Sunday Thoughts

Ric Ocasek

News just broke that Ric Ocasek of The Cars has died at 75. Ocasek was the main voice behind the bands' work, along with Benjamin Orr, who died in 2000. The Cars were a unique combination of New Wave, rock, and pop who made their way to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Not that they needed that validation. There was enough music to back that up.

Another week and more hatred towards Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.

I tweeted it before, and I stand by it: the obsession of hatred (especially towards Joe) rivals only the President and it's kind of sad.

So I'll muster along and hit on other things.

Quick note on the roster thing from yesterday. Let there be no confusion that it wasn't a knock on Greenwich High or the parents or their Quarterback Club. The beginning of a season (especially football) can lead to either no rosters or incomplete rosters (or rosters full of errors).

The great Brian Kennedy got me a fresh Greenwich roster not long before kickoff, as well as copies for my booth mates.

The Danbury roster was messy and I should have gone done to the field and asked around more.

Still, the roster issue is one that astounds me. This is nothing new.

I had a little back and forth with Verizon this week on some charges. Without telling the whole story, let me say this: I'll call you out when you're bad and I'll note when you've been good. Verizon gets a solid for working with me to resolve the issue. Would I feel differently if it didn't get resolved? Of course, but the point is, they did resolve it. Solid.

The NFL TV thing remains something that will infuriate me for all time. Because of the myriad foolish rules, we got Bills/Giants on CBS and some infomercial on FOX. Now we have Saints/Rams on FOX, as the officials screw the Saints...again.

But, hey, the stripes deserve no criticism, eh?

Speaking of no criticism, Antonio Brown faces myriad sexual abuse charges, catches a touchdown, and all is well. Just another day in Goodellboro.

The Patriots Way, indeed.

Oh, the Steelers suck, by the way. I don't mind owning that. Both sides of the ball committed mistakes.

What Stamford High School's football team did on Friday, beating Staples on an emotional night at Boyle Stadium, was simply sports at its most cathartic. Congrats to the Black Knights.

I only wish I had been there to call and you know what? I should have been.

Speaking of calling games, I've added my first soccer broadcast to the 2019-2020 schedule, as Brunswick hosts Loomis Chaffee Wednesday at 3:00. That will give me enough time to fly over to Grand Prix New York for The Clubhouse after that. Watch the action on Local Live.

On Friday, the A-Team reunites! Chris Erway and I have the call as Greenwich travels to play the Trumbull Eagles. The pregame show starts at 6:50 p.m. on WGCH.

Saturday is still up in the air and the rest of the week is currently open to discussion. I'd love to jump on more broadcasts.

An album called "Sports" came out on this day in 1983. It impacted me like literally nothing I've ever listened to. Certainly, The Beatles, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, Miles Davis, and so many others have played a part in shaping my musical taste. But "Sports" opened my eyes. It seems ridiculous to say it, but it's true. In the middle of a collection of '80s one-hit wonders, Huey Lewis and The News harkened back to a different time in music. "The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost," said Patrick Bateman.

I'll be in San Francisco for the first time in 10 days and I'd really like to go to the site of the album shoot (the 2 AM Club in Mill Valley, CA). Dumb, I know. Nerd, geek, etc. The site of the FORE! album cover is nearby also (Tamalpais High School). But...anyway.

Time and funds will likely squash my heart and soul. I guess bad is bad after all (see what I did there?).

Thanks to Huey, Johnny, Chris, Mario, Bill, and Sean for the music and the memories.