My Newspaper Head Shot

Take a look at that photo.  No, I don't think I look so great in it.  It's OK, I guess.

But it's also my new head shot, to be found on the Wilton Bulletin "about us" page.  A thumbnail-size version will run with all of my stories.

And I love it.

Huh?

Not long after I started with the paper, it was requested that I put a bio up and get a head shot as well.

Yeah, yeah.  I'll get to it.

Nobody nagged and I let it go, but the email was always there as a reminder.

Then came last Friday, when a bright young photographer, on his first assignment, was out in the field with me.  I had just finished talking with someone outside the Wilton Library when I asked the photo journalist to take my picture.  "Just get me, basically, from the head up."

The photographer, wielding a Nikon camera, was Sean Adams.

Now you can probably guess why I love it.

My bio is typical me: humorous to an extent (with nods to Paul Silverfarb, The Beatles, and Huey Lewis), and a radio mention (though I shouldn't have put "respected broadcaster."  Wow. What the hell was I thinking?).

By the way, Sean took some really nice photos.  There is a shot that he will get one of them printed in this week's Bulletin, though I'm not 100% certain.  After stopping at the library, we drove to Merwin Meadows - a small park in Wilton - and he went to work.  These are some of his better shots.

And what would this be without a picture of the photographer, who of course deserved some time on the playground?

Notes from a Thursday Morning (Published Four Days Later)

Whoa...K.  I started this on Thursday morning.  It's now Monday.  So there's that.

It's not often that I get to sit around the man cave and say "Hey! I have time for the blog!"

So take that with a grain of salt.

I'm still reeling from the passing of James Gandolfini.  He embodied an iconic character in Tony Soprano, and made it all more appealing and mysterious by rarely giving interviews.  He did, however, go on "Inside the Actors Studio"


He was only 51, and he was with his young son.  Ugh.  I have nothing more profound than that.

For those of you not on Facebook (and some of us are on it waaaaaaay too much), Sean graduated from elementary school yesterday.  His Moving Up ceremony was very nice, and I will spare you my rant on how us adults behave at these things, except to say that it's NOT about you, jagov.

I always relish any excuse to use the word "jagov."  Just I relish the opportunity to introduce the new term "erwan" into the mainstream.  Coined by Max Bearfoot, and defined by Ryan DeMaria, it means, in the short definition, "ego."  As in, Mr. Aktovious's erwan was bruised when his beloved Yankees lost to the Dodgers.

Just as with the hashtag #BeBlessed, feel free to give erwan a try.  You'll thank us later.

Anyway, it is with great pride that I present you with this video of Sean receiving his certificate yesterday.


He also won an award for perfect attendance - three straight years! He was asked to stand up (the only award winners who weren't marched up the stage...sigh...).  Sadly, this was the best my camera would give me.

I sat clear across the theater from where he was.

By the way, not to be maudlin, but thanks to those who chatted me up via social media during the ceremony, even if you didn't know it.  As I am an emotional sap, and my mind gets very deep in these moments, it was a bit of a roller coaster ride yesterday.  I hope I don't need to express how enormously proud I am of him.  I'm not sure I ever hugged him tighter than I did yesterday, in part because I couldn't speak.

Sean and his best buddy, Will.

So, yeah.  Onward.

This just in.  I love baseball.  To me, there's nothing like it, and I'll watch it at any level.

Go to a minor league game?  Done.  Happily.  From Dutchess Stadium to the Ballpark at Harbor Yard to Ripken Stadium to Damaschke Field and so on. I've broadcast in them or just sat and watched.  Sometimes I just like looking around and taking it all in.

On Saturday, I went and watched a little league game.  A bunch of 12 year-olds that I don't know, surrounded by families I don't know.  Sean played on the playground and I watched the game.

Only other person I knew: Christopher "Kato, Aktovious, Akto" Kaelin.  The home plate umpire.

We had great weather, Sean and I had dinner before the game, and on and on.  Why not go?  It was fun, and it beat sitting home and getting fatter (which is also why I hit the bike trail on Sunday, and our ride was longer than the ".25 mile" I was accused of).

So we went.  And we loved it.

I wish more people cared about baseball that way. Ratings are down.  Attendance is down.  There is zero buzz about the upcoming All-Star Game at Citi Field.

The Yankees attendance is pitiful, and yet they're still tops in the American League, and fourth overall*.

*The Dodgers are first, but, really, should it count when they're only in the stadium from the fourth-seventh innings?

The Yankees have done this to themselves.  They've built a Stadium with lots of amenities and zero charm.  Plus it's a crazy expensive ticket - they've price themselves out of the market.  They have outpriced the real fans: the likes of me who appreciated the inexpensive ticket.  And they took away the secondary market.

What was supposed to be a "throwback" to the 1923 Stadium really isn't.  It's lipstick on a pig.

What I'm saying is: shame on them.

And, oh yeah, I haven't been to a game in over a year.  That's right.

So, while I sniped at Rays broadcasters Andy Freed and Dave Wills for essentially calling Yankee Stadium "soulless," I can't totally disagree.  But don't get me wrong: I'll happily broadcast Rays/Yankees games in New York for them.  I'll spare them the trouble of being in a big league ballpark in, arguably, the greatest city in the world.

And, um, Tropicana Field isn't exactly a little slice of heaven either.

Anyway, the game has problems.  Steroids and so on.  I've heard it all.

But I still love it.  That's why you'll find me watching a little league game on a Saturday night.

"Donnie Baseball" is Back

Take a look at that image.  Nice guy, from the looks of it.  Looks good in that classic Los Angeles Dodgers uniform.  Wearing number eight.  OK.

They say that's Don Mattingly.  He's apparently the Dodgers manager, and he's visiting Yankee Stadium tonight.

Yeah...no.

Don Mattingly wore number 23.  He was a Yankee.  Hell, for a stretch in the 1980's and early 90's, he WAS the Yankees.  He battled Dave Winfield to win the 1984 AL batting crown.  He was the Hit Man, with a cool Converse poster.

He was the 1985 AL MVP.  He was a doubles machine.  He homered in eight straight games.  He hit six grand slams in a single season.

He was, for a stretch, the best player in baseball.  He was a guy that virtually everyone liked and respected.  Kirby Puckett tagged him with the perfect nickname: "Donnie Baseball."

He made every play at first base, and along with Keith Hernandez, gave New York the best defensive first basemen we've seen.

He was on "The Simpsons."

He has a plaque in Monument Park.

He is among the most popular players to ever play in New York.

He homered in his second career playoff game, after back problems had sapped him of his power.

His career ended much too soon, short of a Hall of Fame honor.  Short - by one year - of achieving the goal of playing in, and winning, a World Series.

We love him and we'll cheer his appearances at the Stadium over the next two nights.

But oh no.  That guy in the Dodgers uniform might be Don Mattingly, but this is our Donnie Baseball.

Bluefish Baseball on WGCH Tonight

That's the Ballpark at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, CT in the photo above, taken by me a few minutes ago.  It's the home of the Bridgeport Bluefish.  Webster Bank Arena is beyond the left-center field fence.  The last time I broadcast a game from here was in 2004 - when Greenwich High beat Fairfield for the FCIAC Championship.

We called games from here for the Bridgeport Bluefish on WGCH in 2002.  We even threw out the first pitch one night in August.


That, by the way, was the first baseball game Sean ever went to.  He wasn't even six months old yet.

Anyway, tonight, for the first time in a long time, I'll be in the booth calling the Bluefish on WGCH.  RJ Garcea will guide us and I'll do, well, whatever.

First pitch is just after 7:00.

Counting Down

I noticed that we're 13 posts away from 2000.

Well, make that 12 now.

Hmmm.  12.  Twelve...

OK, then.

That is all.

Nothing more to see here.  Move along.

From the Past

Sean's mother told me that my almost-sixth grader (and, hence MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT) had something to give me.

"An old magazine," she emailed.

I had no idea what that meant, but I didn't press.

I reminded Sean when I picked him up at school, and when we got home, he presented me with a plastic baggie that had a memory inside.

A 1983 New York Yankees scorebook and souvenir program. Price? One dollar.  Not what they rip you off for now.

The cover featured cartoons of four different players.  I scribbled above each one: Nettles, Murcer, Winfield (despite the guy being white), and Gossage, Guidry, or Righetti (despite the pitcher being a righty, and only the Goose was right handed among the three).

Housed in those 83 pages were ads for Marlboro, Pepsi, Kick 106.7 (a country music station), Xerox, Kool Lights, Real Sports from Atari, and a Bob Uecker "Mr. Baseball" Miller Lite ad, among others.

A list of visiting stars coming to the Stadium in '83 included Eddie Murray, Yaz, Pudge Fisk, George effing Brett, Robin Young, Rickey Henderson, and Gaylord Perry (cheater).  Hall of Famers all.  The others were familiar names: Andre Thornton, Kirk Gibson, Kent Hrbrek and Buddy Bell.

And Damaso Garcia.  Who, er, doesn't quite fit here.

There was the "The Almost Impossible Yankee Trivia Crossword No. 2" filled in by me.

There was the page of "Yankees on the Air," with pictures of Phil Rizzuto, Frank Messer, Bill White, John Gordon, Mel Allen and Fran Healy.

One name was missing from that list of '83 broadcasters, because they went to print before he joined the booth.

You probably guessed it: Bobby Ray Murcer, who retired in May of that year.

There were articles about an ultimate Yankees all-star game (fantasy baseball style) and another return of Billy Martin.

And on the front cover of the program, scribbled in my '80s penmanship, was the give away: "Bobby Murcer Day, August 7, 1983."

Wow.

I did scan one page - the scorecard.  I kept score as the Yankees fell to the Tigers, 8-5.  Steve Kemp homered for the Bombers, while Jerry Mumphrey, Andre Robertson, and some outfielder named Don Mattingly had two hits each.  Dave Winfield went 0-for-2 before being replaced by Ken Griffey...Senior.

Matt Keough was gone after two innings, allowing four earned runs.  He took the loss.  Dan Petry won for the Tigers to improve to 12-7.  A crowd of 45,110 made the daunting trek to the big ballpark.

Sad.  By the late 90's, that number would have been 55,000.  Guaranteed.

Bobby Ray was beloved, and 45,000 was a good crowd for an August game in the 80's.

Anyway, Sean said his Aunt Lauren and Uncle Anthony were the ones who sent it to his mother, who passed it onto me.  However it happened, I'm very thankful.  I recall the day quite well, going with my cousin Ron and his son (my partner-in-crime) Kris, as well as my sister, Laura.  We rode down in Laura's big blue Chevy.  The window-washers were very prevalent as we moved along Jerome Ave.

UPDATE: Sean's grandmother confirmed that it actually came from Sean's Uncle Michael, who lives in Washington State.  Thanks Michael! (And Gretchen, Eleanor and George!)

We sat in left field.

Time moves on.

Click the picture to make it larger.

Read This

Daniel Barden was seven on the morning of December 14, 2012.  He attended Sandy Hook Elementary School.

On occasion, I've been known to point you in the direction of things that are worthy of your time.

This is another one.

Jeff Pearlman gets the hat tip for recommending this on his blog.  It is wonderful writing by Eli Salow in the Washington Post on the saddest of topics.

Newtown.

You will likely cry, or at least tear up.  You will likely feel anger.  You will probably find a little nugget to smile at.

You will think.

You will want to stop what you're doing, and hug your own child.

It brings back the horror of the day.  The sadness.  The anger.

It's been just about six months.  I know I write this roughly 20 minutes from where it took place, but that should be irrelevant.  This was not about a region or a community.  Sure, it enveloped a town.  It defined them.  It turned them into a proper noun.

But.

This was something that the world felt.  And we all should.

Kids.

Children.

It's just not right.

Joyous! The 2013 Greenwich Football Schedle is Out!

Let's start with the basics.  The Greenwich spring football game, known as "The Red and White Game" is scheduled for Saturday, June 15th at 10:00 AM.

(By the way, peeps, why do I have to dig for this stuff?  Can we show a wee bit of love to the radio guy?)

I have no word as to if we will broadcast it on WGCH, but I will let you know if it comes to be.

UPDATE: No.  That is all.

Now, for the main event: the 2014 schedule, taken straight from the CIAC website!

Thursday, September 12 - 6:00 - West Haven at Greenwich
Saturday, September 21 - 1:30 - Greenwich at Darien
Friday, September 27 - 7:00 - New Canaan at Greenwich
Saturday, October 5 - 2:00 - Greenwich at Trinity Catholic
Friday, October 11 - 7:00 - Norwalk at Greenwich
Friday, October 18 - 7:00 - Greenwich at Trumbull
Saturday, October 26 - 3:00 - Fairfield Warde at Greenwich
Friday, November 1 - 7:00 - Greenwich at Bridgeport Central
Friday, November 8 - 7:00 - Westhill at Greenwich
Friday, November 15 - 6:00 - Greenwich at Danbury
Thursday, November 28 - 10:00 - Greenwich at Staples (Thanksgiving)

OK, a few thoughts.  Off the top, GHS takes on West Haven in the FCIAC/SCC matchup.  Of course, this is a rematch of the 2002 Class LL title game.  The Cards lost that one in rather controversial fashion.

Then it's onto Darien.  Nice place, but from a broadcasting perspective, well, I've railed against it before. The booth is too small, the cell service is bad and so on.  So...expect to see us on the plaza outside of the booth.  Neither the team or I have fond memories of our last visit to Darien.

New Canaan.  What else is there to say?  Maybe MSG Varsity will bring their helicopter again?

Then to Trinity Catholic, a place that Greenwich hasn't visited since 2004.  The grass football field, no lights, old press box.  It's been a while.  That should be fun, as Donny Panapada coaches against his old friend Rich Albonizio.

Norwalk comes calling before we make the trek to Trumbull.  That's another place that can be troublesome for cell service.  That's one of a few long trips for Cardinals fans also.  I expect the Eagles to be good this year.  In fact, this schedule has a few tough games for Big Red.

The game against Fairfield Warde is most likely Homecoming.  Three o'clock is a late start, but we should be able to keep daylight (or turn the lights on at Cardinal Stadium).

Another long drive to Central follows.  Kennedy Stadium is long in the tooth but I tend to enjoy my trips there.  Then comes the trip to Danbury.  Assuming I'm still working in Ridgefield by then, this will be my shortest commute.  The people inside Crotty Stadium can be some of the friendliest in the FCIAC.  They've always been very nice to us.

Lastly, Staples.  As with New Canaan, what else is there to say?  Look for us outside of the booth and hope for the best (weather permitting).

I'm not looking to rush the summer along at all, but oh boy.  Let's get it on!

Long Overdue: Steve Young to Appear on "The Press Box"

The guy who threw six touchdowns in Super Bowl XXIX also went to Greenwich High School.

It's with great pride that I can tell you that Steve Young, the MVP of Super Bowl XXIX, will be on "The Press Box" next Monday night, beginning at 7:00.  Steve has agreed to visit with us, via phone, for at least a half hour.

I last saw him about a decade ago when he was an honoree at the Greenwich Old Timer's Athletic Association Dinner.  I've interviewed him before and he is a good guy to talk to.

Young graduated from Greenwich High School before moving onto BYU, the LA Express, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and, finally, the San Francisco 49ers where he supplanted Joe Montana in one of the great quarterback debates.

Steve has been named to the first-ever class of the Greenwich High School Sports Hall of Fame.  Olympic hockey star Sue Merz and baseball player and official Zeke Bella are the other honorees.  They will officially be inducted at a banquet later in 2013.

We will have a fun and far-reaching interview with the NFL Hall of Famer.

At the FDR Memorial

Lisa and I stumbled on a parking spot near the overwrought Franklin Delano Roosevelt memorial in Washington yesterday.

The memorials is a large display of images and statues and fountains from FDR's four terms in office.  Among the big payoff is a statue of the President with his famed dog, Falla, next to him.  Lisa had me pose for a picture next to the dog when I took off my Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel hat and put it on the dog.  We laughed.

A young boy sat down next to the dog statue after me, and must have thought the hat was a funny idea.  He put his Baltimore Orioles cap on it.  I told him if he left it on, I'd take a picture of it.

So I did.

I never did get his name.  But it was funny.

Back to Reality

Lisa and I at dinner, May 30, 2013.  Photo taken by Sofia Jackson.

Greetings from Ridgefield, CT.  I'm writing to you from my desk in the Wilton Bulletin newsroom.

I planned to write more during my recently complete vacation but, well, sometimes the best laid plans don't come to be.

There are pictures to publish - 500 or so.  There are stories to tell.  I, apparently, will be working alone on tonight's "Press Box" if I decide to tell any.

To be concise, Lisa and I roared from New York to Virginia Beach on the Saturday before Memorial Day.  We spent the bulk of our trip on the beach outside of Ocean Beach Club, where we stayed.  We ate, we laughed, we indulged.  We enjoyed the pleasure of the company of Jo and Roger*, Lisa's fantastic parents.  Of Gina (Lisa's sister), Scott (Gina's husband and the only other SPORTS FAN in the group) and Sofia (their daughter, who enjoyed pitching softballs to me and hearing wacky New York accents, as well as singing the theme to "Hawaii Five-O" as we dodged waves in the Atlantic).  We hung with Missy (Roger's daughter) and her boyfriend Jeremy, straight off the fields of Kentucky.

Thanks to Sofia, I earned the nickname "Pickle," because I told her that, in Noo Yawk, you get a Pickle with your "samwich."  You're probably having cawned beef or pastrawmi.  But you have to POP the "P" in "Pickle."

So...RESPECT THE PICKLE.

* Thanks a thousand times to Lisa, who informed Roger that I had developed an impression of him.  Nothing like driving the ol' Greyhound over me.  Thanks also to Roger for being a good sport about it.  Yup, yup.

I spent more time on the beach than I ever have.  I loved watching Lisa spend such important time with these people.  Time, of course, is so precious.

I lamented that Sean wasn't there to enjoy it.

We celebrated Jo and Roger's 25th wedding anniversary and Scott and Gina's 10th, and Lisa's birthday, and Gina's birthday, and Roger's birthday and various and sundry other events.  For reasons known to them, the honor of giving the toast was given to one of the new people around the table: me.  I was touched and terrified.

It was difficult to say goodbye to all of them.

I got to eat Krispy Kreme and Waffle House and Wawa.  And I loved it.  Then I walked it all off.

We paid $95 for pizza and a few beverages.  Yes, you read that correctly.

We got a surprise visit from Cousin Kris and wife Lori (even though she likes Lisa better than she likes me).

We drove through Richmond, and you probably know how I feel about that place.  We couldn't quite time out a chance to say hello to Jon and the family, but promised we would figure out a return trip.  Just doing a drive through made me smile and wistful.

We rocked Washington for two days, and my feet hurt enough that I'm happy to be sitting at a desk today.

We walked the US Holocaust Museum.  It's stunning, really. Amazing how powerful it is.

We hit the monuments - Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR, MLK, Iwo Jima, Vietnam, Korea.  And Arlington Cemetery makes you feel proud of this great country, and humbled by the many people who gave so much to protect and defend it.

We grumbled at how people often lack respect, such as in the Holocaust Museum or at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

We walked hot streets and stayed in the Westin in Arlington, at a very reasonable price.

We bought a few souvenirs, and packed up to go home.

We drove through the rain, sat in traffic on the Beltway (don't ask which Beltway), ate dinner in Maryland, buzzed through Baltimore, popped into Philadelphia, hydroplaned on the New Jersey Turnpike, just missed an accident near the Meadowlands, and got Lisa home.

She took her stuff out of the rental car, and sent me on my way (sadly).

I pulled into my humble abode around 2:45.

AM.

And went to bed at four.

And now I'm sitting here, trying to stay awake, as I type.

I need a coffee.  Too bad the nearest Wawa is too far away.

Red Sky At Night

Lisa and I took a walk on our first night here in Virginia Beach, when we spied a red orb beyond the water.  The image was strange.  What was it?  A special effect? 

Just the moon - a fabulous view.  My camera didn't do it any justice.

Anatomy of a Picture

OK, people, let's get to the bottom of this.

By the way, hello from Virginia Beach.  The weather is good, although cool.  The company is great.  The food is great.  The beach is comfy.  The water is cold.

But I digress.  Yesterday, I posted this picture, taken by my cellphone...

Now, what was supposed to be a priceless view of #LifeIsGood as turned into a mini Adams controversy.

Yes, my legs look red in the picture.  But I was sitting in an orange sun tent (that's the key to keeping me on the beach). I did get some color on my legs the day before, but it was further up on my thigh.

But that didn't stop Facebookies from telling me that I needed more sun screen.  Even after I told them that I was fine, some persisted.

Last night, I took uploaded pictures off of my Panasonic camera.  Have a look at almost the same angle...

They look more red in the cell phone picture.

But, most of all, my girlfriend - the nurse - said I was fine.  And as I sit in room 1010B thinking about breakfast, my legs look quite colorless.

I appreciate the concern, but trust me, I'm fine.

Carry on.

A Couple of Pleasantville Videos

Not much time on this Friday.  As always, I'm reminded that on the day before you leave for vacation, you wonder if going on vacation is even worth it.

As always, thanks to Tom Prizeman, Shane McGaffey, and PCTV for having me around.  It's quite possible I might be back in the Fall.  I was only able to call one baseball game and one lacrosse game for PCT in the spring, but I was happy to do so.

Tom called a wonderful lacrosse game, and the final moments are ones that he should save for an audition tape.  It's easy, in a big spot, to lose your stuff and go "Gus Johnson-esque" (and the free world knows how I feel about that).  But, to Tom's credit, with the game on the line, he gives an excited, but measure call.  You know who he is rooting for,  but there's no harm there.

The call is here.

Tom also put together a terrific boys basketball highlight reel.  Featuring uptempo music (and props for the music choices), he drops in a few of my play-by-play calls.

Good stuff - watch it here.

So...Yeah

It's not un-American to question why in the hell Major League Baseball is subjecting everyone to these hideous aberrations.  In fact, it's QUITE American!

It is also, of course, about the almighty dollar.

I get that they're supposedly raising money with the sales of such things.  Great.

But I'll leave it to my cousin, Kris, who said it best: "Wish they would leave the uniforms alone and just donate the "profits" from sales on that day."

For me, a sitckler for tradition, I don't want to see the uniform messed with.  Certainly not the Yankees classic uniform.  I will bend, however, when it comes to throwbacks, as I am a fan.

Plus, and this can't be ignored, Memorial Day is about remembering those who perished in battle.

Keep that in mind when you're strolling the open stores on Monday.  Which should be closed.

That's a whole different rant.

Oklahoma

(Photo: Steve Gooch, AP)

The images are stunning.

Moore, OK, a suburb of Oklahoma City, took a fierce punch from a tornado yesterday afternoon.  The numbers have moved around a little bit since it first hit about 24 hours ago.  As I write, the word is that death toll - once as high as 91 - has been revised to 24.  One can hope it goes even lower.

In times like this, we always generally say the same thing: "thoughts and/or prayers." Yes, it seems trite.  Yes, it often seems lame.  Yes, it's a cliche.  Some feel that prayer is useless.  Some feel thoughts and best wishes are worthless.

Yes, action is needed.

But sometimes hopes or prayers or thoughts are all that we have or can offer.

I'm babbling, of course.  I absolutely offer my thoughts and condolences on this day, and won't apologize for it.  For a god-fearing area like Oklahoma, guess what?  There's a large chance they want your prayers today.

Of course, the Red Cross, etc, want donations as well and they'll take any dollar amount.

The truth is that there is no manual for these moments.  People do what they can.  From there you hope their heart is in the right place.

But first things first.  Let the first responders do their job.  May they find more survivors.  May they also find strength.

Let's start there.

Sports at 30

Found!  Thank you, Best Buy in the Poughkeepsie Galleria - May 18, 2013 (RA photo)

You remember certain things.  You know where you were, the date, and other details.

Of course there are the big events - the life-changing ones.

Then there are much smaller, impactful events. Take, for instance, music that blew my mind.

It was 1984. February or March, as I recall. Because we didn't have MTV, I had to record "Friday Night Videos" on VHS every week.  The first show I recorded it featured "Heart and Soul" by Huey Lewis and the News.  I hadn't thought much of them before this.  I knew they did "Do You Believe in Love" back in '82.

The song grabbed me.  Not long after, I was in my room one afternoon when a new song came on WHCN out of Hartford.  The song was called "The Heart of Rock and Roll."

Officially, I was hooked.  I had to get a ride to the Jefferson Valley Mall to but the album (we had our choice - Record Town or Record World).  I went to Record World and bought the cassette.

How could it go wrong?  I already liked two songs, plus "I Want a New Drug." And the title, perfect for a 15 year-old kid who had one thing at the top of the list of things he loved.

Sports.

This band was my kind of group.  Considering everything on the pop/rock scene at that time, they were like a sonic boom.  They had a rock edge but a pop sensibility.  They were old school, embracing the origins of American rock, but also stayed true to the current times.  They seemed like regular guys.

They made great songs.  I would eventually buy their whole catalog, and find rarities, bootlegs, etc.

My siblings fed The Beatles to me.  My sister helped make me a Billy Joel fan.  My brother brought me Led Zeppelin and Lynyrd Skynyrd.  Jazz and big band came from my dad.  My mom had all of the pop smarts from Sinatra forward.

These guys were mine.  This album, which I soon acquired in multiple formats, was mine.

Here it is, almost 30 years after its initial release (which happened on September 15, 1983).

****

New York, New York, isn't everything they say and no place I'd rather be...

The opening line of the album.  The city near where I call home.  A harmonica, good back beat, horns, even a playful video that pays tribute to rock's past.  "The Heart of Rock and Roll" has become a line that we use when talking about the very lifeblood of the genre.

Sports writer Jon Wetheim once called it one of the 10 worst songs ever.

Jon Wertheim is dead to me.  You think I'm kidding?

As I listened to it yesterday, in both the original (remastered) and live (on the included second disc, a recording from 1988 in Cleveland) still sounds great.  It still rocks, and should be played on rock stations (find some guts, radio programmers).  It's still my favorite song.

And Huey Lewis wrote it (along with guitar and saxophone player Johnny Colla) after a concert in Cleveland because he discovered, well, the heart of rock and roll really was in Cleveland, as surprising as that seemed.

By the way, where is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame located?  Yeah...there.

Two o'clock this morning. If she should come a-calling.  I wouldn't dream of turning her away...

"Heart and Soul" is actually a cover song. I didn't know that until much later.  But I found that Exile had recorded the song in 1981.  Huey's version, which rocked it up more, became a big hit.  In fact, all of side one of the cassette/record are songs that most people know.  Beyond that, six of the nine tracks on the album got a lot of radio play. The video was fun also, featuring a party that, well, was interesting.

Back uptown to see Marie.  Nobody home, I open the door with my key. "I love you Huey" was the note I read.  But there's a strange pair of shoes...underneath the bed...

"Bad is Bad" wasn't a single.  Interestingly, they made a video for it, but didn't make one for "Walking on a Thin Line."  Again, you remember things.  I remember seeing the video for the first time at my friend Scott Wilson's house.  Scottie wouldn't be known as Huey fan, but he knew I was.

Huey and keyboardist/bass vocalist Sean Hopper wrote this along with the other members of their band Clover, a country-rock-blues outfit with bad timing.  Punk hit big in England when they were trying to make it big there.  But the seeds for the News were laid here.  The song had multiple iterations.  Dave Edmunds recorded it as a blues tune, which is the way Huey would sometimes play it live (and still does).  Phil Lynott gave it the same treatment (with Huey on harmonica).

On Sports, they took the drum sticks out of Bill Gibson's hands and had him program a drum machine.  Again, take the old and meld it with the new.  It worked for 1984.  I still love it - either way it's played.  They both have their place.

For the 30th anniversary CD, Johnny Colla (who headed up production) chose a great version, recorded in 1987 (on the Fore! tour) in Boston.  It stays true to the record, and Huey plays it up by inserting "clam chowder" where "soul stew" should go.

By the way, Clover was one of those acts who seemed to know people, including Elvis Costello.  Not many people know their music, but they had a small influence.

One that won't make me nervous.  Wondering what to do.  One that makes me feel like I feel when I'm with you...

"I Want a New Drug" was sort of misunderstood.  Sure, it said "drug" in it, but in the Nancy Reagan "Say No to Drugs" 80's, that was a no-no.  The British import said the title of the song was "I Want a New Drug (Called Love)."  Yep, avoid those nasty drug references.  The live version included for the 30th, recorded in Chicago before the album was released, even references that paranoia.

I really loved this song for a while, then I placed it a little lower on my list.  In fact, the band had begun playing it as a medley with the extremely underrated "Small World" (that featured jazz legend Stan Getz on the album in 1988).  But they recently performed it on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," and I felt the song pop again.

Plus Sean was humming it yesterday.  So that works for me.  The video might be - might be - their most famous.  I would offer that Huey putting his face in the sink full of ice is one the 80's more iconic video images.

Sometimes in my bed at night, I curse the dark and I pray for the light.  And sometimes the light's no consolation...

The boys didn't write "Walking On a Thin Line."  It did get released as a single - an ode to Vietnam War veterans. It was probably the most serious, and perhaps the most rocking song on the album.

It was also the only single to not go into the Billboard Top 10.

Used to make me so fed up.  People always asking me.  What are you now that you've grown up?  Exactly what I want to be...

"Finally Found a Home" is an album track.  They played it live, but it wasn't a single.  It's a good song, but it's one of those that the hardcore fans have a soft spot for.

The only video I could find for it was a live version from their "Rockpalast" Germany concert.

Now you're confessing, but I'm still guessing.  I've been your fool for so so long...

It took me a while to get to side two of Sports.  I played the hell out of side one.  In fact, Sports would be the first cassette that I would have to replace because I really did wear it out.  But it wasn't until I heard "If This is It" a little later in '84 that I really began to inhale the entire album.

It's a touch of a classic doo-wop, featuring the band's legendary harmonies, with a guitar solo by Chris Hayes and the pounding keyboards of Sean Hopper.

Again, the video was quite funny, despite the somewhat sad nature of a guy trying to find out if his relationship is really over.

So ends the hits.

With your sunglasses on.  Acting so young.  Only I know what you're really up to. You crack me up...

Track number eight, "You Crack Me Up", written by Huey and bassist Mario Cipollina, was and additional album track that referenced a friend that the two of them knew.  While I think the album is overall a timeless piece of work, this is probably the one track that sounds like 1983.

Apparently there wasn't a live version either, as the band recut the track live in 2012 at the Troutfarm.  It doesn't quite hold up as well.

I stopped into every place in town.  City life has really got me down. I got the honky tonk blues...

Looking back, as a musical historian, the recording of "Honky Tonk Blues" was a stroke of genius.  I say that because, as a band that looked to be a window to the past, playing a Hank Williams song was brilliant.

I don't mean Bocephus - Hank Williams Jr.  I mean his father - who wrote and recorded the song, a major hit, in 1952. 

That's some country music right there.

Charley Pride had a number one hit on the country chart in 1980 with the song.

HLN finished Sports with this track.  It's a quick song (just a little over two minutes long), and keeps the country edge, while still rocking, demonstrating how close the line is between the two genres, especially bluegrass and rock.  The HLN version adds a bridge of piano and changes the arrangement a bit.  It's a worthy successor to the other hit versions.  Huey's old friend (and Clover bandmate) John McFee plays the steel pedal guitar on it.

For the 30th anniversary, as with "You Crack Me Up", the band did a new live version.  John McFee shows up as well, and the song really kicks with some energy.  It's very reminiscent of the original Sports version but comes alive in a new way.  Newer Newsmen John Pierce (bass) and Stef Burns (guitar) step in for Cipollina and Hayes.

****

It's obvious how this album has had an impact on me.

I would go see them for the first time live in 1985 in Middletown, NY.  The live show only enhanced the fascination with the band.  Their energy, their approach, their musicianship, their lack of BS (they just played great music) and their sense of humor won me.

Their 1987 show at Madison Square Garden will, for several reasons, always be my favorite.  The place was rocking.  I felt on top of the world.

It was just one of those things.  That's the only way I can explain it.  The right album at the right time for the right kid.  It still holds for me after all of these years.  It's always on my iPad.  iPod.  On my phone.

It's always near me.  It will always be a part of me.

Scranton

I haven't had the proper time to address the Scranton trip with Sean (and I really don't now, either) but I don't think I need to do a long-winded post to say, simply, "awesome."

All of the pictures are here.

We didn't need this trip to make us closer.  Trust me.  If anything, it enhances our closeness.

I scooped him up straight from school, and his reaction was, well, like any kid.

"Aw..."

He wanted to play with his friends, before remembering that it was the big day of our trip.  We stepped outside, here he did a "punch buggy" on me, seeing a gray one in the parking lot.

Hmmm, I said.  Let's see what happens when I press this button.

His eyes lit up.  That punch buggy was, for that weekend, our punch buggy.

We were in Scranton before 6:00, arriving at the wonderful SpringHill Suites in Moosic.  Sean had never seen such a place, and I've set the bar a lot higher than a Motel 6!

After some coaxing, we went to PNC Field, home of the Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders.  The ballpark was completely rebuilt in 2012, so it had only been opened for a short time when we strolled in - procuring seats behind the first base dugout.

We stayed until the end of the 7th inning, after watching some of the game, walking around the whole place, and visiting the gift shop.  Sean needed a new miniature bat, along with a hat.  Paul Silverfarb (who isn't my son, by the way), also needed a new hat.

Our room had a view of the stadium, with thanks to the nice girl at the front desk.  A perfect vantage point for some fireworks.

 The next day, we went to the main attraction.

Then it was on to Steamtown National Historic Site, where we rode a train.  We looked at trains.  We saw a lot about trains.  And trolleys at the Electric City Trolley Museum. But when you see this face, how can you resist it?

We drove a lot.  We jumped in the pool at SpringHill Suites.  We ate Krispy Kreme and more Waffle House.  We - at Sean's insistence - went to Wawa for sandwiches.  We found the Scranton photo-op sign in the Mall at Steamtown, where we also saw a reference to Dunder Mifflin (of "The Office").

Incidentally, Scranton hosted a big farewell to "The Office" the following week.  They were at PNC Field and partied downtown.  Funny for us to see.

We had Old Forge pizza (not quite New York, but I'm biased).

We went to the really cool Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour.

We talked.  We laughed.  We played.

We had a blast.

Instead of having too much time, we almost ran out of time!  I loved it.  Loved it all.  Hated to go home and I think he did also.

We'll do it again.

It was a priceless experience.

Why We Love Sports - Chapter 1723

Sports Illustrated photo

The Rangers beat the Washington Capitals last night, 5-0, in Game 7 of the Easter Conference quarterfinals.

The significance of this is that it was done in Washington.  It is, quite honestly, shameful to be beaten like that in Game 7, the penultimate game of a series.  The Washington Post has the details.

In a series in which Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist started terribly and finished phenomenally, it was nice to see the offense make life easier for him.

They will next play...the Boston Bruins.

That's where the story really begins.

Great friends Mick McGowan and Tom Oderwald came to "The Press Box" for a fun show.  After, Ryan DeMaria and I joined them for a post-show dinner at Sundown Saloon on Greenwich Ave.  We knew we could have dinner and hopefully watch some hockey.  After securing a table in the bar area, we glanced at the TV's.

Rangers 4, Caps 0...OK, game likely over (and it was, as I said above).

Maple Leafs 4, Bruins 2.  In fact, the game had been 4-1 in favor of Toronto.  In the third period.  In Boston.  In Game 7.  With all of the emotion of recent times in Beantown, sometimes you just run out of steam.  Which, as in Washington, wouldn't be acceptable (again, it's Game 7) but it happens.

Then something wondrous happened.

As in Game 6, the Bruins pulled their goalie, Tuukka Rask, and scored a goal to cut the deficit to one.  In Game 6, it was not enough, and the Leafs held on to force Game 7.

On this night, somewhat miraculously, the story had a different ending.

With just under a minute to play, Patrice Bergeron stuffed the puck past Toronto goalie James Reimer, and the game was tied.  Two goals within approximately a half minute.

Sitting in Greenwich, even I found myself cheering.  I couldn't help myself, and I realized that almost instantly.  I loved the drama - the unlikely notion of a team down three goals (oh, the dreaded three goal lead) in Game 7 coming back to tie it and, ultimately, winning it, as Bergeron netted the big tally in overtime (New York Times).

That's why we love sports.  That reaction.

The look of "holy s***" on Ryan's face.  The "wow's" of Mick and Tom.

Incidentally, fast forward to approximately 4:42 on this video.  It's show from above the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, where fans are watching on a big screen.  The reaction is, well, ugh.  Watch the fans scatter at 2:45 in this one.

As for video, here it is, courtesy CNBC.


But, wait!  There's more!  Deadspin has footage of Jack Edwards calling the game-winner, and Toronto in stunned disbelief.

Deadspin also feels NESN did a bad thing by showing Toronto after the tying goal but, hey, your mileage may vary.

Hey, look, we're not supposed to like Boston in New York.  I get that.  And the Bruins now advance to play the Rangers.  Each team is coming in with energy and momentum.  Each fan base can tell you while they're going to win...or lose (and I heard plenty of the former coming from WFAN as I drove home).

At the same time, we remember September 11 around here.  We remember Mike Piazza.  Tino Martinez.  Derek Jeter.  Scott Brosius.

We - Mets fans, Yankees fans, etc, let out an amazing noise thanks to each of these men.

Some are calling this a monumental moment in Boston sports history and, given the Marathon bombing of just a month ago, I can't really argue.  But I'd like to let it breathe before we do that.  It was a conference quarterfinal game.  There's a long way to go, but still, oh my goodness.

Maybe we can add Patrice Bergeron to the list of legends.

With all that being said, it's on, Boston.  Game 1 is Thursday.

And, oh how I wish the late Pat Turk was around for this series.  Mother versus son.  Pat and her much-despised "King" Henrik, against Harold's B's.  Oh...baby.  Just saying.  That would have been fun.

Upon seeing Bergeron score, I posted the famous words of Jack Buck to Harold's Facebook page: "I don't believe what I just saw!"

May 6th

Yankee Stadium, May 9, 2012

It was one year ago today that Lisa and I finally went on a real first date.  Oh yeah, we met for a few coffees (or chai tea) back in 2009/2010, but there wasn't really a feel of a "date" to those times.  It was simply "see ya at Starbucks" and talk.  Something was off.  We weren't ready.

We each went our separate ways and said an occasional hello to each other.  By April, 2012, we were both single again.  So we talked on the phone, picked up where we left off, and decided to go out - on May 6.

I remember it being fairly simple.  Nothing fancy.  A jeans and polo shirt kind of night.  I remember we had trouble finding each other at first.  I was parked in one area.  She was waiting in another.

We went for a walk through a park and grabbed dinner at a diner ("You're buying tonight," she said.  "It's our first date.").  Then a stop at CVS for Twizzlers and onto my first drive-in movie (the awful Zach Effron flick, The Lucky One, and jeez, I don't even remember the second one - some horror thing that we left 20 minutes in).

We made fun of the movies.

I remember there was a nice tension to the night.  What was this?  Was this for real?  After saying good night (awkwardly, I recall), I waited maybe 10 minutes before texting her to say I had a good time.

That, she told me later on, was smart.

By the time of our second date - a Yankees game that I wasn't initially invited to but a ticket opened up for me - it seemed clear that we kind of liked each other.

And so it went from there.  Camping.  Hiking.  Shopping.  Cape Cod.  Florida.  Movies.  TV.  Just talking.

Soon...Virginia Beach.

We laugh.  Nothing means more to me than that.  The laughter.

Truthfully, we're still learning each other.  For us, that means real life.  My quirks.  Hers.  She has no use for sports (unless she's playing them and, therefore, kicking my ass in them).  I live for them.  I love to shop but breeze through a store quickly.  She's meticulous and looks at everything.

Real life meant job loss (mine - damn layoff).  It means death and sickness and money and trying to get vacation time and time apart and working multiple jobs and family and a child and...

I want people to get to know her better.  Crowds aren't her thing (see: last year's overwhelming congregation at Cardinal Stadium on Thanksgiving).  She's smart.  Funny.  Attractive.

Real.

Sadly, we won't see each other today, thanks to my ragged schedule.  "The Press Box" is tonight.  I also have to work tomorrow, Wednesday, and Thursday nights also.

Ugh.

Even if my schedule was easy, I'm battling a nasty cold.  Listen to tonight's show and you might be able to hear it for yourself.  That kept us apart over the weekend.

But she's always in my thoughts.  Always.

And here we are.  One year later.

My Last Days: Meet Zach Sobiech

Chances are, you don't remember Zach Sobiech, who I introduced you to here.

But you should.  He's extraordinary.  And you should watch this.  Because, for 22 minutes, it's uplifting, heart-wrenching, sad, happy, funny, and cute.

So watch.  Please.


Thanks.

What Has Happened?

Remember this?


Part of a great marketing plan by the Yankees and Adidas in the late 90's.  These spots were brilliant - absolutely hysterical.  I can remember being among family and friends and everything coming to a dead stop when these commercials came on.  Not only were the Yankees dominating on the field (125-50 in 1998, anyone?), but off the field, they were connecting with the public.

Here's another one.  This one was completely brilliant.


Not only is David Cone great in the "lead" role, but the classic delivery from Luis Sojo: "Hey, Coney, why don't YOU have a dance?"  And note - briefly - the presence of former Yankee Clay Bellinger to the right of Sojo.  According to something I read, Cone wanted him in the spot to get him some extra cash.

I interviewed Cone several years ago.  Very likeable.  Really good guy.

All of this is apropos of nothing.  Just an indication that times, just like the overpriced ballpark, have changed.  A further note that the current team is that much tougher to warm up to.

Moving on...

Baseball Broadcasting

This is Graham McNamee.  Every sports broadcaster should know his name.

This makes Rob happy.

Very.

Happy.

My good friends at PCTV76.org, Tom Prizeman and Shane McGaffey, put the broadcast online of Pleasantville's baseball victory over Hastings.

Tom and I called the action, with Shane doing his usual fabulous job on camera.

It was the first baseball game I had called in almost three years, when I did the Renegades and Brooklyn Cyclones, a day after calling the Gades and Staten Island Yankees.

There was a little rust, but it felt good.

I miss it like you have no idea.  Unless you are a loyal reader of this blog, in which case you probably know I have probably whined about not calling baseball incessantly.

I've got one more game scheduled with Tom for the spring season.

The Mary Higgins Clark Article

My story with the wonderful Mary Higgins Clark has made it to web.

It got edited, very slightly, from the initial version due to space restraints.  I don't think I need to get the unedited version up, since I feel you'll get the point if you are so inclined to read it.

I worked in references to Don Imus and the New York Yankees.

That makes me a happy person.

This, along with Tom Coughlin, has been my favorite story to write (since joining the Bulletin).  Coming on Thursday (in print), I profile a band made up of high school students that got a favorable review from my editor.  So there's that.

Ready to Travel!

It's no secret that I love me some Waffle House.  In fact, as much as I wish they would open one nearby, it's probably for the best.

Therefore, it sets up the opportunity for a road trip.

At Sean's request.

Tomorrow, after school, we will hit the road for a late birthday present.  Yes, I know, his birthday is in February.  Hear me out.

Sean has been yelling at me to take him back to WH for a while.  Believe me, having lived through the horror of watching Lisa eat at one in Florida with her equally horrified parents (and their mocking of me), I know to choose my Waffle House companions carefully.

The Scranton, PA area has not one, but two (Moosic and Clarks Summit).  But there needed to be more to this trip to make it worth it, right?

Yup.  Trains.  Steamtown National Historic Site.  Plus the Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour.  Plus the Electric City Trolley Museum.  And Krispy Kreme donuts.  And (rebuilt) PNC Field, home of the Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders.  And pizza in Old Forge.

And, if that wasn't enough, Sean said, and I quote: "Can we go to Wawa?"

I'll find one (actually, I found two, off of Interstate 80)!

All of this is his doing.  His trip.  Not mine.  OK, maybe it's our trip.

Trains. trolleys. Swimming.  A hotel (not sure the last time he stayed in one).  ROADS!  Win! Win!

Sean feels like he's living large!

And we're going alone.  I was told Lisa could go (alas she has to work).  Otherwise, he wanted this to be him and Daddy.

Initially, I thought maybe we'd make it a day trip.  Then I toyed with the idea of grabbing a room via Priceline.

But no.  I've booked us a room at the SpringHill Suites Scranton (in the back yard of PNC Field).  For our wheels, I've rented a car via Enterprise (at a crazy good price).  Again, he had a say in all of this.

For those who know the area, I could have stayed at the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel but, with the exception of the lobby, it's not obvious that you're staying in an old train station.  If you see the outside of the building and walk around in the lobby, you get the idea.  Plus the price isn't great.  Plus parking.  Plus it honestly didn't blow me away when I stayed there a year ago.  However it was the place where some of the idea of this trip began.

So we'll visit that.

But the calendar worked against us.  We were aiming for mid-March, but discovered the coal mine (which stays pretty cool) didn't open until April 1.  Then I saw that neither the trains or trolleys weren't having riders until late April.  Oh, and I don't see Sean every weekend (though, to his mothers credit, we probably could have worked something out).

So this weekend was truly the first opportunity to go and have the full effect.  Sean has been very patient.

I'm pumped.  Excited.  Thrilled.

I know, some may scoff.  How could we go to Scranton?  Home of "The Office."  Home of...er...not much.  Why not go somewhere else?  Somewhere more glamorous?

It's about the experience.  And hey, I found some cool things to do.  True Americana!

It's reminiscent of a trip I took to Ohio back in 1999.  My brother and two of his kids drove out and met us.  We went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  I went to Pro Football Hall of Fame.  We went to a big basket building!  I drove the Y Bridge of Zanesville!

We drove into Pittsburgh and I visited Three Rivers Stadium and saw the four (at the time) shiny Lombardi Tropies! (In case you need a reminder, they have six now.)

I loved it.  Loved. Loved. Loved it.

It doesn't have to be big for me to make me happy.  It's about the adventure.

Next month, Lisa and I are going to Virginia Beach.  We'll be road tripping for that too.

Sean won't be with us (damn school and all) but I still can't wait.  Beach.  Maybe baseball (Norfolk...we'll see).  Beach.  Roads.  Beach.  Food and fun (and I'll sneak out for Waffle House and Krispy Kreme).

(And yes, I'm quite aware that a great place called Richmond has Waffle House - excuse me, Waffle HOUSES - and Krispy Kreme and Wawa.  I want to get there, too!)

Kars4Kids

If you live around New York (or apparently anywhere else in the country), you know the song.

"One-eight-seven-seven Kars for Kids. K-A-R-S Kars for Kids. One-eight-seven-seven Kars for Kids. Donate your car today."

The original song, which serves as a commercial for a firm that receives used cars for donations to Jewish children and their families, is played numerous times throughout the day on radio stations. They also sponsor things such as the Yankees Radio Network (heard in New York on WCBS 880).

In other words, turn on the radio in New York and you hear it. A. Lot.  Like "Jack and Diane" a lot.

Now, I get it.  When I'm not writing, I'm still handling the programming logs for the Business Talk Radio Network and Lifestyle Talk Radio Network. I've been known to schedule certain spots, such as Geico, 55 times a day.

In their case, Geico has a rotation of commercials featuring the Gecko, Maxwell the pig, and others.

In the case of Kars4Kids, there are only two spots that I've heard. The original, and a newer rock version.

They're both, well, they're both, er, something.

If you haven't heard it, a boy sings the first verse, and a man (sounding like he's trying to be Johnny Cash) sings the second verse. After an announcer reads the details, they return and sing together.

In radio parlance, it is a classic "doughnut" commercial with singing surrounding the actual commercial read.  I practiced many of these at Connecticut School of Broadcasting.

At one time, I would sing the song in front of Sean and he would scream at me. I eventually tired of it myself. Where I would once turn it up loudly on the radio just to get a reaction from Sean, it soon became a battle to see who could turn the radio off the fastest.

It's like "Name that Tune," in that I can turn off the Kars4Kids commercial in one note!

So earlier this week, as I drove to pick Sean up from school for our weekly dinner, I heard the commercial during the Mike Francesa show (aka "Mike's On" or whatever he's calling it) on WFAN.

I decided to take to Twitter (when I wasn't driving) to write.

I truly loathe the Kars for Kids commercials. #StopNow.
— Rob Adams (@double5) April 23, 2013

I didn't tag them. Didn't direct it at them. But damned if they didn't search and find it.

@double5 sorry to hear that, maybe this article will make you feel better kars4kids.us/tejw0Y :-)
— Kars4Kids (@Kars4kids) April 23, 2013

The link they included was priceless.

What else could I say?

@kars4kids Well played.Truly well played.
— Rob Adams (@double5) April 23, 2013

A fellow Yankees fan, known on Twitter as YankeeMegs, reached out to me to say the song has also caused a similar reaction between her and her son, leading Kars4Kids to send her a pair of earbuds.

I mean, seriously, what else can you say, except bravo for having a sense of humor?

By the way, if you even slightly believe you're a Yankees fan, follow Megs now. Don't think twice.  go to Twitter, set up an account, and follow her. Whether you're a Yankees fan or not. She's cool, and tweets to everyone. And she knows her stuff.

And she has camped in a volcano.

There are reasons she has nearly 5,000 followers (just a mere, oh, LOT more than me).

But back to Kars4Kids. While the commercial will still drive me (there's a bad pun in there) to still change the station (and I'm mostly listening to satellite anyway), I have to say that, with a sense of humor, they've made a fan.

A laugh goes a long way. Especially the ability to laugh at oneself.

Well played indeed.