wishes Vin Scully a happy 82nd birthday. So do we. We also wish the Great Mo Rivera a happy 40th.
I was all set to tell you about my time on the Walkway Across the Hudson from this past Saturday. However, the most righteous Emperor/Camrade Yamomoto (Mr. CC Slater, that is) walked the path earlier in the day. He saw much of what I saw, and photographed more than I did. So let's link to his post.
Great Yankees Tribute (with VIDEO)
I found this courtesy of River Avenue Blues. It's a terrific to the then-26-time World Champion New York Yankees, made early in 2009.
The YouTube link is here.
It especially gets my vote because of not one, but two shots of Bobby Murcer. Plus they honestly didn't miss much of the great moments.
The YouTube link is here.
It especially gets my vote because of not one, but two shots of Bobby Murcer. Plus they honestly didn't miss much of the great moments.
Linky Dinks - Doing Stats for High School Broadcasts
This post is for Nick Fox, Matt Hamilton, Nick Angotto, Zach Fisher (soon to be heard doing play-by-play in the Cape Cod League), Rob Crowley, and anybody else who has tried to do statistics for high school football on the radio or TV.
Christopher Byrne, writing on his blog, breaks it all down, as he had a chance to do stats during a recent game in Georgia. It's not nearly as easy as it seems. Chris, in reality, had it easy by comparison to the WGCH crew, and others. For us, we use - GASP! - pen and paper, often while standing. The picture below, taken by Paul Silverfarb of the Greenwich Post on Thanksgiving Day, illustrates that perfectly:
Nick Fox(on the right) has a notebook and writes furiously. This of course, is when he's NOT tweeting. It's multitasking, people!
An abacus is often needed (just kidding) to add the numbers all up.
There are no computers because, to my knowledge, not a single high school press box in the FCIAC has wireless internet. So kudos to Chris for writing about this.
By the way, it often isn't that much better in college (at least at Division III). Mount Saint Mary SID Justin Satkowski sits next to me at home games, and he hands me print outs at every time out. Stony Brook had monitors (Division I, baby!). In Boston, we had to scrounge to get the numbers. At RPI, they had live stats on the computer.
Stats are, as Vin Scully has said, "used much like a drunk uses a lamppost: for support, not illumination."
Christopher Byrne, writing on his blog, breaks it all down, as he had a chance to do stats during a recent game in Georgia. It's not nearly as easy as it seems. Chris, in reality, had it easy by comparison to the WGCH crew, and others. For us, we use - GASP! - pen and paper, often while standing. The picture below, taken by Paul Silverfarb of the Greenwich Post on Thanksgiving Day, illustrates that perfectly:
Nick Fox(on the right) has a notebook and writes furiously. This of course, is when he's NOT tweeting. It's multitasking, people!
An abacus is often needed (just kidding) to add the numbers all up.
There are no computers because, to my knowledge, not a single high school press box in the FCIAC has wireless internet. So kudos to Chris for writing about this.
By the way, it often isn't that much better in college (at least at Division III). Mount Saint Mary SID Justin Satkowski sits next to me at home games, and he hands me print outs at every time out. Stony Brook had monitors (Division I, baby!). In Boston, we had to scrounge to get the numbers. At RPI, they had live stats on the computer.
Stats are, as Vin Scully has said, "used much like a drunk uses a lamppost: for support, not illumination."
Saturday, November 28, 2009
The Brilliance of Bradshaw (With VIDEO)
I was looking around YouTube and came across this video tonight. It reminded me of why Terry Bradshaw was my favorite football player ever. You can have your pretty boy quarterbacks. Watch some of the hits Bradshaw brings on himself.
Those not seeing the video can go here.
And of course, how about this little thing he was a part of called the "Immaculate Reception." The link is here.
Those not seeing the video can go here.
And of course, how about this little thing he was a part of called the "Immaculate Reception." The link is here.
Only American Made is Online!
My friends' blog is up and running. Give it a read.
She's one of the best, and I support her in this endeavor. Her tenacity is one of the things I admire about her, and her dedication to a cause. This will be a big challenge that will be worth reading.
She's one of the best, and I support her in this endeavor. Her tenacity is one of the things I admire about her, and her dedication to a cause. This will be a big challenge that will be worth reading.
Hall of Fame Ballot Thoughts
These are my gut feelings on those on the ballot for the baseball Hall of Fame. I sadly don't have a vote, and never will, since I don't smoke cigars while bitching about the electronic media (in other words, I'm not a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America).
Roberto Alomar - Begrudgingly, I'll say yes. I think he's the kind of guy who should step to microphone next year in Cooperstown, sheepishly say "Thank you" and go sit down.
Kevin Appier - No
Harold Baines - Good hitter, but not legendary enough to be a true DH and be elected to the Hall.
Bert Blyleven - I'm on the "no" side of the fence. He hung on. Sure, Don Sutton's in and the comparison works, but do voters elect him because of Sutton? If they do, I won't lose any sleep.
Ellis Burks - Just not good enough.
Andre Dawson - Oh so close. But no.
Andres Galarraga - No
Pat Hentgen - No
Mike Jackson - You wanna be starting something? Um...no.
Eric Karros - Nope.
Ray Lankford - No.
Barry Larkin - There's the thought that he is a no-brainer. I'm on the fence with Larkin. I never saw where he truly dominated the game. But it won't be the worst decision ever if he gets in.
Edgar Martinez - I saw what he did - numerous times. A purely brilliant hitter. I think a strong case can be made for him.
Don Mattingly - You probably know how I feel. Dominant for such a short stretch. But my agreement has always been consistent. No Keith Hernandez? No Don Mattingly.
Fred McGriff - Has the same number of home runs as Lou Gehrig. The comparisons end there. No.
Mark McGwire - I'm beginning to come around. I'm still leaning "no" but we're finding out the PED's were running rampant. McGwire is guilty without being convicted. As more names leak out, McGwire, Clemens, Bonds, A-Rod, and so on will start looking a lot better.
Jack Morris - I'll give you this - if Curt Schilling ever gets in, then Jack Morris should be next. For now? No.
Dale Murphy - If only. But no.
Dave Parker - Not quite.
Tim Raines - I never thought of "Rock" as immortal. I might have to think differently. Truly set the tone at the top of the order, but he was in the shadow of Rickey Henderson for the same era. It's very close to "yes" for me.
Shane Reynolds - No
David Segui - No
Lee Smith - Mariano Rivera will be a Hall of Famer. Bruce Sutter is a Hall of Famer. So are Goose Gossage an Rollie Fingers. My point? Lee Smith wasn't as good as these guys. Yet there's a case. Still I'm thinking "no."
Alan Trammell - Nice player, good guy. Not good enough.
Robin Ventura - See above.
Todd Zeile - Again.
Roberto Alomar - Begrudgingly, I'll say yes. I think he's the kind of guy who should step to microphone next year in Cooperstown, sheepishly say "Thank you" and go sit down.
Kevin Appier - No
Harold Baines - Good hitter, but not legendary enough to be a true DH and be elected to the Hall.
Bert Blyleven - I'm on the "no" side of the fence. He hung on. Sure, Don Sutton's in and the comparison works, but do voters elect him because of Sutton? If they do, I won't lose any sleep.
Ellis Burks - Just not good enough.
Andre Dawson - Oh so close. But no.
Andres Galarraga - No
Pat Hentgen - No
Mike Jackson - You wanna be starting something? Um...no.
Eric Karros - Nope.
Ray Lankford - No.
Barry Larkin - There's the thought that he is a no-brainer. I'm on the fence with Larkin. I never saw where he truly dominated the game. But it won't be the worst decision ever if he gets in.
Edgar Martinez - I saw what he did - numerous times. A purely brilliant hitter. I think a strong case can be made for him.
Don Mattingly - You probably know how I feel. Dominant for such a short stretch. But my agreement has always been consistent. No Keith Hernandez? No Don Mattingly.
Fred McGriff - Has the same number of home runs as Lou Gehrig. The comparisons end there. No.
Mark McGwire - I'm beginning to come around. I'm still leaning "no" but we're finding out the PED's were running rampant. McGwire is guilty without being convicted. As more names leak out, McGwire, Clemens, Bonds, A-Rod, and so on will start looking a lot better.
Jack Morris - I'll give you this - if Curt Schilling ever gets in, then Jack Morris should be next. For now? No.
Dale Murphy - If only. But no.
Dave Parker - Not quite.
Tim Raines - I never thought of "Rock" as immortal. I might have to think differently. Truly set the tone at the top of the order, but he was in the shadow of Rickey Henderson for the same era. It's very close to "yes" for me.
Shane Reynolds - No
David Segui - No
Lee Smith - Mariano Rivera will be a Hall of Famer. Bruce Sutter is a Hall of Famer. So are Goose Gossage an Rollie Fingers. My point? Lee Smith wasn't as good as these guys. Yet there's a case. Still I'm thinking "no."
Alan Trammell - Nice player, good guy. Not good enough.
Robin Ventura - See above.
Todd Zeile - Again.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Just Another Night in the Broadcasting World
Two views of the nice East Campus Arena at RPI in Troy, NY. Both pictures were taken from my broadcast perspective, above the arena (kind of different, but nice). Now here's this brand-new arena, right? What could have possibly gone wrong for me when the Blue Knights visited the Engineers?
Let's back-track. MSMC (Mount Saint Mary College, y'all) Sports Information Director Justin Satkowski had been in touch with the RPI sports info department weeks ago about the Knights bringing a broadcaster along, and they told Justin: "no problem." Fast forward to yesterday morning, and imagine Justin's shock when they told him, "we don't have a phone line."
BIG problem!
Oh they have phone lines. Just not ANALOG phone lines, and that is what our system (and many other like us) use. So Justin and I put our heads together and thought. Justin tried everything - called RPI's radio station...the RPI sports info department called other radio stations around Troy, and so on. There was talk of bagging the broadcast.
My thought was - no dice. I'm going.
Why not take the equipment and give it a try? Seriously, what did I have to lose? The only thing I lost was a partner, as Christine Baker and I decided that it was best for her to skip this one. Sure, I could hand a phone to her for analysis (been there, done that) but why do it if it's not necessary? Why waste her gas to go all the way to Troy, NY?
So I took the team bus, and arrived on-site ready to go. Everyone at RPI tried. We tried my equipment as is (bust). We tried to plug their equipment into mine (crash). We tried ways to make my equipment work without holding a telephone (boom).
In the end, it was me...with a phone from RPI in my hand (a VOIP phone, to be exact, and that was the very nature of the problem). The quality was good enough, and better than the alternative of a cell phone. Sadly all of this fell into the hands of a board operator working for the first night alone back in the studio. I've been that person and it's rough, but you try to make do.
The less I add to that, the better. Let's just say it was rough seas.
As for my end of the broadcast, a big thank you goes to the folks at RPI for getting me internet access to live statistics. It made me sound a little more informed.
Yet we got through it, and the Blue Knights...lost, 85-80.
We grabbed Burger King after the game (YIKES, though it was fun for me to be with the team) and got back to the college around 1:30 AM. Thankfully I caught some sleep on the bus, or I'd really be dragging today.
Honestly, these are the perils of broadcasting. All you can do is laugh at it!
We're back on the air with the women next Tuesday night from the Kaplan Center, as the Knights take on Purchase College. Our coverage begins at 6:50 PM.
Go Nomiate Your Choice For 2009 FCIAC Player of the Year
Head over to the FCIAC Football Blog and make your voice be heard. I did it, and I've decided to tell you who it is. I don't care if you think it's home cooking, the choice was a simple one for me:
Michael Lefflbine, Quarterback, Greenwich
I saw him take every snap and think he played with anybody else in the conference, certainly at the quarterback position. Sure Turner Baty is also spectacular and merits a nomination (and he's a solid kid - having had a chance to speak with him), but I've been really impressed with Lefflbine. He leads the Cardinals in virtually every offensive category and if not for a few missed extra points or one thing or another, the Cardinals would be 9-0 and the number one team in the state.
By the way, the logistics of Greenwich in the playoffs would have been a bear for me, but we would have soldiered on!
So anyway, Mike Lefflbine is my choice. Who is yours?
And I put Staples atop my BG Five. Pomperaug is second, Central third, Masuk fourth, New Canaan fifth, and Greenwich sixth. That's what I remember doing.
GHS-Staples comes your way tomorrow live from Westport. Pregame show at 10:20 (or earlier). We know you can watch it, but do you really care about shots of Jimmy (Madden lite) Cavallo with the damn turkey, or your hometown guys rocking the call?
The MSG guys are pretty good for the most part, so I'm kind of kidding.
I'm hoping for good weather, because although I know my friends at Staples are doing everything to get us into the booth, something tells me we will be in the great outdoors for the fourth time this decade in Westport.
Oh, and I expect the guys from WWPT (Staples campus station) to join us at some point. They're high school kids, let's show them some love.
Michael Lefflbine, Quarterback, Greenwich
I saw him take every snap and think he played with anybody else in the conference, certainly at the quarterback position. Sure Turner Baty is also spectacular and merits a nomination (and he's a solid kid - having had a chance to speak with him), but I've been really impressed with Lefflbine. He leads the Cardinals in virtually every offensive category and if not for a few missed extra points or one thing or another, the Cardinals would be 9-0 and the number one team in the state.
By the way, the logistics of Greenwich in the playoffs would have been a bear for me, but we would have soldiered on!
So anyway, Mike Lefflbine is my choice. Who is yours?
And I put Staples atop my BG Five. Pomperaug is second, Central third, Masuk fourth, New Canaan fifth, and Greenwich sixth. That's what I remember doing.
GHS-Staples comes your way tomorrow live from Westport. Pregame show at 10:20 (or earlier). We know you can watch it, but do you really care about shots of Jimmy (Madden lite) Cavallo with the damn turkey, or your hometown guys rocking the call?
The MSG guys are pretty good for the most part, so I'm kind of kidding.
I'm hoping for good weather, because although I know my friends at Staples are doing everything to get us into the booth, something tells me we will be in the great outdoors for the fourth time this decade in Westport.
Oh, and I expect the guys from WWPT (Staples campus station) to join us at some point. They're high school kids, let's show them some love.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Mets Will Make Citi Field More About The Mets
From Ballpark Digest comes this report that says the Mets have organized a committee to make Citi Field the Mets ballpark as opposed to the Dodgers.
This should help appease Mets fans, and critics (like me), but I still see an issue.
Granted, Casey Stengel was the teams first manager, and George Weiss was their first General Manager, but here's the...um...thing:
THEY'RE BOTH YANKEES! They're so identified with the Yankees that's it is Re-DONK-ulous!
So OK, I get putting them both in their Hall of Fame (wait, what?), and I can even understand retiring Stengel's number (I suppose) but couldn't we maybe name the Left Field VIP area after somebody else? I can understand the Gil Hodges fascination (not only was he a Brooklyn Dodger - there's the connection - but he was the manager of the Mets' first championship team and died tragically young), but I think the Stengel thing is kind of silly.
Hey - let's celebrate the manager of our team when we were an F'ing laughingstock! You know, when we SUCKED so badly that people loved us for SUCKING!
So what's next - rename the place "Yogi Berra Field?"
Let's not miss the point though - big "ups" to the Metsies for recognizing that they were doing a serious disservice to their fans. Congratulations to the team on righting the wrong.
This should help appease Mets fans, and critics (like me), but I still see an issue.
Granted, Casey Stengel was the teams first manager, and George Weiss was their first General Manager, but here's the...um...thing:
THEY'RE BOTH YANKEES! They're so identified with the Yankees that's it is Re-DONK-ulous!
So OK, I get putting them both in their Hall of Fame (wait, what?), and I can even understand retiring Stengel's number (I suppose) but couldn't we maybe name the Left Field VIP area after somebody else? I can understand the Gil Hodges fascination (not only was he a Brooklyn Dodger - there's the connection - but he was the manager of the Mets' first championship team and died tragically young), but I think the Stengel thing is kind of silly.
Hey - let's celebrate the manager of our team when we were an F'ing laughingstock! You know, when we SUCKED so badly that people loved us for SUCKING!
So what's next - rename the place "Yogi Berra Field?"
Let's not miss the point though - big "ups" to the Metsies for recognizing that they were doing a serious disservice to their fans. Congratulations to the team on righting the wrong.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Life at 41 (or Where Am I Now?)
(written on Sunday, while on the bus coming home from Boston)
I wasn’t going to write about my birthday. Honest. Yes, it was today, and it really wasn’t that great to not have Sean with me, but to be honest, spending my birthday weekend in Boston wasn’t that bad. It was otherwise just…another…day.
It was the phone calls that I didn’t receive that bothered me.
I heard from everybody else – Mom, Doug, Laura, Chris Erway, Nick Angotto, Nick Fox, friends old and new and many others via text, phone, and Facebook, and I gather there are more waiting for me when I get home. I haven’t had wireless access since roughly 11:00 this morning.
It touched me to hear from each one.
Of course, I can't ever be far from Greenwich and WGCH. While in my hotel room, Sean Kilkelly called to ask if I could help with the setup for the GYFL broadcast. I hope it's clear that, even when I'm taken away from Greenwich (which is rare), I'm always on call. I'm the Sports Director, even if that is in title only.
I care, just as I have for a decade. That’s what I do, and will do for as long I’m the sports voice of WGCH.
Christine Baker and I met just after 11:00 and decided to go the Jean Yawkey Center to set up for our broadcast. We then walked up Brookline Ave. and had lunch at Boston Beer Works – right across from, you guessed it, Fenway Park. Nobody knew that, underneath my Mount Saint Mary sweatshirt sat a New York Yankees WORLD CHAMPIONS T-shirt!
Sadly, the Knights lost to Emmanuel, 59-53, but our broadcast was pretty good, and we are getting better all the time.
Following the game, I sipped on a cup of coffee and called Sean (the first time I had spoken to him all weekend), and returned Laura’s call. That’s when a few of the girls heard that, yes indeed, this strange guy who had been on this trip with them was having a birthday.
It started with two of the tri-captains (Catie Biordi and Chrissy Zrowka), along with assistant coach Vanessa Lawson. Then tri-captain Shannon Sangster, who I interviewed for the pregame show, caught on and wished me well.
As we climbed on the bus, one of them mentioned that this must have been a rough way to spend my birthday weekend. Yet, let’s think about this. Where else would I rather be? I was in Boston with a nice group of basketball players, I had dinner with an old friend, my broadcast partner and I grabbed a good lunch, and I got to call two basketball games. Sure I missed Sean, but I’ll see him tomorrow. I’m utterly and totally confused about my relationship status so, again, where the bleep else would I rather be?
And that’s when I received the nicest, coolest birthday present.
The team did their count off (I was deemed number 20 by Catie and Coach Ognibene in passing), and I did my part, which elicited some laughs. Suddenly Shannon said “Happy birthday” again and soon, the whole team repeated it. Lastly, somebody said “shouldn’t we sing?” and at that moment, all 17 of them sang to me in unison.
The funny part was when they hit the “happy birthday dear…” part because nobody knew my name. To hear me say my name and them repeat it and resume singing was classic.
You can’t imagine how much it meant to me, and I think it showed in the smile (and my likely very red face). For these girls have not the slightest idea about me. Who the heck am I? A 41 year-old single dad trying to make ends meet doing what I love and hoping to keep my head above water. The last year has been one of promise and survival – hurt and elation. Am I better than I was when I turned 40? I think so, if only slightly. Financially? No. I’m worse. Emotionally? For the most part, I think I’m a lot better – though I think I need to leave that up to those of you who know me.
So this gift of song was as much about acceptance, and that made it special.
We’re on the bus now, and we’ll be home soon. And the season continues.
I wasn’t going to write about my birthday. Honest. Yes, it was today, and it really wasn’t that great to not have Sean with me, but to be honest, spending my birthday weekend in Boston wasn’t that bad. It was otherwise just…another…day.
It was the phone calls that I didn’t receive that bothered me.
I heard from everybody else – Mom, Doug, Laura, Chris Erway, Nick Angotto, Nick Fox, friends old and new and many others via text, phone, and Facebook, and I gather there are more waiting for me when I get home. I haven’t had wireless access since roughly 11:00 this morning.
It touched me to hear from each one.
Of course, I can't ever be far from Greenwich and WGCH. While in my hotel room, Sean Kilkelly called to ask if I could help with the setup for the GYFL broadcast. I hope it's clear that, even when I'm taken away from Greenwich (which is rare), I'm always on call. I'm the Sports Director, even if that is in title only.
I care, just as I have for a decade. That’s what I do, and will do for as long I’m the sports voice of WGCH.
Christine Baker and I met just after 11:00 and decided to go the Jean Yawkey Center to set up for our broadcast. We then walked up Brookline Ave. and had lunch at Boston Beer Works – right across from, you guessed it, Fenway Park. Nobody knew that, underneath my Mount Saint Mary sweatshirt sat a New York Yankees WORLD CHAMPIONS T-shirt!
Sadly, the Knights lost to Emmanuel, 59-53, but our broadcast was pretty good, and we are getting better all the time.
Following the game, I sipped on a cup of coffee and called Sean (the first time I had spoken to him all weekend), and returned Laura’s call. That’s when a few of the girls heard that, yes indeed, this strange guy who had been on this trip with them was having a birthday.
It started with two of the tri-captains (Catie Biordi and Chrissy Zrowka), along with assistant coach Vanessa Lawson. Then tri-captain Shannon Sangster, who I interviewed for the pregame show, caught on and wished me well.
As we climbed on the bus, one of them mentioned that this must have been a rough way to spend my birthday weekend. Yet, let’s think about this. Where else would I rather be? I was in Boston with a nice group of basketball players, I had dinner with an old friend, my broadcast partner and I grabbed a good lunch, and I got to call two basketball games. Sure I missed Sean, but I’ll see him tomorrow. I’m utterly and totally confused about my relationship status so, again, where the bleep else would I rather be?
And that’s when I received the nicest, coolest birthday present.
The team did their count off (I was deemed number 20 by Catie and Coach Ognibene in passing), and I did my part, which elicited some laughs. Suddenly Shannon said “Happy birthday” again and soon, the whole team repeated it. Lastly, somebody said “shouldn’t we sing?” and at that moment, all 17 of them sang to me in unison.
The funny part was when they hit the “happy birthday dear…” part because nobody knew my name. To hear me say my name and them repeat it and resume singing was classic.
You can’t imagine how much it meant to me, and I think it showed in the smile (and my likely very red face). For these girls have not the slightest idea about me. Who the heck am I? A 41 year-old single dad trying to make ends meet doing what I love and hoping to keep my head above water. The last year has been one of promise and survival – hurt and elation. Am I better than I was when I turned 40? I think so, if only slightly. Financially? No. I’m worse. Emotionally? For the most part, I think I’m a lot better – though I think I need to leave that up to those of you who know me.
So this gift of song was as much about acceptance, and that made it special.
We’re on the bus now, and we’ll be home soon. And the season continues.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Encouragement For A Friend
The best byproduct of coming to Boston this weekend was the opportunity to see an old friend. Lisa and I have known each other since 1992 (give or take) when she was an intern at Kraft. We hit it off then and have been very close ever since. Sadly, we have this bad way of going a long time without talking or seeing each other.
Tonight, we got together for the first time in four years. She looked great, and it pleased me to be with her. We walked, talked, ate dinner, walked some more (I've done a lot of that this weekend), and called it a night.
The thing about not seeing or talking to one another is that we both know we're never far from each others hearts. She's somebody I often think of and we're going to make a more concerted effort to stay in touch.
As we walked, I mentioned the blog and Lisa reacted in shock - never knowing about our little ol' place in the sun here. I can't believe I never told her, but was pleased to know that she is considering writing one of her own. I think it would be fascinating if she went for it, and I hope she does! She has some great ideas, and some great thoughts.
You will know more about it if and when it goes live.
Tonight, we got together for the first time in four years. She looked great, and it pleased me to be with her. We walked, talked, ate dinner, walked some more (I've done a lot of that this weekend), and called it a night.
The thing about not seeing or talking to one another is that we both know we're never far from each others hearts. She's somebody I often think of and we're going to make a more concerted effort to stay in touch.
As we walked, I mentioned the blog and Lisa reacted in shock - never knowing about our little ol' place in the sun here. I can't believe I never told her, but was pleased to know that she is considering writing one of her own. I think it would be fascinating if she went for it, and I hope she does! She has some great ideas, and some great thoughts.
You will know more about it if and when it goes live.
A Few Quickies
Do the Clippers broadcasters deserve be to suspended for this. Really?
Does Bill Simmons deserve to be banned to from Twitter for this?
Nick Koules was a Stamford legend. I saw him officiate many games and always thought he was too interested in talking to people in the stands and not so interested in the action on the floor. Whatever - he was a character and a nice man. So rest in peace, good sir.
Lastly this is the kind of thing that would only interest people like me. If you've never seen or noticed, the London Underground tube map is rather iconic. Quite often people take it and redo it in one way or another. So take my love of the Tube and combine it with my passion for the highways of this country, and you'll understand my fascination with this - a Tube map-inspired take on the map of US Interstates.
Those are the links of note for tonight. I'm back in my Boston hotel room. Yep, pretty sad.
Does Bill Simmons deserve to be banned to from Twitter for this?
Nick Koules was a Stamford legend. I saw him officiate many games and always thought he was too interested in talking to people in the stands and not so interested in the action on the floor. Whatever - he was a character and a nice man. So rest in peace, good sir.
Lastly this is the kind of thing that would only interest people like me. If you've never seen or noticed, the London Underground tube map is rather iconic. Quite often people take it and redo it in one way or another. So take my love of the Tube and combine it with my passion for the highways of this country, and you'll understand my fascination with this - a Tube map-inspired take on the map of US Interstates.
Those are the links of note for tonight. I'm back in my Boston hotel room. Yep, pretty sad.
Mount vs. Emmanuel
It seems Emmanuel College beat Roger Williams pretty easily, so Mount Saint Mary will play Emmanuel tomorrow in the championship game of the tournament. Game time is 3:00.
And why am I writing on my blog at 7:44 on Saturday night in Boston? Am I THAT pathetic?
Why yes...yes I am.
And why am I writing on my blog at 7:44 on Saturday night in Boston? Am I THAT pathetic?
Why yes...yes I am.
A Winning Afternoon
Mount Saint Mary (the women's team) beat UC Santa Cruz (the Banana Slugs...no, seriously) at the Emmanuel College Invitational 72-44. It was no closer than 10-9, and the Mount ran away from there.
Terrific performance by Becky Metzger, who led the Knights with 11 points, including three of three from downtown. She also chipped in with nine board in 20 minutes of play. Catie Biordi, Chrissy Zrowka, Jess Tice, Rachel Russo, and Natalie Garbie eached scored eight. The Blue Knights will be back in action tomorrow at 3:00 for the tournament championship against either Emmanuel or Roger Williams. Christine Baker and I will have the call on Hudson Valley Talk Radio.
You should listen - it's entertaining stuff!
Friday, November 20, 2009
So This Is What It's Like To Be a Traveling Broadcaster
First of all, say hello to post number 1000! Irrelevant to most of you, and I understand. Thanks for your support.
Anyway - HELLO from Boston! It's been a long day.
It started this morning, as most days do. We said good-bye to my niece Kristy, who headed back to Alabama with her daughter Evelyn, and dog Grim. Over the next few hours, I frantically prepped for the weekends Mount Saint Mary games, fully aware that I wouldn't have anywhere else to print things. Fortunately I had packed a few days earlier, but the pleasant weather (over 60 degrees in New York) made me rethink my sweater in favor of a short-sleeved (!) polo shirt.
I had to be at the Mount by Noon to catch the bus, and pulled in around 11:45 - a good 45 minutes later than I wanted, but situations caused the delay. Still, I was on the bus - second row back - when we departed. For many on the team, this was the first time they were getting a look at me, and I heard at least one "who's that?"
The women's team chose to watch "Transformers 2" on the way here - it wouldn't have been my choice, and head coach Randy Ognibene turned to me early on and told me to let him know when Megan Fox was on the screen. Otherwise he saw no redeeming value in the movie. I know my Sean loves it, but yeah, I can't disagree. It's marginally entertaining at best.
By the way, it really hurt me to watch Sean pull away on the bus this morning. I won't get to spend my birthday with him, and he's just not ready for a trip like this yet. This whole single father thing can be mighty painful at times.
The bus ride was otherwise uneventful. We pulled into Boston a little over three hours after we left Newburgh, and Coach Ognibene handed me my room key, along with that of my broadcast partner, Christine Baker (the potential star in the making). An hour later, we walked over to the gymnasium inside the Jean Yawkey Center for practice.
Yes, Jean Yawkey. As in Boston Red Sox. I know - irony. Want more? The famous Citgo sign is within site of my hotel (The Inn at Longwood Medical Center).
I decided to leave practice about midway through. I had seen enough of the gym to know what I needed to know, and felt like my work was done. I know the team and I need to bond, and that will come. They seem like a nice group, but I hadn't eaten a true meal since Thursday night at the Hall of Fame banquet, so it was time to go.
Problem was, I wouldn't eat for another three hours.
My goals upon leaving were a) find dinner and b) get to Radio Shack to pick up a headphone splitter - one that would hopefully allow Christine and I hear through both ears in our headsets.
I walked...up to a Best Buy (that was hopeless) near Fenway Park. I walked past Fenway (didn't say a word, but thought a few things, including "2009 World Champion New York Yankees"), but chose to remember the wonder of calling the Renegades game there in 2008. I kept walking, past gorgeous houses on Commonwealth Ave. I walked past some of Boston's various colleges. I walked to the Prudential Center, where I thought I might get dinner, but refused to pay $7.00 for two slices of pizza and a soda. I kept walking, until I found the "T" (Boston's subway). Then I realized I should have kept walking, because the wait for the "T" was nuts. I jumped off the "T" a few stops later and walked right back to my hotel.
I didn't necessarily know where I was walking, but I have a good instinct for this stuff.
I popped into my hotel and hit the Net to find that a Radio Shack wasn't that far away. So I resumed walking, to Brookline, where I found the elusive Shack. I purchased my wares, found a local grocery store for a Sam Adams (wanted a Gritty McDufff's but it wasn't cold), and stopped by a Subway for a five...five dollar...five dollar foot long meatball marinara.
I resumed my walk back to the hotel, lonely but focused on making it to my room and finally having something to eat. Throughout the night, I admired the number of couples out for the night. I noticed the number of fashionable ladies making their way home from work, or on their way to get their drink on.
Boston is a very smart, well-dressed town. Could I live here? Sure, despite the fans, though that would be a consideration.
As for me, I was going back to the room, and wondering if I shouldn't have just stayed with the team and had dinner in the first place. Oh well.
If there's insult to add to injury, I returned to the room to find that the adapter that I bought at Radio Shack didn't do what I had hoped. Yet who is to complain? I'm in Boston - one of the US's great cities, prepping to do what I love the most.
There are worse ways to spend a Friday night.
Anyway - HELLO from Boston! It's been a long day.
It started this morning, as most days do. We said good-bye to my niece Kristy, who headed back to Alabama with her daughter Evelyn, and dog Grim. Over the next few hours, I frantically prepped for the weekends Mount Saint Mary games, fully aware that I wouldn't have anywhere else to print things. Fortunately I had packed a few days earlier, but the pleasant weather (over 60 degrees in New York) made me rethink my sweater in favor of a short-sleeved (!) polo shirt.
I had to be at the Mount by Noon to catch the bus, and pulled in around 11:45 - a good 45 minutes later than I wanted, but situations caused the delay. Still, I was on the bus - second row back - when we departed. For many on the team, this was the first time they were getting a look at me, and I heard at least one "who's that?"
The women's team chose to watch "Transformers 2" on the way here - it wouldn't have been my choice, and head coach Randy Ognibene turned to me early on and told me to let him know when Megan Fox was on the screen. Otherwise he saw no redeeming value in the movie. I know my Sean loves it, but yeah, I can't disagree. It's marginally entertaining at best.
By the way, it really hurt me to watch Sean pull away on the bus this morning. I won't get to spend my birthday with him, and he's just not ready for a trip like this yet. This whole single father thing can be mighty painful at times.
The bus ride was otherwise uneventful. We pulled into Boston a little over three hours after we left Newburgh, and Coach Ognibene handed me my room key, along with that of my broadcast partner, Christine Baker (the potential star in the making). An hour later, we walked over to the gymnasium inside the Jean Yawkey Center for practice.
Yes, Jean Yawkey. As in Boston Red Sox. I know - irony. Want more? The famous Citgo sign is within site of my hotel (The Inn at Longwood Medical Center).
I decided to leave practice about midway through. I had seen enough of the gym to know what I needed to know, and felt like my work was done. I know the team and I need to bond, and that will come. They seem like a nice group, but I hadn't eaten a true meal since Thursday night at the Hall of Fame banquet, so it was time to go.
Problem was, I wouldn't eat for another three hours.
My goals upon leaving were a) find dinner and b) get to Radio Shack to pick up a headphone splitter - one that would hopefully allow Christine and I hear through both ears in our headsets.
I walked...up to a Best Buy (that was hopeless) near Fenway Park. I walked past Fenway (didn't say a word, but thought a few things, including "2009 World Champion New York Yankees"), but chose to remember the wonder of calling the Renegades game there in 2008. I kept walking, past gorgeous houses on Commonwealth Ave. I walked past some of Boston's various colleges. I walked to the Prudential Center, where I thought I might get dinner, but refused to pay $7.00 for two slices of pizza and a soda. I kept walking, until I found the "T" (Boston's subway). Then I realized I should have kept walking, because the wait for the "T" was nuts. I jumped off the "T" a few stops later and walked right back to my hotel.
I didn't necessarily know where I was walking, but I have a good instinct for this stuff.
I popped into my hotel and hit the Net to find that a Radio Shack wasn't that far away. So I resumed walking, to Brookline, where I found the elusive Shack. I purchased my wares, found a local grocery store for a Sam Adams (wanted a Gritty McDufff's but it wasn't cold), and stopped by a Subway for a five...five dollar...five dollar foot long meatball marinara.
I resumed my walk back to the hotel, lonely but focused on making it to my room and finally having something to eat. Throughout the night, I admired the number of couples out for the night. I noticed the number of fashionable ladies making their way home from work, or on their way to get their drink on.
Boston is a very smart, well-dressed town. Could I live here? Sure, despite the fans, though that would be a consideration.
As for me, I was going back to the room, and wondering if I shouldn't have just stayed with the team and had dinner in the first place. Oh well.
If there's insult to add to injury, I returned to the room to find that the adapter that I bought at Radio Shack didn't do what I had hoped. Yet who is to complain? I'm in Boston - one of the US's great cities, prepping to do what I love the most.
There are worse ways to spend a Friday night.
GYFL on WGCH
Good luck to Sean Kilkelly and the rest of the WGCH sports team (The Press Box Playmakers) as they call the action on Sunday in the Greenwich Youth Football League.
It's the eighth year that we've carried Championship Sunday, and it's always a fun day.
It's the eighth year that we've carried Championship Sunday, and it's always a fun day.
Very Cool (with Video)
World Series Time-Lapse by Robert Caplin from Robert Caplin on Vimeo.
This is really impressive. Enjoy.
The link is here for those who can't see the video.
A Night With Hall of Famers
A good friend of the blog invited me to join him at the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame gala Thursday night at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington and it was my pleasure to tag along.
He doesn't like getting credit for these things, so I won't say his name.
Anyway, since I promised that I wouldn't editorialize about the evening (in other words, I'm keeping the opinions to a minimum), let me just say congratulations to the honorees
•Charlie Bentley (Harding-Bridgeport), 624-137 record in boys basketball, nine state titles, 16 conference titles since 1977.
•Paul Davis (Amity-Woodbridge), 351 swimming wins, four league titles, 12 state runner-up finishes as boys (1979-1993) and girls 1979-2003) coach.
•Mark Logan (RHAM-Hebron), five girls cross country and two girls track state titles, 639 wins, 46 league titles in 1981-2009.
•Ellen Mahoney (Ledyard), 355 softball wins (1977-96), seven state titles, 12 ECC titles, and 178 tennis wins (1980-93) and eight ECC titles.
•Lou Marinelli (New Canaan), seven state football titles and 241 wins at New Canaan and two high schools in New York since 1981.
•Marty Roos, most career hockey wins in state history with 511 combined at Fairfield Prep (1971-89) and Notre Dame-Fairfield (1991-2009), and six state titles.
•Gil Varjas (New London), 430 baseball wins, 12 ECC titles, four state titles and four state runner-up finishes.
•Bill Wallach (Guilford), 220 boys soccer wins in three stints at Guilford, including six state titles and 11 Shoreline Conference titles.
Inducted from the media will be Ken Lipshez, who has covered high school sports since 1991 with the Bristol Press and New Britain Herald.
We sat at the table for Charlie Bentley, someone that I knew in passing through covering GHS hoops for years. What nights like this make me realize is that people in the state really don't know me because I'm solely the "Greenwich broadcaster" where guys like Tim Parry are more known because of his coverage of the FCIAC (plus he played for New Canaan, and so on). I'm really just a very small fish in the bigger sea.
It was a nice affair, the food was good, the speeches were the speeches, and I'm back home. Since I'm off to Boston later today (Friday), I'll stop here.
Congratulations once again to the newest member of the Hall of Fame.
He doesn't like getting credit for these things, so I won't say his name.
Anyway, since I promised that I wouldn't editorialize about the evening (in other words, I'm keeping the opinions to a minimum), let me just say congratulations to the honorees
•Charlie Bentley (Harding-Bridgeport), 624-137 record in boys basketball, nine state titles, 16 conference titles since 1977.
•Paul Davis (Amity-Woodbridge), 351 swimming wins, four league titles, 12 state runner-up finishes as boys (1979-1993) and girls 1979-2003) coach.
•Mark Logan (RHAM-Hebron), five girls cross country and two girls track state titles, 639 wins, 46 league titles in 1981-2009.
•Ellen Mahoney (Ledyard), 355 softball wins (1977-96), seven state titles, 12 ECC titles, and 178 tennis wins (1980-93) and eight ECC titles.
•Lou Marinelli (New Canaan), seven state football titles and 241 wins at New Canaan and two high schools in New York since 1981.
•Marty Roos, most career hockey wins in state history with 511 combined at Fairfield Prep (1971-89) and Notre Dame-Fairfield (1991-2009), and six state titles.
•Gil Varjas (New London), 430 baseball wins, 12 ECC titles, four state titles and four state runner-up finishes.
•Bill Wallach (Guilford), 220 boys soccer wins in three stints at Guilford, including six state titles and 11 Shoreline Conference titles.
Inducted from the media will be Ken Lipshez, who has covered high school sports since 1991 with the Bristol Press and New Britain Herald.
We sat at the table for Charlie Bentley, someone that I knew in passing through covering GHS hoops for years. What nights like this make me realize is that people in the state really don't know me because I'm solely the "Greenwich broadcaster" where guys like Tim Parry are more known because of his coverage of the FCIAC (plus he played for New Canaan, and so on). I'm really just a very small fish in the bigger sea.
It was a nice affair, the food was good, the speeches were the speeches, and I'm back home. Since I'm off to Boston later today (Friday), I'll stop here.
Congratulations once again to the newest member of the Hall of Fame.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
I'm a College Basketball Broadcaster
The first Mount Saint Mary game was last night, as the men's team traveled (three hours) to Stony Brook University.
Damn you Long Island traffic! It only took just over two to get back to Newburgh.
Anyway although the team got pasted 87-53, it was a good night. The team sort-of kind-of got used to me and I think they're cool with having me around. Head coach Ryan Kadlubowski is a good guy, and was very giving with making me feel welcome.
The broadcast went pretty smoothly, but I was less than thrilled with my own performance. I felt caked in rust from having not called a game in over a year and a half.
Right before airtime there was a slight serge of nerves, then a sense of pride that always hits during the National Anthem. That's my last moment to pause, reflect, and collect myself.
My only knock on Stony Brook was that they didn't have internet access for us. Anything else would be a nit-pick. Otherwise it was a first-class operation, with stat monitors (not expecting to see those anywhere else), big information packs, and so on. Very well run.
I enjoyed some laughs with the players, and Christine Baker is a top-flight analyst in the making. I have to admit that I wish I had taken notes all day. THAT would have made for a funny blog post.
Most of all, the boss sent me a text and an email raving about our performance. That's what I like. It's so rare.
So I'll take it. It wasn't great, nor was it pretty good. It was good and that means it will get better.
The next broadcast is a double-header on Wednesday, before I go away for the weekend. A long, potentially lonely birthday weekend away from my son.
Damn you Long Island traffic! It only took just over two to get back to Newburgh.
Anyway although the team got pasted 87-53, it was a good night. The team sort-of kind-of got used to me and I think they're cool with having me around. Head coach Ryan Kadlubowski is a good guy, and was very giving with making me feel welcome.
The broadcast went pretty smoothly, but I was less than thrilled with my own performance. I felt caked in rust from having not called a game in over a year and a half.
Right before airtime there was a slight serge of nerves, then a sense of pride that always hits during the National Anthem. That's my last moment to pause, reflect, and collect myself.
My only knock on Stony Brook was that they didn't have internet access for us. Anything else would be a nit-pick. Otherwise it was a first-class operation, with stat monitors (not expecting to see those anywhere else), big information packs, and so on. Very well run.
I enjoyed some laughs with the players, and Christine Baker is a top-flight analyst in the making. I have to admit that I wish I had taken notes all day. THAT would have made for a funny blog post.
Most of all, the boss sent me a text and an email raving about our performance. That's what I like. It's so rare.
So I'll take it. It wasn't great, nor was it pretty good. It was good and that means it will get better.
The next broadcast is a double-header on Wednesday, before I go away for the weekend. A long, potentially lonely birthday weekend away from my son.
Monday, November 16, 2009
I Better Get Some Sleep
It's after 12:30 AM on Monday, November 16, 2009.
I'm supposed to be doing something tonight.
Actually I'm supposed to be doing a radio interview at 8:20 AM. In between I have to get Sean ready to go to school, and get him on the bus. Then I have a meeting, and other things to do, before I take to the air at 6:50 for the beginning of the college basketball season.
Tonight.
It's a big day.
I'm supposed to be doing something tonight.
Actually I'm supposed to be doing a radio interview at 8:20 AM. In between I have to get Sean ready to go to school, and get him on the bus. Then I have a meeting, and other things to do, before I take to the air at 6:50 for the beginning of the college basketball season.
Tonight.
It's a big day.
A Crazy Day of Football
Yeah the Steelers lost to the Bengals...again. If there's any solace, that classless, selfish fool Chad SomethingOrOther didn't play a big role in it.
Not that it brings me much relief.
Yet the losses by the Eagles, Cowboys, and even Notre Dame (to Pitt on Saturday) helped numb the pain and likely reduces the amount of crap that the host of "The Press Box" would have endured.
I felt bad for Nick ~F.O.X.~ and his Iggles because I'd like to believe that he would win with class if they had pulled it off.
That's huge to me. Win with class, lose with class. Grace and dignity. Not trying to bribe an official because you think it's funny, or gloating like an ass.
Regardless, none of that mattered after we all watched Bill Belichick go for it on fourth and two with just over two minutes to play and the Patriots at their own 28, LEADING 34-28.
You can probably guess what happened. The Pats didn't get the yard - completed the pass but didn't get the last yard - and Peyton Manning said "thank you very much." In a matter of seconds, Manning hit Reggie Wayne for the game-winner. The Colts prevailed, 35-34.
Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Rob Adams, Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, and many others all FIRST-guessed it. To me, there's no...freaking...way that you can go for it there. You put the onus on your defense (and special teams) to make a play.
It's football 101.
If Mike Tomlin had made the same call, I would be out of my mind with anger tonight.
Not that it brings me much relief.
Yet the losses by the Eagles, Cowboys, and even Notre Dame (to Pitt on Saturday) helped numb the pain and likely reduces the amount of crap that the host of "The Press Box" would have endured.
I felt bad for Nick ~F.O.X.~ and his Iggles because I'd like to believe that he would win with class if they had pulled it off.
That's huge to me. Win with class, lose with class. Grace and dignity. Not trying to bribe an official because you think it's funny, or gloating like an ass.
Regardless, none of that mattered after we all watched Bill Belichick go for it on fourth and two with just over two minutes to play and the Patriots at their own 28, LEADING 34-28.
You can probably guess what happened. The Pats didn't get the yard - completed the pass but didn't get the last yard - and Peyton Manning said "thank you very much." In a matter of seconds, Manning hit Reggie Wayne for the game-winner. The Colts prevailed, 35-34.
Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Rob Adams, Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, and many others all FIRST-guessed it. To me, there's no...freaking...way that you can go for it there. You put the onus on your defense (and special teams) to make a play.
It's football 101.
If Mike Tomlin had made the same call, I would be out of my mind with anger tonight.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Rob's BG Five After Week Nine: NOW WHAT?
I guess by process of elimination, this is my new Bill Gonillo Five:
1) Staples (9-0, Last Week: 2) - They're still perfect. They play Central for the title on Friday. The game's location has been moved so many times that I expect it to finally be played in the parking lot of the rest area on I-95 North.
2) Pomperaug (9-0, 3) - I'm still on their bandwagon.
3) Masuk (9-0, 4) - Yep, I'm still with them also.
4) Bridgeport Central (8-1, 5) - A remarkably impressive beat down of New Canaan.
5) New Canaan (8-1, 1) - It's tempting to drop them to sixth but I won't.
6) Greenwich (7-2, 6) - A good, solid win against St. Joseph. I knew the Cardinals would respond, and I'm so tempted to pop them back up to fifth or even fourth, but I can't since I'm the so-called "voice" of the Cardinals. Two missed extra points are the basic difference in their season. Wow.
1) Staples (9-0, Last Week: 2) - They're still perfect. They play Central for the title on Friday. The game's location has been moved so many times that I expect it to finally be played in the parking lot of the rest area on I-95 North.
2) Pomperaug (9-0, 3) - I'm still on their bandwagon.
3) Masuk (9-0, 4) - Yep, I'm still with them also.
4) Bridgeport Central (8-1, 5) - A remarkably impressive beat down of New Canaan.
5) New Canaan (8-1, 1) - It's tempting to drop them to sixth but I won't.
6) Greenwich (7-2, 6) - A good, solid win against St. Joseph. I knew the Cardinals would respond, and I'm so tempted to pop them back up to fifth or even fourth, but I can't since I'm the so-called "voice" of the Cardinals. Two missed extra points are the basic difference in their season. Wow.
Friday, November 13, 2009
A Nice TRIP Back in Time (With Video)
Dock Ellis once pitched a no-hitter. Nothing truly out of the ordinary there. The fact that he did it while high on LSD makes it sort-of-kind-of-maybe unique. It's been put in cartoon form and it's a bad motha-shutyourmouth.
The link to the video is here.
I enjoyed the cameo at the end by the Bucs' legendary play-by-play voice Bob "The Gunner" Prince.
The link to the video is here.
I enjoyed the cameo at the end by the Bucs' legendary play-by-play voice Bob "The Gunner" Prince.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
It's Madness!
I visited Mount Saint Mary College (MSMC) tonight for their pep rally gathering. The idea of this was to have a "midnight madness" atmosphere. The intention was in the right place. However you have to crawl before you can walk.
The reality was that the bleachers, which were open on just one side of the gym, weren't even half full. I think we all hoped for a slightly better crowd, but none of us were shocked or disheartened.
The entertainment was headed up by the folks from K-104 (part of the Pamal family, including Hudson Valley Talk Radio) and Rick Zolzer served as the MC. Yes, that Rick Zolzer, as in "The Zolz", the PA announcer for the Renegades, Nets, and Army.
Of course, I couldn't help but laugh when I noticed that Zolz was wearing an Army jacket. Couldn't MSMC have gotten him some garb for the evening?
I've known Zolz for eight years now, but we'd never really spoken much until tonight. He was nice enough to ask me to address the crowd, and so I did. I told them about the excitement of bringing The Mount to the radio (and internet), and how it will sound great on the airwaves if "The Kap" (the Kaplan Center) is full. I said my peace, and was gone within two minutes.
The teams did their thing (layup drills, games with the fans, etc), and somebody hit a half court shot to win a TV. There was free food, and a K-104 DJ stuck around to spin tunes. It had a nice feeling.
Now we need the people to come out.
There is much work to be done at MSMC. While eating dinner, men's coach Ryan Kadlubowski (you better bet I'm going to call him "The Big Lebowski" or "The Dude") came over and chatted with me. We were shooting the bull when he told me that the bus for Stony Brook is leaving at 2:00 on Monday...I had been told that it was leaving at 3:30. So yeah, we need to work on our communication.
This won't be built in a day. But we've got the right people in place to start making it happen.
The reality was that the bleachers, which were open on just one side of the gym, weren't even half full. I think we all hoped for a slightly better crowd, but none of us were shocked or disheartened.
The entertainment was headed up by the folks from K-104 (part of the Pamal family, including Hudson Valley Talk Radio) and Rick Zolzer served as the MC. Yes, that Rick Zolzer, as in "The Zolz", the PA announcer for the Renegades, Nets, and Army.
Of course, I couldn't help but laugh when I noticed that Zolz was wearing an Army jacket. Couldn't MSMC have gotten him some garb for the evening?
I've known Zolz for eight years now, but we'd never really spoken much until tonight. He was nice enough to ask me to address the crowd, and so I did. I told them about the excitement of bringing The Mount to the radio (and internet), and how it will sound great on the airwaves if "The Kap" (the Kaplan Center) is full. I said my peace, and was gone within two minutes.
The teams did their thing (layup drills, games with the fans, etc), and somebody hit a half court shot to win a TV. There was free food, and a K-104 DJ stuck around to spin tunes. It had a nice feeling.
Now we need the people to come out.
There is much work to be done at MSMC. While eating dinner, men's coach Ryan Kadlubowski (you better bet I'm going to call him "The Big Lebowski" or "The Dude") came over and chatted with me. We were shooting the bull when he told me that the bus for Stony Brook is leaving at 2:00 on Monday...I had been told that it was leaving at 3:30. So yeah, we need to work on our communication.
This won't be built in a day. But we've got the right people in place to start making it happen.
Yah, You Bet Ya (With Video)
I'm cooperatin' with ya'.
Still one of the most brilliant movies of the 90's: Fargo.
We used this scene in one of our famous softball videos at Philip Morris/Altria/Kraft, as a parody featuring a player who was from the upper midwest (I think she was actually from Wisconsin who could do a great accent).
If you can't see the video, point your browser here.
Oh, and what the heck, I'll serve this up as a Rule 55. It's legit, you're darned tootin'. I'm not gonna sit here and debate.
Still one of the most brilliant movies of the 90's: Fargo.
We used this scene in one of our famous softball videos at Philip Morris/Altria/Kraft, as a parody featuring a player who was from the upper midwest (I think she was actually from Wisconsin who could do a great accent).
If you can't see the video, point your browser here.
Oh, and what the heck, I'll serve this up as a Rule 55. It's legit, you're darned tootin'. I'm not gonna sit here and debate.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The Best I've Seen
Love him or hate him (not that it's truly worth hating him), Jeff Pearlman writes things that can make you think. Yes I know his anti-Yankees stance (it's bad for them to sign free agents but OK for his Mets) can drive me bonkers, but he can write. He inspires debate, and that's good.
Today he offered up a collection of the best players he has ever seen in the three major sports (a knock to hockey but that's another argument). I have to admit, I have a hard time getting too wound up about his choices. They're not bad.
So what about me? Glad you asked!
Baseball
1) Ken Griffey, Jr. - It pains me to say it but he could just do it all. Sadly, he tended to do it all against the Yankees.
2) Albert Pujols - I really want to pick A-Rod. Really. But Pujols is just that good.
3) Mike Schmidt - Oh I could have taken George Brett (in the same way that Griffey, Jr. beat the Yankees, so did Brett) but Schmidt was amazing. Power, average, defense - the works.
4) Rickey Henderson - First inning...walk, stolen base, move to third somehow, and score. 1-0, just like that.
5) Don Mattingly - Yeah, whatever. Fight me if you want. I know what I saw, and what I saw was a guy who could hit in every way, shape and form, and could field first base like nobody I have ever seen (sorry, Keith). Oh what could have been without the injuries. First ballot Hall of Famer, IF. Just if.
That was tough...A-Rod, Brett, Bonds, Winfield, Bench, etc are all in the conversation. And no, I won't include pitchers here (Mo, Clemens, Pedro, Maddux, Carlton). Different topic.
Football
1) Lawrence Taylor - redefined the linebacker.
2) Dan Marino - Dominated the quarterback position in a way that opened the door for Peyton Manning.
3) Walter Payton - Sweetness. Say no more.
4) Barry Sanders - Run. Stop. Start running. Touchdown.
5) Reggie White - I wanted more defense in my top 5, though I probably should have Jerry Rice here. But when free agency was coming aboard in the NFL, nobody was more sought-after than the Minister of Defense.
Trust me, I wanted to say Mean Joe, or Lambert, or a Steeler but I would be unfair to do so, especially since so much of their Steel Curtain years occurred before I was 12.
Basketball
1) Michael Jordan - You're kidding, right?
2) Larry Bird - Probably an East Coast thing for me, because I saw more of Bird than Magic. Tough call, because of course next up is...
3) Magic Johnson - You can't go wrong either way.
4) Hakeem Olajuwon - Now don't go me wrong. I like Shaq but I just remember the way that The Dream dominated through college into the NBA. An amazing talent.
5) Dominique Wilkins - I know, I know...where's Shaq? Where's Kobe? Where's LeBron? But they didn't call 'Nique "The Human Highlight Reel" for nothing. Before the Slam Dunk Contest became bor...zzzzzzzzz....ing...Dominique made it come to life.
And yes, friends, I didn't forget the FOURTH major sports:
Hockey
1) Wayne Gretzky - I pondered putting somebody else here. Honestly. Yet I just couldn't do it. He was the best.
2) Mark Messier - It wasn't just the on-ice play. I've never - EVER - seen a better leader. I hope he never gets into management. I don't want to ruin that image of him (kind of the way I feel about Rudy Giuliani).
3) Mario Lemieux - Dominated like nobody, except for Gretzky.
4) Mike Bossy - My first hockey hero. I loved watching him and the late 70's/early 80's Islanders play on channel 9. While I would define myself as a Rangers fan, I'll always have a soft spot for the Islanders.
5) Martin Brodeur - Those who are better at hockey will tell me that I'm nuts to pick him over Patrick Roy but the fact is, this is about who I've seen, and I've witnessed far more of the Devils. Brodeur is billiant.
* Honorable mention: Bobby Orr - Had I really seen him, I would have likely put him at number one. But I was so young, and so not quite into hockey that I would be a fake to list him.
OK, so who did I forget/ignore/disrespect?
Elsewhere...Golf: Tiger (duh), Jack (duh), and Watson...Soccer: Pele (I guess, I'm trying here)...Auto Racing (seriously): Jeff Gordon, Al Unser, Jr....Olympics: too many to list, but Michael Phelps does deserve props...and I'm sure there's more I could do, but we've got the idea.
This strikes me as a good Thursday "Press Box" kind of discussion. Of course then again, they'll all say Chad ChangeHisNameSoHeCanPromoteHimselfSelifhslyInATeamSport, if only to bother me.
Today he offered up a collection of the best players he has ever seen in the three major sports (a knock to hockey but that's another argument). I have to admit, I have a hard time getting too wound up about his choices. They're not bad.
So what about me? Glad you asked!
Baseball
1) Ken Griffey, Jr. - It pains me to say it but he could just do it all. Sadly, he tended to do it all against the Yankees.
2) Albert Pujols - I really want to pick A-Rod. Really. But Pujols is just that good.
3) Mike Schmidt - Oh I could have taken George Brett (in the same way that Griffey, Jr. beat the Yankees, so did Brett) but Schmidt was amazing. Power, average, defense - the works.
4) Rickey Henderson - First inning...walk, stolen base, move to third somehow, and score. 1-0, just like that.
5) Don Mattingly - Yeah, whatever. Fight me if you want. I know what I saw, and what I saw was a guy who could hit in every way, shape and form, and could field first base like nobody I have ever seen (sorry, Keith). Oh what could have been without the injuries. First ballot Hall of Famer, IF. Just if.
That was tough...A-Rod, Brett, Bonds, Winfield, Bench, etc are all in the conversation. And no, I won't include pitchers here (Mo, Clemens, Pedro, Maddux, Carlton). Different topic.
Football
1) Lawrence Taylor - redefined the linebacker.
2) Dan Marino - Dominated the quarterback position in a way that opened the door for Peyton Manning.
3) Walter Payton - Sweetness. Say no more.
4) Barry Sanders - Run. Stop. Start running. Touchdown.
5) Reggie White - I wanted more defense in my top 5, though I probably should have Jerry Rice here. But when free agency was coming aboard in the NFL, nobody was more sought-after than the Minister of Defense.
Trust me, I wanted to say Mean Joe, or Lambert, or a Steeler but I would be unfair to do so, especially since so much of their Steel Curtain years occurred before I was 12.
Basketball
1) Michael Jordan - You're kidding, right?
2) Larry Bird - Probably an East Coast thing for me, because I saw more of Bird than Magic. Tough call, because of course next up is...
3) Magic Johnson - You can't go wrong either way.
4) Hakeem Olajuwon - Now don't go me wrong. I like Shaq but I just remember the way that The Dream dominated through college into the NBA. An amazing talent.
5) Dominique Wilkins - I know, I know...where's Shaq? Where's Kobe? Where's LeBron? But they didn't call 'Nique "The Human Highlight Reel" for nothing. Before the Slam Dunk Contest became bor...zzzzzzzzz....ing...Dominique made it come to life.
And yes, friends, I didn't forget the FOURTH major sports:
Hockey
1) Wayne Gretzky - I pondered putting somebody else here. Honestly. Yet I just couldn't do it. He was the best.
2) Mark Messier - It wasn't just the on-ice play. I've never - EVER - seen a better leader. I hope he never gets into management. I don't want to ruin that image of him (kind of the way I feel about Rudy Giuliani).
3) Mario Lemieux - Dominated like nobody, except for Gretzky.
4) Mike Bossy - My first hockey hero. I loved watching him and the late 70's/early 80's Islanders play on channel 9. While I would define myself as a Rangers fan, I'll always have a soft spot for the Islanders.
5) Martin Brodeur - Those who are better at hockey will tell me that I'm nuts to pick him over Patrick Roy but the fact is, this is about who I've seen, and I've witnessed far more of the Devils. Brodeur is billiant.
* Honorable mention: Bobby Orr - Had I really seen him, I would have likely put him at number one. But I was so young, and so not quite into hockey that I would be a fake to list him.
OK, so who did I forget/ignore/disrespect?
Elsewhere...Golf: Tiger (duh), Jack (duh), and Watson...Soccer: Pele (I guess, I'm trying here)...Auto Racing (seriously): Jeff Gordon, Al Unser, Jr....Olympics: too many to list, but Michael Phelps does deserve props...and I'm sure there's more I could do, but we've got the idea.
This strikes me as a good Thursday "Press Box" kind of discussion. Of course then again, they'll all say Chad ChangeHisNameSoHeCanPromoteHimselfSelifhslyInATeamSport, if only to bother me.
Happy Veterans Day
I'm sure you can see the note on this photo: "Last row second from right." If you don't recognize him, allow me to tell you that it's my dad, smiling proudly to be an Army solider in 1951.
Pop also made the paper prior to basic training.
He was always so proud to be a soldier, but quietly sad that he could never fulfill his duty, as he was classified as "4F" due to his horrible arthritis (his hips and knees were terrible). He wanted to do his part to defend our country, and serve in Korea.
Unfortunately or fortunately, he stayed here and was safe and sound. My mother, sister, brother, and his eventual 12 grandchildren (I think that's accurate), along with his five great-grandchildren (again I think that's right) are better for it.
And it's soon to be six great-grandchildren, when all factors are considered.
Regardless, Happy Veterans Day to the many brave men and women that have kept us safe, and continue to keep us safe, and help preserve the freedom that we enjoy every day.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
This is Where We Are
I just popped on the TV, and wound up heading first to CNN, then Fox News. Both have the same "BREAKING NEWS" banner:
I will spare you my $ .02 on the death penalty. Those who know me know where I stand, and there's no middle ground.
John Allen Muhammad is due to die, where his accomplice, then-17 year-old Lee Malvo was spared by the US Surpeme Court, who doesn't believe in executing minors.
Again, we're not turning this blog into that. Sadly, the world can't handle certain opinions. Reporters aren't allowed to take such stands, and prospective employers and such don't like those kinds of things.
And that's that. Mr. Muhammad died at 9:11 PM.
By the way, is MSNBC still on the air?
"Awaiting Confirmation of the Death of the DC Sniper"Yep, hard-hitting news.
I will spare you my $ .02 on the death penalty. Those who know me know where I stand, and there's no middle ground.
John Allen Muhammad is due to die, where his accomplice, then-17 year-old Lee Malvo was spared by the US Surpeme Court, who doesn't believe in executing minors.
Again, we're not turning this blog into that. Sadly, the world can't handle certain opinions. Reporters aren't allowed to take such stands, and prospective employers and such don't like those kinds of things.
And that's that. Mr. Muhammad died at 9:11 PM.
By the way, is MSNBC still on the air?
Just What NY Needs: New License Plates
We're going retro in the Empire State! This is almost the same color scheme we had when I was a kid (1973-86 in that picture).
The question is: WHY?
The answer of course is: the MONEY, stupid!
Here ends the lesson.
Monday, November 09, 2009
Why Am I Posting So Early?
Because my niece drove from Alabama to New York, and just arrived here.
At 3:52 AM.
Thanks for reading. I have designs on eventually getting back to sleep.
*sigh*
At 3:52 AM.
Thanks for reading. I have designs on eventually getting back to sleep.
*sigh*
Rob's BG Five, and STILL No Change
Sorry, a 35-34 loss doesn't change my thinking. The BG Five remains the same.
1) New Canaan (8-0, Last Week: 1) - They beat Greenwich. Barely.
2) Staples (8-0, 2)
3) Pomperaug (8-0, 3)
4) Masuk (8-0, 4)
5) Bridgeport Central (7-1, 5)
6) Greenwich (6-2, 6) - They lost to New Canaan. Barely.
1) New Canaan (8-0, Last Week: 1) - They beat Greenwich. Barely.
2) Staples (8-0, 2)
3) Pomperaug (8-0, 3)
4) Masuk (8-0, 4)
5) Bridgeport Central (7-1, 5)
6) Greenwich (6-2, 6) - They lost to New Canaan. Barely.
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Mount Saint Mary College - Men's and Women's Basketball to be Broadcast on Hudson Valley Radio Network
This is it - the official press release from Mount Saint Mary College, announcing a certain blogger and a former player as their first play-by-play team.
Mount Saint Mary College - Men's and Women's Basketball to be Broadcast on Hudson Valley Radio Network
For the record, Christine Baker was pleased that I called her a "legend." Yet at the same time, she was a little troubled because, in her estimation, being a legend means she is getting old. Well she can rest easy in that at least she's younger than me. We're going to have fun together.
You won't want to miss the game on December 3, when my WGCH colleague John Spang joins me for the night, as Christine has to miss that one.
Now if I can just shake off the rust, get a coherent scorecard, learn the players names, gain their trust, learn the leagues tendencies, find out when the bus leaves for Boston...
Mount Saint Mary College - Men's and Women's Basketball to be Broadcast on Hudson Valley Radio Network
For the record, Christine Baker was pleased that I called her a "legend." Yet at the same time, she was a little troubled because, in her estimation, being a legend means she is getting old. Well she can rest easy in that at least she's younger than me. We're going to have fun together.
You won't want to miss the game on December 3, when my WGCH colleague John Spang joins me for the night, as Christine has to miss that one.
Now if I can just shake off the rust, get a coherent scorecard, learn the players names, gain their trust, learn the leagues tendencies, find out when the bus leaves for Boston...
What a Joke (or Section 1=FAIL)
Kevin Devaney Jr, writing over at Lohud.com, said that Section 1, the governing body of high school sports in the Hudson Valley, has denied the Journal News' request to broadcast games live on their site.
Hmmm...I smell a rat. Follow the money...all the way to Cablevision (via MSG Varsity).
You see, MSG Varsity is carrying games on their channel, but "live to tape" as we say. That means the games are shown at a later time. The Journal News wanted to air them live. See where this is going?
Section 1 Executive Director Jennifer Simmons told the paper:
A big BOO on Section 1 for this. Even the CIAC doesn't screw this one up.
Hmmm...I smell a rat. Follow the money...all the way to Cablevision (via MSG Varsity).
You see, MSG Varsity is carrying games on their channel, but "live to tape" as we say. That means the games are shown at a later time. The Journal News wanted to air them live. See where this is going?
Section 1 Executive Director Jennifer Simmons told the paper:
“Media is growing leaps and bounds and we need to make sure we’re protected as far as live event goes,” Simmons said. “We’re having ongoing conversations at the board level and we’ve decided to put a halt on everything until we’ve looked at it and decided what we’re going to do.”B.S. Plain and simple. Devaney follows that up:
“We have lawyers going back and forth and each school has a different interpretation. What waivers need to be signed? Do we need one signed by the parents of every player because it’s live? That’s become a big issue.”
Basically, the concern with a live event is over what could happen that Section 1 wouldn’t be able to control (i.e. a brawl, serious injury, etc.). Simmons also said there’s concern over what a broadcast could do to the attendance, and revenue, although she said that “was part of it but not a huge part of it.”So what would they do to radio broadcasts? Same garbage? Please.
A big BOO on Section 1 for this. Even the CIAC doesn't screw this one up.
Greenwich/New Canaan Postmortem
Once upon a time, I compiled my top 10 football games that I broadcast - Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.
I may need to update that because I called an instant classic last night.
Sean Patrick Bowley has a great blog post up about the game.
Over at the FCIAC Football Blog, Jason Intrieri, Tim Parry, Matt Levine, and yours truly discussed the game.
Dave Stewart gives his account at the NCAdvertiser.
Jesse Quinlan has his say at the Greenwich Time.
As for me, we had a power outage in the booth, and thanks to my entire crew for keeping their heads on straight as we worked through a long night. The analysis of Sean Kilkelly, Chris Erway, Nick Fox, and Chris Kaelin was spot-on all night. Rob Crowley did a nice job of keeping it all on the air. Then there was that penalty...
It sounds like - based on the accounts that I've heard - Greenwich lost their collective composure late in the game. That's very bad, especially since it seemed like the game was heading towards a crazy finish (after the craziness of the two-point conversion by New Canaan). If the personal foul penalty was legit, then so be it. I'm going to have to assume, based on things that I've heard from those closer to the play, that the unsportsmanlike penalty was also blatant and legit. Still I'm of the opinion that those in the striped shirts should not play a role in the late moments of a tightly contested game, just as I railed about that on the air during last week's Brunswick/Salisbury tilt.
For those in the stands and on the air, how could you not want that heart-stopping moment of a final play - be it a possible Greenwich TD, or Oliver Ostrowski, trotting on to kick a winning field goal?
Anyway, I'd have to say the better team won - but barely. New Canaan is beatable, and Greenwich could have beaten them, but they didn't. With that, the Cardinals season now hangs in the balance. They get St. Joe's next Friday night at Cardinal Stadium.
I may need to update that because I called an instant classic last night.
Sean Patrick Bowley has a great blog post up about the game.
Over at the FCIAC Football Blog, Jason Intrieri, Tim Parry, Matt Levine, and yours truly discussed the game.
Dave Stewart gives his account at the NCAdvertiser.
Jesse Quinlan has his say at the Greenwich Time.
As for me, we had a power outage in the booth, and thanks to my entire crew for keeping their heads on straight as we worked through a long night. The analysis of Sean Kilkelly, Chris Erway, Nick Fox, and Chris Kaelin was spot-on all night. Rob Crowley did a nice job of keeping it all on the air. Then there was that penalty...
It sounds like - based on the accounts that I've heard - Greenwich lost their collective composure late in the game. That's very bad, especially since it seemed like the game was heading towards a crazy finish (after the craziness of the two-point conversion by New Canaan). If the personal foul penalty was legit, then so be it. I'm going to have to assume, based on things that I've heard from those closer to the play, that the unsportsmanlike penalty was also blatant and legit. Still I'm of the opinion that those in the striped shirts should not play a role in the late moments of a tightly contested game, just as I railed about that on the air during last week's Brunswick/Salisbury tilt.
For those in the stands and on the air, how could you not want that heart-stopping moment of a final play - be it a possible Greenwich TD, or Oliver Ostrowski, trotting on to kick a winning field goal?
Anyway, I'd have to say the better team won - but barely. New Canaan is beatable, and Greenwich could have beaten them, but they didn't. With that, the Cardinals season now hangs in the balance. They get St. Joe's next Friday night at Cardinal Stadium.
Friday, November 06, 2009
Still Missing Bobby
This made me happy to see. From the parade, via Mark Feinsand's Twitter page:
Suzyn's favorite sign: "Win one for Bobby" ... fans still love MurcerI quite agree.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
A Classic Commercial (with VIDEO)
The Huffington Post has a collection of what they termed "the 17 most annoying commercials." I agreed on some, though I disagreed with the inclusion of the Geico cavemen, the Quizno "rats" ("We love the subs!"), and the Free Credit Report dudes. Plus they included a classic 1980's Brooklyn ballroom commercial.
So that got me pining for the days of my youth, when this was a constant part of my daily diet (on channels 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 11):
(The link is here.)
Ah yes, the Ritz Thrift Shop. One of the truly classic New York commericals.
So that got me pining for the days of my youth, when this was a constant part of my daily diet (on channels 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 11):
(The link is here.)
Ah yes, the Ritz Thrift Shop. One of the truly classic New York commericals.
The Look of a Champion
Sadly, Sean remembers none of watching the final out last night. His first words this morning, upon looking at the TV this morning was, "we won the trophy?"
Yes Sean. They won. Enjoy your first championship as a fan. I remember 1977 like it was yesterday. Only difference was I was wide awake and watched the whole game. But then again, I was almost nine.
The Magic Moment (With VIDEO)
This likely won't be up for long, but here it is for now(the link is here)
I guess the world isn't right unless the Yankees are the ultimate villains. The jealousy is over the top, and the complaining about the lack of the salary cap is off the hook.
So today, on "The Press Box", I've decided that we will not only celebrate the Yankees' 27th title, but we will address the whining. We will dig into the salary cap, the money, and all the other garbage. I know Nick Angotto will join us from Hawaii. I hope you will call in as well - 888-454-3378.
We'll talk to you live at 2:00 PM Eastern.
And by the way, congratulations to the Phillies on a terrific 2009, and a good World Series. I have a lot of respect for them.
UPDATE: And of course, the SOB's at MLB got the video removed. Losers. Seriously.
I guess the world isn't right unless the Yankees are the ultimate villains. The jealousy is over the top, and the complaining about the lack of the salary cap is off the hook.
So today, on "The Press Box", I've decided that we will not only celebrate the Yankees' 27th title, but we will address the whining. We will dig into the salary cap, the money, and all the other garbage. I know Nick Angotto will join us from Hawaii. I hope you will call in as well - 888-454-3378.
We'll talk to you live at 2:00 PM Eastern.
And by the way, congratulations to the Phillies on a terrific 2009, and a good World Series. I have a lot of respect for them.
UPDATE: And of course, the SOB's at MLB got the video removed. Losers. Seriously.
It's a Beautiful Morning
I didn't dream it. It was real. The World Championship has come home. We'll talk about it on "The Press Box" later today.
One Last Thing
OK, I'll leave you with one more thing.
Who won the World Series MVP?
Hideki Matsui.
What's Hideki Matsui's uniform number?
Fifty-five.
Cool.
This is a whole new Rule 55.
Good night, y'all.
Team of The Decade?
A few have tried to say the Yankees are the Team of the Decade, for what that is worth.
Let's review...
2000 - Yankees over Mets
2001 - Diamondbacks over Yankees
2002 - Angels over Giants
2003 - Marlins over Yankees
2004 - Red Sox over Cardinals
2005 - White Sox over Astros
2006 - Cardinals over Tigers
2007 - Red Sox over Rockies
2008 - Phillies over Rays
2009 - Yankees over Phillies
So what do we have? Yankees: two championships. Red Sox: two championships. Everybody else has one. The one thing that might - MIGHT - give the edge to New York is the total World Series appearances (four, versus two for Boston).
It's irrelevant, to be honest.
The parade is Friday. I'm not a fan, and have never been to one. I would like to take Sean but imagine I would be in for a fight, so that's probably not happening. Since it starts at 11:00 AM, I doubt I'll go, since I have this little old Greenwich/New Canaan game to broadcast on WGCH. I'll give it all some more thought.
I'm going to bed now.
Let's review...
2000 - Yankees over Mets
2001 - Diamondbacks over Yankees
2002 - Angels over Giants
2003 - Marlins over Yankees
2004 - Red Sox over Cardinals
2005 - White Sox over Astros
2006 - Cardinals over Tigers
2007 - Red Sox over Rockies
2008 - Phillies over Rays
2009 - Yankees over Phillies
So what do we have? Yankees: two championships. Red Sox: two championships. Everybody else has one. The one thing that might - MIGHT - give the edge to New York is the total World Series appearances (four, versus two for Boston).
It's irrelevant, to be honest.
The parade is Friday. I'm not a fan, and have never been to one. I would like to take Sean but imagine I would be in for a fight, so that's probably not happening. Since it starts at 11:00 AM, I doubt I'll go, since I have this little old Greenwich/New Canaan game to broadcast on WGCH. I'll give it all some more thought.
I'm going to bed now.
A Few Final Thoughts
Almost time to call it a night, but I have a couple of parting shots.
The Yankees opened the original House with a championship in 1923. They opened the new House with a championship in 2009.
They're one of a select few to open a new building with a title. Coincidentally, the Red Sox are one - having beaten the New York Giants in 1912, the maiden year for Fenway Park.
They did it the right way. Now I'm no fan of these on-field trophy presentations, but they did it with class tonight. They acted like Yankees - a team that can stand with Ruth and the others.
Read these words and drink them in:
No complaints with the MVP. Hideki Matsui was tremendous. Derek Jeter was terrific, as was Rivera. Pettitte had a decent Series. For me, it came down to Mo or Godzilla. I probably would have have said Mariano.
My Carmel soft toss Phillies team (ironic, no?) gave me a gift card to The Sports Authority months ago and I haven't used it (in part because I have a strong dislike for The Sports Authority). Yet tomorrow (or later today, I should say) I might pop in and use that gift card.
Besides Sean, there is somebody else I'd like to have shared this with. That's OK, but with Sean being asleep, I get kind of tired of watching these games alone.
I don't think my cell phone has ever been noisier. Constant texts came flying in (and out) after the final out. Facebook and Twitter were also nutty. My first attempt at posting the celebratory note failed. And yet I continue to read very bitter, and stupid comments (including one about a salary cap - ain't happening, and shouldn't happen).
Why is it so tough to stay quiet? And why try to bring people down? You only look like a jerk when you say things like this. Be graceful when you win, and dignified when you lose.
That being said, there are a lot of classy people who have sent notes over - including a few Red Sox fans. That's why I think Sox fans are generally pretty cool. The real ones get it, and appreciate baseball history.
What is it that "The Press Box Playmakers" (DeMer, ~F.O.X.~, and The Janitor) say to me? "Don't hate. Appreciate." How true.
The Yankees are the world champions. Wow.
The Yankees opened the original House with a championship in 1923. They opened the new House with a championship in 2009.
They're one of a select few to open a new building with a title. Coincidentally, the Red Sox are one - having beaten the New York Giants in 1912, the maiden year for Fenway Park.
They did it the right way. Now I'm no fan of these on-field trophy presentations, but they did it with class tonight. They acted like Yankees - a team that can stand with Ruth and the others.
Read these words and drink them in:
Alex Rodriguez - ChampionSeems weird, no? Yet it's time for the haters to shut up - officially.
No complaints with the MVP. Hideki Matsui was tremendous. Derek Jeter was terrific, as was Rivera. Pettitte had a decent Series. For me, it came down to Mo or Godzilla. I probably would have have said Mariano.
My Carmel soft toss Phillies team (ironic, no?) gave me a gift card to The Sports Authority months ago and I haven't used it (in part because I have a strong dislike for The Sports Authority). Yet tomorrow (or later today, I should say) I might pop in and use that gift card.
Besides Sean, there is somebody else I'd like to have shared this with. That's OK, but with Sean being asleep, I get kind of tired of watching these games alone.
I don't think my cell phone has ever been noisier. Constant texts came flying in (and out) after the final out. Facebook and Twitter were also nutty. My first attempt at posting the celebratory note failed. And yet I continue to read very bitter, and stupid comments (including one about a salary cap - ain't happening, and shouldn't happen).
Why is it so tough to stay quiet? And why try to bring people down? You only look like a jerk when you say things like this. Be graceful when you win, and dignified when you lose.
That being said, there are a lot of classy people who have sent notes over - including a few Red Sox fans. That's why I think Sox fans are generally pretty cool. The real ones get it, and appreciate baseball history.
What is it that "The Press Box Playmakers" (DeMer, ~F.O.X.~, and The Janitor) say to me? "Don't hate. Appreciate." How true.
The Yankees are the world champions. Wow.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Top of the Heap Again!
The Yankees have won the 2009 World Series.
Amazing.
And my son watched it with me.
Even more amazing. I have to go cry now.
Amazing.
And my son watched it with me.
Even more amazing. I have to go cry now.
It's That Time (With VIDEO)
From the last night at the old Stadium:
The coolest moment in sports. The link is here, Facebookers.
7-3 Yankees, top of the 8th. One out (or five outs to go).
The coolest moment in sports. The link is here, Facebookers.
7-3 Yankees, top of the 8th. One out (or five outs to go).
Missing Cat
Someone I care a lot about let her cat out the other night and he has not returned. If you're in the Poughkeepsie/Hyde Park area of New York, please keep an eye out for "Pumpkin."
Having once had Fred disappear for three months, I know her pain.
I figured it wouldn't hurt to put this on the old blogerino. You never know who might see this (of course it's sometimes a bad thing also, I guess). I'm hoping she won't mind that I posted this.
Check the Craigslist ad if you need more info, and thanks.
Within Reach
I wanted to write this earlier this evening but time and circumstances prevented me from doing so. Therefore I'm writing as Game 6 of the 2009 World Series enters the bottom of the fifth inning.
Tonight is about the love of a game, a team, and a way of life that dates back 37 years. It goes back to that initial game, when I was just three and saw this place called "Yankee Stadium" for the first time. I became mesmerized by the whole thing - the pinstripes, the colors, the grandeur.
Baseball.
And so it goes - through mediocre teams of the early 70's, to the Chris Chambliss home run in '76, to Reggie and Guidry and Thurman and two straight titles. Yes, it seemed like it would happen every year. It didn't, of course. Munson would tragically die in '79 and with him seemed to go a lot of heart. Sure, there was an AL East title in 1980 but that joy was short-lived (damn you, Brett), and 1981 ended with no title after being up two games to none on the Dodgers in the Classic. Bobby Murcer's championship would not come to be.
The 80's were rough after that. Some good times of course, with Rags' no-hitter, Donnie Baseball and such. Yet it tested the mettle of the fans, but I never wavered.
Ever.
The early 90's were worse, before Buck Showalter and Stick Michael returned the pride. Nirvana returned in the form of championships in 1996, 98, 99, and 2000 (the least enjoyable one of them all). Since then, there's been some heartbreak and a lot of disappointment.
My basic priority in life? 1) Loved ones 2) Yankees 3) Steelers. It's that simple.
Now the reality is that I love the game more than the team but so long as the Yankees are still here, they continue to be a huge part of my life. I can't say I truly live and die with them, but the fire is still there. Of course there are other things to focus on - real life stuff - so that sometimes takes me away from the day-to-day passion. Still it's always there.
So tonight, as this team, this amazing franchise whose history is embedded in my brain better than anything teachers tried to force on me in school (or college), turns the corner on their 27th world championship, I sit here - on my bed, trying to take it all in.
I don't care what anybody says - not knowing who Bobby Richardson is doesn't make you a bad fan. Do you think my son knows things like that? Not yet, but he's seven. Being a fan is about being loyal - end of story, and I'll take the die-hard Yankees fans over anyone in New York, despite my respect for Rangers' fans - truly the best in New York. I'll put the Bombers second, with the Giants third.
I'm tired of the crap being talked. That's all I'm going to say about that.
The Phillies are trying to climb back into it - 7-3 in the sixth now, and Andy Pettitte's night is done. Sean is here with me, currently sound asleep but I will wake him up in the ninth if it looks like they might win. I want him to see it, and I want us - for all that we've been through - to experience it together. Baseball has always been so much about fathers and sons to me (with no disrespect intended to the ladies - I'd be happy to share this with a daughter, a girlfriend, or anyone else). I thought of my dad on that night back in '96, so having Sean here is all I can ask for.
Let's get this thing done.
Tonight is about the love of a game, a team, and a way of life that dates back 37 years. It goes back to that initial game, when I was just three and saw this place called "Yankee Stadium" for the first time. I became mesmerized by the whole thing - the pinstripes, the colors, the grandeur.
Baseball.
And so it goes - through mediocre teams of the early 70's, to the Chris Chambliss home run in '76, to Reggie and Guidry and Thurman and two straight titles. Yes, it seemed like it would happen every year. It didn't, of course. Munson would tragically die in '79 and with him seemed to go a lot of heart. Sure, there was an AL East title in 1980 but that joy was short-lived (damn you, Brett), and 1981 ended with no title after being up two games to none on the Dodgers in the Classic. Bobby Murcer's championship would not come to be.
The 80's were rough after that. Some good times of course, with Rags' no-hitter, Donnie Baseball and such. Yet it tested the mettle of the fans, but I never wavered.
Ever.
The early 90's were worse, before Buck Showalter and Stick Michael returned the pride. Nirvana returned in the form of championships in 1996, 98, 99, and 2000 (the least enjoyable one of them all). Since then, there's been some heartbreak and a lot of disappointment.
My basic priority in life? 1) Loved ones 2) Yankees 3) Steelers. It's that simple.
Now the reality is that I love the game more than the team but so long as the Yankees are still here, they continue to be a huge part of my life. I can't say I truly live and die with them, but the fire is still there. Of course there are other things to focus on - real life stuff - so that sometimes takes me away from the day-to-day passion. Still it's always there.
So tonight, as this team, this amazing franchise whose history is embedded in my brain better than anything teachers tried to force on me in school (or college), turns the corner on their 27th world championship, I sit here - on my bed, trying to take it all in.
I don't care what anybody says - not knowing who Bobby Richardson is doesn't make you a bad fan. Do you think my son knows things like that? Not yet, but he's seven. Being a fan is about being loyal - end of story, and I'll take the die-hard Yankees fans over anyone in New York, despite my respect for Rangers' fans - truly the best in New York. I'll put the Bombers second, with the Giants third.
I'm tired of the crap being talked. That's all I'm going to say about that.
The Phillies are trying to climb back into it - 7-3 in the sixth now, and Andy Pettitte's night is done. Sean is here with me, currently sound asleep but I will wake him up in the ninth if it looks like they might win. I want him to see it, and I want us - for all that we've been through - to experience it together. Baseball has always been so much about fathers and sons to me (with no disrespect intended to the ladies - I'd be happy to share this with a daughter, a girlfriend, or anyone else). I thought of my dad on that night back in '96, so having Sean here is all I can ask for.
Let's get this thing done.
Monday, November 02, 2009
Rob's BG Five: No Change
Seriously...
1) New Canaan (7-0, Last Week: 1) - Meets Greenwich this Friday on WGCH.
2) Staples (7-0, 2)
3) Pomperaug (7-0, 3)
4) Masuk (7-0, 4)
5) Bridgeport Central (6-1, 5)
6) Greenwich (6-1, 6) - The 50-point rule is a joke.
And I got my vote in on time! The results are in.
1) New Canaan (7-0, Last Week: 1) - Meets Greenwich this Friday on WGCH.
2) Staples (7-0, 2)
3) Pomperaug (7-0, 3)
4) Masuk (7-0, 4)
5) Bridgeport Central (6-1, 5)
6) Greenwich (6-1, 6) - The 50-point rule is a joke.
And I got my vote in on time! The results are in.
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