WHAT?????

From Peter Abraham this morning:

For those of you waiting for No. 21 to get retired, Morgan Ensberg has it.

Other than the retired numbers, the only numbers not assigned are 6, 51, 69, 98 and 99.

That's the first time since 2001 that 21 has been assigned and it gets handed to Morgan-freakin'-Ensberg?

For those who don't know, Paul O'Neill was 21.

In other Yankees news, Legends Field (the Yankees spring training home) has been renamed George M. Steinbrenner Field. I think "Steinbrenner Field" would do just fine (that's probably what it will be called). Before you say it, Big Stein did not initiate it. From the press release:

The name change follows two unanimous resolutions recommending and supporting the change by the Hillsborough County Commission and the Tampa City Council.

But do you all know what this means? Pitchers and catchers have reported, baby! It's like spotting the first robin. Spring is around the corner. And, for just a few moments, we can worry about real things, like where Joba will pitch, who will play first, and can the Bombers really win championship number twenty-seven.

In other words, we don't necessarily have to think about Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee.

Oh, and I'll keep this simple. Sorry, Rog; I think you're guilty. Andy Pettitte went the honesty-meets-Sammy "The Bull" Gravano-route. It would be much better if you had just said "my bad" in the first place. You'd be linked with steroids forever, but all would likely be forgiven (ala Andy himself). And can we please keep partisan politics out of baseball? JesusGod! The Republicans killed McNamee (and gee, isn't he just loaded with credibility?) and the Democrats were all over Clemens. Find some balls (no pun intended) and speak your conscience.

What a sideshow.

Happy Valentine's Day...or Whatever

I was going to post a list of anti-Love songs just for shites and giggles, headed by the mother of them all, "Love Stinks" by the J. Geils Band. Fortunately, the folks at Stuck in the 80's beat me to the punch.

The only difference is that theirs is all 80's songs. Some good choices there though (like "I Don't Care Anymore" by Phil Collins). So I looked on my iPod, and came up with a few goodies:

- Sitting, Waiting, Wishing (Jack Johnson)
- So Little Kindness (Huey Lewis and the News)
- But It's Alright (also Mr. Lewis and the News)
- Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac)
- With Or Without You (U2, and yes, I know you could call it a love song, but there's some real deep shite going on in this song)
- Already Gone (The Eagles, and I defy you to not blast it)
- My Favorite Mistake (Sheryl Crow)
- Cuts Like a Knife (Bryan Adams)
- Lyin' Eyes (The Eagles)
- Cruel to Be Kind (Nick Lowe)
- The Heart of the Matter (Don Henley...flat-out depressing)
- In the Air Tonight (Phil Collins - great song, brutal message)
- and, of course, the brilliant "Song for the Dumped" by Ben Folds (I especially enjoy the live "You F**king Wh*re" version).

This is not to say that I am anti-Valentine's Day, or anti-love. In fact, I wore a red shirt, and socks that are red (notice the way I phrased that?) to be in the spirit of things. It's one thing when you don't have love in your heart and you pop on the red shoes, sweater and so on. It's another when you are a loving person. That's me in the latter category.

So basically, I'm just having some fun here.

Maybe I should post pictures of Erin Andrews, but no, that ain't my style. Anyway I hope you have lots of love today and enjoy Valentine's Day, presented by Hallmark.

I won't bother asking for your choices, as my recent post on road trip songs got...exactly...one...response (thanks, Sean).

Oh, and if you want a Valentine's Day of woe, have a look at the rough day on Mr. Timothy Parry is having. Yet alas (doesn't that word sound romanitc?), Mrs. Parry is not bothered by his dilemma. I once had to work a hockey game on Valentine's Day, and The Wife took it like a champ. Yep, good times...

Sox Trophy Comes to Westchester

The mayor of Larchmont, NY - almost in the shadow of da Bronx (home of the 26-time World Champions) had the World Series trophy come to town.

That would be the trophy of the world champion Boston Red Sox.

Me thinks I wouldn't be so thrilled if they had strolled the trophy into Mahopac Junior High School. I have a feeling I'd react almost like this man:

"I was aggravated when I heard it," said David Dileo of White Plains, a Yankees fan who didn't deign to come see the trophy and wasn't thrilled with (Mayor Liz) Feld over the trophy's visit.

Then again, to the victor goes the spoils, so whatever. But still, could you imagine taking a Yankees trophy to, say, Brookline?

Flashback

The year was 2002 - August 3rd, to be exact. WGCH was under their previous ownership, and the busy sports department was in the midst of a crazy year that saw us broadcasting so many things. Among the highlights:

- All Greenwich hockey, basketball, and baseball games.
- Trinity Catholic's state championship loss to Northwest Catholic in basketball.
- Greenwich football.
- Rye-Harrison football, plus Harrison's run through the state playoffs, and eventual state championship.
- The GYFL Championships (from the back of a flatbed truck).
- Wall-to-wall coverage of the Buick Classic golf tournament, which was won by Chris Smith, who knew us and even mentioned us during his press conference on The Golf Channel.
- Coverage of the national Babe Ruth World Series from Stamford, including reports in the opening rounds and play-by-play of the quarters, semis, and championship.
- No less than THREE Sports talk shows: "Tee Time" (golf, obviously), "The Press Box" (general sports talk), and "Spotlight on Sports with Rob Adams" (self-explanatory).

In short, we called a total of approximately 110 games. Not bad for a little ol' community radio station. Compare that to 2007, when we did 21. Uh-huh.

Anyway, I bring this all up simply because while going through my DVD's, I stumbled across this video from our coverage of...drumroll, please!...Bridgeport Bluefish baseball! And that brings me back to August 3rd. Through a little fancy-talk, we worked our way into a special day at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard, in which regular folks got to take batting practice, shag fly balls, and basically live the experience of playing ball. No, we didn't play a game but for a couple of hours, we felt like we did.

Mark, Harold, Ian and I played catch in the outfield and took our hacks in the cage against John Dorman, who was an infielder for the 'Fish at the time. Mark and Harold definitely showed their athletic ability, and I'm happy to say that I didn't suck (despite the swing in the above photo). After we cleaned ourselves up, we headed up to the booth to call the first game of a doubleheader between the Bluefish and the Nashua Pride.

Following the completion of game one came our big moment - throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. As you watch the video, listen carefully, as I carried a cordless microphone with me to describe the action for the listeners on WGCH.

With our families in the house (including baby Sean), we lived arguably our biggest baseball moment.

Ah, good times. Such memories.

Updated Thoughts on the New Stadium

Eve Roytshteyn/MLB.com

The Yankees held a walk-through for the media in the new Yankee Stadium this week and no, I wasn't one of them. I did however read the thoughts of Yankees beat writer Peter Abraham, who did a kind of FAQ
about the new building and the surrounding area. The note that bothered me the most was this:

The old Stadium: It will be torn down in the spring of 2009 and converted into a public park. Plans calls for 12,000 trees to be planted in the shape of the stadium. There will be a baseball field, a softball field and a Little League field. But outside of the warning track, no footprint of the field will remain. The city of New York owns the old stadium and will be responsible for taking it down and selling off seats and other things.

This was the first time I had seen this for certain, and I now think that there are those who must pay for an asinine decision. I watched friends nearly weep over the loss of the Boston Garden, as well as Ebbets Field, the Polo Grounds, and on and on. Has NOBODY learned? Does nobody have at least enough of a clue to recognize that - at BARE MINIMUM - the site of home plate from the old Stadium should be maintained?

The thinking seemed to be so simple (which we don't seem to do well in New York) - leave the shell of the old Stadium to act as a ballpark to host high school games, championships, and other league games, as well as serving as a National Historic Landmark. But once again, in the name of the almighty dollar and the bitching, whining NIMBY/PC jerk, the most famous building in the HISTORY OF SPORTS must be reduced to rubble. A memory.

A park. Whoopie. The old Stadium could have - and should have - been integrated into that park.

The folks bitching about that stuff amazes me. They would rather live in a dilapidated tenement with crumbling infrastructure than have something, you know, nice in the neighborhood.

But WAIT! They'll make sure to bring the monuments to the new place.

Why oh why is it that Wrigley Field AND Fenway Freakin' Park (both built BEFORE the Stadium) can modernize but Yankee Stadium can't? All for luxury boxes?

I don't know who it is that I want to blame - the Steinbrenners? Bloomberg? Giuliani? Arrogance? Power? Greed? The fans? Clemens? Canada?

OK, that last one is a "South Park" reference. Never mind.

Joking and trying to be positive about the great experience in the new ballpark is the only way that I can hide how pissed I am about this. And Abraham says they've already discovered DESIGN FLAWS in the new place, including in the center field bar/restaurant area, where the view of the field isn't all that great. Tell me, what REAL design flaws were there in the old place? Fine, it was cramped and it could take a while to get a hot dog, but whatever. It NEVER bothered me - EVER! I didn't go to Yankee Stadium for the conveniences. I went for the GAME. Later on, I went for the game and to see my friends - and to show my son this majestic place that was so close to my heart. And apparently EIGHT MILLION of you thought that the old place with the bad roads and no Metro North station was OK, because that's how many of you went through the turnstiles over the past two seasons.

I was keeping a stiff upper lip on the demise of the only place that, outside of my own house, ever felt like home to me - largely because I thought the ass-hats in charge of this farce had the brains to keep enough of the footprint of Yankee Stadium (the REAL one) alive.

Please don't argue the "what's there isn't really Yankee Stadium" debate with me. You'll just sound stupid, and you'll make the ghosts really angry.

Now tell me this. Through the efforts of my cousin, I will be able to go into the old building in 2008, as he kept my season ticket package alive. So with that said, as a loyal ticket holder of 11 seasons, how am I going to get into the new building in '09 anyway? Since I heard that the new Stadium is $500 MILLION over budget, I can only imagine that one will need to take out a mortgage to buy tickets.

This quote slays me:

Moreover, the Yankees COO (Lonn Trost) said the construction cost will exceed the announced $830 million by a half billion. In the name of tradition, the successor to The House That Ruth Built and John Lindsay refurbished will cost $1.3 billion to build.

The cost is for the Yankees to calculate, meet and privately lament. "We'll make it up some way," said Trost.

Yeah, you'll make it up by charging $300 for bleacher seats, and $25 for hot dogs.

It's finally happened. My blood has started to boil about this whole thing. Nothing I can do about it, and probably nothing that I want to do about it. Perhaps the only thing I might do is change to a Minor League ticket plan in 2009. I'm sure the Hudson Valley Renegades or the (Independent) Bridgeport Bluefish - two teams I've broadcast for at one time or another - would happily let me buy a ticket plan.

Perhaps then Sean can have a good baseball experience with the chance to enjoy the innocence and pure passion that the game of baseball can give from a fan's perspective.

Make Me Laugh

When I see something that makes me laugh out loud, it immediately becomes blog-worthy. This site has a bunch of goodness that will hopefully make you chuckle, as these couple of pictures did for me.


Lose the Super Bowl, the Patriots will. Yes, hmmm.

And Even MORE Radio News

All Access just emailed the following in a "Special Bulletin":

PD TRACY CLOHERTY is out at CBS Alternative WXRK (92.3 K-ROCK)/NEW YORK

After just over 7 months as PD at WXRK/NEW YORK, TRACY CLOHERTY is out. This comes on a day of major change at CBS RADIO, with cuts in several clusters across the country.

OK, now in layman's terms. A "PD" is the Program Director; the one who is responsible for what you hear on the air. Cloherty was supposed to bring an edge to K-Rock, as she was a programming wiz over at Hot 97. Yet with "budget cutting" being the reason, what is not being said is that K-Rock is a toal disaster. And it only got worse with 101.9 RXP jumping into the New York rock scene. While I was very unimpressed with RXP's first hour, I'm hearing some promise in their mix of music - a decidedly better selection than K-Rock's.

Let me bottom line this news for you - K-Rock is on the verge of being finished again. The most likely scenario is for country to make it's return to the New York airwaves. My suggestion for those of you who are devastated at the possible demise of K-Rock's mix of suicidal tunes and other drivel? Switch over to The Peak or RXP before it's too late. Or buy an iPod. Or satellite radio.

Will Bob Sheppard Return?

Troubling news from Richard Sandomir in the New York Times this morning:

Bob Sheppard, the Yankees’ distinctive public-address announcer since 1951, who missed the division series last October because of a bronchial infection, “is struggling to recover his health,” a spokesman for the Yankees, Howard Rubenstein, said Wednesday.

The team “hopes he can return to the booth,” Rubenstein added.

It scares me that Big Stein's personal mouthpiece released this statement. It indicates to me that things might be really bad.

Let's hope for good health for Mr. Sheppard, and that he's introducing the lineups on Opening Day both this year and in 2009 at the new Stadium.

The rest of the article, along with notes on the return of David Cone to the YES broadcast team, is here.

Welcome Back, Dicke V

I've never professed to be a Dick Vitale fan. As a broadcaster, he can just be tough to listen to. But his passion is amazing, and I have heard that he is a remarkably nice man. I respect all of that.

Oh, he's also a Yankees fan. Not that that makes or breaks him.

Dickie V returned to ESPN tonight after having surgery to remove lesions from his vocal cords. Thankfully those lesions proved to be benign. Vitale is on the call of tonight's Duke-North Carolina game in Chapel Hill with Mike Patrick, and having watched the first half, I have to hit the cliché machine!

It's awesome, BABY!

For you Connecticut sports fans, the game features one of "our" own - Dave McClure from Ridgefield, who attended Trinity Catholic High School in Stamford. I got to call a few of McClure's games on WGCH - including a brutal state championship loss and a thrilling one-point win at Greenwich, on a lay-in at the buzzer by McClure.

Sticking in college hoops, I have great respect for the hard-as-nails coach. You know who I'm talking about - Parcells, Lombardi, and yes, Robert Montgomery Knight. Here's hoping that Coach Knight either enjoys retirement, or returns soon in a situation that works for him. For all of his "issues", he's a winner with very old-fashioned values. Those are the types that I always responded the best to, perhaps because they put the fear of God in me. I have all the respect in the world for the man at the other end of the spectrum - the Wizard of Westwood, Mr. John Wooden (noted Yankees fan, I might add).

Oh, how about some high school hoops? Who's the giant killer in the state of Connecticut right now? I'll give you a hint - I call some of their games on WGCH! Earlier in the season, the Cardinals of Greenwich knocked off Harding. Then last Friday they shocked Trinity Catholic. Last night, they not only beat St. Joseph, but they won by 11 (and you heard it on WGCH). Next comes Bridgeport Central. No easy task.

Not All of Boston is Like This

First it was Belichick (along with Randy Moss) leaving the field before the end of the Super Bowl. Now (courtesy of Kissing Suzy Kolber...again), we find this:Are you kidding me? I don't have a problem with the report that a grown man was sobbing, but I DO have a problem with the police not allowing the camera in the bars in Kenmore Square, and with the bars themselves for putting paper on the windows. Hey, you ahss clowns(notice the Boston accent there?)! I'm sure you'd be all-too-friekin'-happy to have the cameras paying you a visit for a big-ol' happy championship time (you know, like last October for the Sawx, or maybe if 19-0 had happened, or when and if the Celts finish their great season, or if the Bruins...no, I just can't. Sorry, Harold. I want to...I really really want to say the B's will win the Cup someday. But for the love of Dit Clapper, I just can't. I don't want to jinx it).

Phew...sorry...my bad. Anyway, bad job, Beantown. I'm always defending The Hub for being such great sports fans (yes, even Sox fans), but those around Kenmore Square fumbled the ball on this one. Ooh...did I say "fumble?"

Um...Yeah...

I just found this via Kissing Suzy Kolber. I laughed at it, but I'm also a little uncomfortable...



I was deeply tempted to say that this was video of people I know, but I honestly don't. Besides, I don't think Mick, Sean, Tommy, Matt, and Tim (among others) would appreciate it. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

More Radio News

After 20 years, CD 101.9 in New York has changed formats - from soft jazz to what's being described as a mix of classic rock and new music (more formerly known as AAA - Adult Album Alternative). In other words, they're a challenger to 107.1, The Peak.

They've already posted their first hour of music:

1.The Velvet Underground - Rock and Roll
2.REM - Supernatural Superserious
3.Elvis Costello - Pump It Up
4.Tom Petty - Mary Jane's Last Dance
5.Blondie - Call Me
6.The Bravery - Believe
7.Bruce Springsteen - Blinded By The Light
8.The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize
9.U2 - Angel Of Harlem
10.Nickelback - Rockstar
11.Red Hot Chili Peppers - Zephyr Song
12.The Black Crowes - Hard To Handle
13.The Killers - Somebody Told Me

Frankly, I'm unimpressed. If you're going to put Nickleback in this mix, then The Peak has nothing to worry about. At best, this hour of music is lackluster. Sure, I love Bruce, and REM, and playing the Velvet Underground is cool, but that's about it. You're going to choose "Angel of Harlem" to be the first song to represent U2?

I appreciate variety, but be careful. Nickleback is a one-way ticket to nobody's-listening-ville.

I'll reserve judgment beyond that. The New York radio landscape is in a little bit of flux right now, with this and more. It's exciting and crazy all at once.

Fan-friggin-tastic!

-Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Disclaimer - My friend, Nick Angotto, is a Patriots fan. I don't wish to hurt him, Mark Rosen, Lindsey Romeo, or my other friends (the real ones) who are Pats fans. They're classy; others are not.

First of all, I was wrong, and I'm so friggin happy about that!

As Super Bowl Sunday began, I believed that I really didn't have a solid rooting interest. Sure, I felt that I wanted the Giants to win, especially since the Patriots have denied the Steelers a few times, but kept that boiling under the surface. Yet as the day, and the game, went along, the fever began to rise. First - my son - my nearly six-year-old son - was rooting for the Giants (remember, that was his T-ball team). That was enough to make me care for the Giants, and should have been enough for everyone.

Still, I found myself holding my emotions in. "Let's just have a good game", I said. Yet when Eli Manning found Plaxico Burress, I lept up and yelled "suck it" (sorry - not my best moment). Truth is - I don't dislike Tom Brady, and I don't hate the Patiots, so what was going on? Suddenly, and without warning, it had become personal. I can't tell you why; you'll just have to trust me. Seven months - no, a year - of hell had crystallized. The Super Bowl wasn't going to change anything, but for a moment, there was a happiness that felt awfully good. I could only be happier if I was a full-on Giants fan, which I'm not.

I also suddenly felt myself bursting with pride - for the Giants (who once called Yankee Stadium home), for Sean (that would be "The Son"), for the city of New York, and for the metropolitan area. I was happy for the Giants fans that I know - for Matt Hamilton and Tim Parry, for Sean Kilkelly, and for my childhood friends who were big fans. I only hoped that Big Blue could hold on and pull it off.

They did.

Giants fans sit in the big three of New York's most loyal (Yankees, Rangers, and the G-men). They're great - and I called two of them last night. Matt sounded like he was in total shock. His dad flew out from Connecticut to watch the game with him at Mizzou. Tim was the total opposite - completely gleeful. Good for them.

I do feel for the loyal Pats fans (Nick and so on). Not the ones that tell you they're such...huge...fans...yet couldn't name you any member of the team beyond Brady, Belichick and Moss.

Regarding the game itself, the great Brady goofed when they scored with 2:42 play. I said, and you can ask those who were with me, that Eli Manning is at his best in the two-minute drill. I actually believed that the Giants could pull it off.

Oh, my thoughts on the game and broadcast? My quick impressions are that I thought FOX had a very good call, with two pros in Joe Buck and Troy Aikman at the controls. Parts of the pregame went just fine, while others were like watching paint dry (um...Seacrest?). Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers set was largely predictable - I said they'd play three songs and they did four. Three of those songs came from one album - Tom Petty's SOLO album! Still, they rocked. "I Won't Back Down" is an anthem for us all to live by.

The commercials were OK. A few funny ones, and a lot of so-so at best. Average stuff overall.

FOX did a nice job of laying low on "Manning overkill." I only saw Peyton a few times, and don't even know where Archie was. The overall celebrity shots (during the game) were kept to a minimum. I felt like they were content to let the game tell the story, and that was reflected in Buck's call. While they don't seem to like that style over at Awful Announcing, preferring the orgasmic ways of Gus Johnson, it suited last night just fine.

Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated weighs in with his grades here.

Incidentally, Awful Announcing also prolaimed David Tyree's fourth quarter miracle catch as the best in Super Bowl history. Again - why does everything have to be an instant classic? Let it breathe, people. No, Tyree's catch was not the best - ever heard of a guy named Swann? - and this game was not the best ever (three quarters of yawning, one quarter of electricty). That does not diminish either item. Tyree's catch (and Eli Manning's running out of a sack) should become legendary, as should the game itself.

I've also heard a few radio calls from Marv Albert (on Westwood One's) and WFAN's Bob Papa (who once called high school games on WFAS in White Plains) and they were good - especially Papa's (despite Dick Lynch's stepping on his call - breaking rule number one of the play-by-play/analyst relationship).

Lastly, what was up with Belichick running of the field BEFORE the game was over? It's called sportsmanship, Bill. I don't care much about the Spygate thing, but I do care about you staying on the field long enough to properly shake hands with Tom Coughlin.

So where will this Super Bowl rank? I've gotta think about that.

Congrats again, Giants, and thanks. And thanks to Lauren and Anthony for putting on a GREAT Super Bowl party. The food was amazing (and Anthony's father's chili was mega-hot!) and the drinks were cold. Sorry about my little outburst...

Now - bring on baseball!

Is Nothing Sacred?

I give up. I do. I never thought I'd see the day when Don Mattingly and his wife were done. Donnie Baseball apparently filed for divorce in November (hadn't heard about that), but seemed to be all set to join Joe Torre in LaLa Land. Then Mattingly stepped down from a full-time gig with the Dodgers - for family reasons. He will stay with the Dodgers as a special assignment coach.

Now this has come out.

It seems few marriages can survive anymore. I may curl up in a fetal position if Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson ever split.

Giants Win!

I was wrong - and I'm happy!

I have thoughts about the game, but I'm going to sleep on it.

Congrats, Giants!

Joe Montana: Jerk?

I never thought of Joe Montana as a bad guy, but I guess he had a bad moment.

Read here.

It just reminds me that athletes are human and allowed to be off their game. Many of the ones I've spoken to or interviewed have been fine (though Dan Marino kind of snarled at me - it was my fault for fumbling on a question), and some have been amazingly nice (do the names Bradshaw and Murcer sound familiar?).

So say it ain't so, Lord Joe!?

Couple o' High School Sports Notes

As I've mentioned before, WGCH has a contractual agreement to carry Fairfield University basketball. It's a necessary evil in this day - much for the same reasons that WCBS (880 AM) - an otherwise news station - carries Yankees broadcasts, or more so, why WABC (770 - a talk station) carries things like Seton Hall basketball. It's a business decision.

Unfortunately, these decisions mean that high school sports get the short end. I have thoughts on things like this - including if more sponsors/families/fans stand up and scream, more games would get on the air. I'm not a salesman; I'm a broadcasters and somewhat of a public relations guy. The thought of trying to be a salesman makes me ill.

I do, however, think we could utilize the internet far more. That's something that I think the schools/booster clubs/and individuals can do, and if I ever get some freakin' money again, I will do. It's not a money making idea for me (ala Sporting News CT - which is their right, and it should be), it's a chance to make my passion for broadcasting into a whole new enterprise. But enough about that...for now.

On Friday, Greenwich hosted Trinity Catholic in basketball. When I saw the schedule, I knew that I wanted to call that game, but couldn't because of our commitment to Fairfield (and trust me when I say we can NOT have any conflicts with Fairfield - one word - Naples - and I can't say anything more). Now trust me when I say that the past Greenwich-Trinity matchups haven't been great (save for the epic one-point TCHS win in 2002, when Dave McClure hit at the buzzer - INSANITY!), but I felt this game had some buzz.

My broadcast partner, Dave Chiappeta, made a last-ditch effort to have us call the game on the internet, but those efforts came up empty. So as Friday night came, I found myself working late at the home office of BTR (that's the Business Talk Radio Network). I had given thought of stopping by to watch some of the game, because I just had a feeling, yet thought Trinity would win. Well...

...Greenwich 56, Trinity 55. Clay Graham tapped home the winner with seven seconds to play. Congrats to the Cards.

Fortunately, we have Greenwich hosting St. Joe's (another top-ranked team) this Tuesday night at Greenwich High School. Dave, Nick Angotto, and I (with the nearly-legendary Sean Kilkelly in the studio) will join you at 6:50 pm.

On another front, we called a tough loss in hockey as Brunswick fell to Pingree yesterday, 5-3. During that game, we were told that Greenwich goalie Johnny Rogers was out with a bad case of mononucleosis, and wouldn't play against Darien. We reported it, feeling our info was pretty good. Then we awoke this morning to the news that Rogers DID play, as Greenwich beat an excellent Darien team, 3-0.

Damn - always get TWO sources, kids! Our bad.

Bizarre and Sublime!

As I'm sitting here watching the original broadcast of Super Bowl VII (that's when the Dolphins completed their perfect season by beating the Redskins, 14-7), I am surfing my usual collection of blogs. I came across something that I had not heard about. Watch...

OK, so my question is - did the NYPD know about this? When I'm in places like Grand Central, I am on my absolute best behavior (such is the life in post-9/11 New York). So if the NYPD didn't have prior knowledge, how do they not appear in this video, at least slightly PO'd? The police presence in the great hall (which is where this takes place, is always fairly noticeable.

Look, I'm not trying to play the overly-sensitive, politically-correct wuss here. I'm just curious. These people MUST have had some kind of permission or permit to do this, because suspicious behavior doesn't go over well at Grand Central.

I'll return to the simplicity of Super Bowl VII now. Curt Gowdy and Al DeRogatis have the call on NBC. If all you know is today's over-produced sports broadcasts, you'll be amazed at what my father and brother likely watched on that January day in 1973. I might have watched it also (I like the 'Phins back then) but I can't imagine I gave it too much thought. I was a Mercury Morris fan (we had a cat named Morris).

Giants Parade Tuesday!

I love when things like this start. The Giants and the city of New York have planned a victory parade for Tuesday morning at 11:00. It will go through the usual idiotic canyon of heroes blah blah blah...

Two things jumped into my brain when I heard about this, the most obvious being - don't the Giants have to, you know, WIN the Super Bowl? And aren't they a roughly 12-point underdog? OK, just checking.

The other thing - and the one more pressing to me - is when did the Giants move back to New York? Last I recalled, the G-men played in New Jersey, and when they won Super Bowls XXI and XV, their party was held at Giants Stadium (the other one didn't take place because we were just into the first Gulf War). Their wouldn't be a New York parade because they weren't welcome, and the running gag was that they would throw a parade in Moonachie (that's a New Jersey township).

I've often said that these parades are bogus and stupid. Prior to roughly 1961 or so, parades were not thrown for sports champions - they just won and went home. How novel.

Oh, since I announced it on WGCH this morning (you know, because we're required to do such things), allow me to tell you the all-important, earth shaking Super Bowl prediction! I will spare you the breakdown, except to say the Giants must be opportunistic, and make some things happen on special teams. If you see Lawrence Tynes (he's the kicker, gang) for anything other than extra points, it will be a long day. I'm hoping that Giants can keep it close into the fourth quarter, but then the Pats will pull away. Unfortunately.

Patriots 38, Giants 20.

Now before you Giants fans with nothing better to do start going off on me, allow me to give you a little history. I've been on the radio since 1990, which means the Giants have played in the Super Bowl twice with me on the air to make predictions. I'm 0 for 2 - having picked the Bills in Super Bowl XV, and the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. Plus I've picked against Big Blue in the previous playoff games - and I'm not jumping on the bandwagon now!

May the best team win, may Tom Petty rock at halftime, and may the beer be cold!

Thriller on the Tube!

Lord knows I'm no Michael Jackson fan. I never owned "Thriller" but I appreciated a few of his songs (after all "Beat It" did have Eddie Van Halen on it). Obviously, the unsavory stuff made him a lot easier to dislike, and I went through this phase where it bugged me to be on the dance floor for his music (bad strategy...very bad strategy...I've since learned to tune out the music because if a gorgeous woman wants me to dance with her, then who the heck cares what the song is?).

Anyway, this video has been making the rounds on the blogs, and I couldn't resist putting it on here, especially since it takes place on the London Underground, better known as The Tube (it's London's Subway, in case you didn't know).



Don't you just love the way people are so...um...unphased by the whole thing, with the exception of the polite tennis applause at the end (I used tennis since the Tube can take you to Wimbledon...I know that for a fact)?