Off The Bench is Your Friend!

Time to revive "Off the Bench", my Mike Lupica-esque collection of quick hits and such.  I tried this last week, and it never reached publication, with good reason.  So now, TAKE TWO!

Yeah, let's go see if Cliff Lee is doctoring the ball.  Dear Josh, my fellow Yankees fans can act so stupid sometimes, especially when they (we) have too much time on their (our) hands.

Rye vs. Harrison was special.  Even more special this year.  I had the 2006 edition of "The Game" in the top 10 football games I called a few years ago.  This one was better.  Harrison seemed to have it won.  Rye took it with :15 to play (Josh Thompson in The Journal News).  Once again, the WGCH crew had to hang with the crowd, while the TV people got to sit in the booth.  *sigh*

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  I'll take my broadcast crew and put them up against anyone.  We work through the nasty weather, the shoddy conditions, the obvious slights against us, the bad equipment and so on, and put together one of the best broadcasts around.  The past weekend of Trumbull/Greenwich and Harrison/Rye proved that, and made me proud.

I'm pleased to call Sean Kilkelly, Chris Erway, Chris Kaelin, Nick Fox, and Bob Small (along with Rob Crowley, who has stepped away temporarily) colleagues.  Good people to have in the foxhole.  I'm further pleased to call them friends.

I still don't get it.  Why can't a kickoff be returned out of the end zone in high school football?  Are we playing pinochle?  Shuffleboard?

I'm never one to say there is a bias, and I do what I can to get too deep into criticizing officials (especially high school officials).  Yet I saw a phantom call the other night at Greenwich High and where there's smoke...

I'll be at film night this week at Greenwich.  I want to see the film of the battle of the birds (Trumbull and Greenwich) for myself.

Say what you want - I call it both ways.  I'll say it on the air if Greenwich deserved the penalties.  We were quite outspoken in saying that the Cardinals still had to make plays against the Eagles.  The striped shirts didn't win or lose the game.  BUT...

Moving on.  Cablevision.  Wow.  OK, I get it.  There are negotiations to be had with News Corp over Fox 5 and My 9 here in New York, but I think they make themselves look foolish in the long run.  The consumer doesn't care.  YOU are the cable operator, and YOU took the two channels off of TV in New York City.  If Carrie had been home yesterday, she would not have been able to watch her Giants beat the Lions.  When we got back to her place last night, we couldn't watch Game 2 of the NLCS.

So yeah, shame on both sides.  Yet bigger shame on Cablevision.

Put it this way: if I ever move to New York City (or any area that has Cablevision as the cable provider), I would look to live in a place where I could have a dish, and then I would return to DirecTV.  Or Verizon Fios.

This next statement is a little dicier.  I thank my baseball gods that the Dolan's have never gotten their hands on the Yankees, because I'm not sure I would ever be a ticket holder again.  At least not on a season-ticket plan.

That being said, I'm not ripping those who are with either the Rangers or Knicks because when you love your team, that's all there is to it.  I can only imagine those who do give their money to those teams do so with at least a little trepidation.  I feel for those people.

Oh yeah, I'll be at The Garden tonight.  So yeah, I know the feeling personally.

By the way, I still don't get why the NHL thinks it's OK to reward a team with a point for an overtime loss.  I mean, I guess I do, but I think it's silly.  Go ahead and play for overtime!  Hey at least we get a point!

Where I come from, a loss is a loss.  Maybe it's just time for the NHL to return to ties (as much as I HATE them).

I met him many times, and banged that frying pan at least once.  Freddy "Sez" will be missed at Yankee Stadium (thanks, Sam Borden and The Journal News).

I said it on "The Press Box" and I'll say it here.  If Ben Roethlisberger had his come to Jesus (or Josh) moment but Emperor Goodell hadn't suspended him, he would win the NFL's MVP this year.  I still suspect he's going to have a monster year regardless.

I think that shows how focused he is, and the Steelers are now getting pretty scary good.

Right now, the Jets, Ravens, maybe the Pats and Dolphins, and those boys from the Burgh all look like there's going to be a fight to the finish in the AFC.

I'm terrified the entire season, in so many way, might come down to AJ Burnett tomorrow.  Yet this Pettitte guy has had some success in the post season, no?

Whatever your means are (prayers, thoughts, etc), please send them to a young man at Rutgers named Eric LeGrand.  He is a defensive tackle and was injured in Saturday's game against Army.  As of this morning, he's in intensive care and is paralyzed from the neck down.

Best wishes to him.

Bill O'Reilly can be a bit of a buffoon; that goes without saying.  Yet those loudmouths Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar think just storming off the set of "The View" was the way to go?  Yeah, way to debate on live TV - which is sort of, oh I don't know...YOUR JOB!  You don't agree with O'Reilly's view that Muslims caused 9/11 (or extreme Muslims?)?  Then go at it with him!  But to storm off was gutless.

Barbara Walters was the sanest one there.  As usual.

I'll stop now, before I further blur the line between "Off the Bench" and "Linky Dinks!"

Stay thirsty, my friends!