Never Give Up

I heard this speech on Steven A Smith's radio show tonight. It's Jimmy V week around ESPN to raise money and awareness for The V Foundation.


I think if you can listen to or watch this speech with a heart that isn't jaded, and remove some of the negativity that is associated with Jim Valvano (or even if you can't - he was hardly a saint), you will find that this is one hell of an emotional speech.

He died less than two months after this speech.

Please. Make. It. Stop.

I love The Big Bang Theory. Absolutely funny stuff.

But holy ear candy, Batman! The theme song gets lodged in my brain every time I watch it. I'm guessing that's the charm of Barenaked Ladies, the performers of the little ditty.


I'm guessing that's their charm. You know, the "If I Had a Million Dollars" guys. Perhaps that charm would have worked for me if I had been, say, in college when they were popular.

And stoned.

I was neither.

Damn song.

I need a "Bazinga." Or 10.

A History of Highway Signs

File this one under "not for everyone", but I certainly enjoyed it.

On The Road Less Taken's website, we have part one of a history of road signs (here in the good ol' US of A). Just a nice little primer for why we see what we see on the road.

I loved the reference to the "Kodachrome" signs of Florida, which always stuck out to me when I was a kid. You can see a red US 19 sign, taken by me in Tarpon Springs, Florida in 1986 at the top of this post.

Criticism

In a recent post, I made reference to an email I received that basically said "you suck" in so many words.

So when I read the comments of Kansas City Royals pre- and post-game host Robert Ford (whom I know in a very vague way via social media), I was pleased.

Robert's blog post is here. For me, the winning lines were these:

Some people in media respond regularly to negative things that are written about them online, but I don’t. Most of the time, I think it would be a waste of time to respond and I think jumping on every negative comment or blog post makes one look paranoid and hypersensitive, two adjectives I never want to be used to describe me.

That's exactly what others have said to me as well. There's still a part of me that wants to respond. What chafed at me about the email, besides it being just plain uninformed, was that it was not only an indictment of me, but it was also a shot at my team. I didn't appreciate that.

Then again, it's, you know, an opinion...

I appreciate Robert's take - the words of a pro.

The NBA? What's That?

Apparently, there's this thing called the National Basketball Association.

I think I've heard of it.

Still, this can't be the NBA of George Mikan, or Bob Cousy, right? Of Russell, Clyde, the Captain, Jerry West, Jordan, Magic, Bird, Ewing...

Oh you get the idea.

The NBA, if you haven't heard, recently resolved their labor dispute and will tip off on Christmas Day. The problem was, the silence was deafening. The NBA has been going through an image problem for years, and despite that, had a great season last year, including a "the bad guys lose" Finals in which the vaunted big three in Miami lost to the Mavericks.

Yet once the labor wars began, it was like nobody cared. Certainly the people that I've tried to get interested in the NBA made it quite known that they were overjoyed that NBA wasn't around, and didn't care if it ever came back.

Personally, give me basketball and the NBA over a lot of other things, but different strokes and all. Still, give me college hoops, but that's a whole different bucket of fish.

So the apathy is still apparent. I suspect there will be a little kick in interest right around Christmas, then it will fade until early February (that's when the NFL throws this big orgy of an event that apparently includes an actualy football game). After that, the NBA will have its chance to shine.

At the same time, hockey just shakes its collective head.

That's enough basketball for now. Back to "The Big Bang Theory."

Off-Site: Winter Classic Sweaters

I've begun writing for another outlet, Penton Media's Big Fat Marketing Blog.

Actually, it's about four months overdue for me to contribute, but hey, given that I'm in the midst of my lowest output here in double five land, nothing should be expected, right?

My first topic is the Winter Classic Sweaters, as the Rangers debuted their new look yesterday in Central Park.

I didn't reveal my opinion on them in the Big Fat Marketing Blog post, but I will here: Meh.

Simply put, they're...um...OK. I'm just not all that impressed by them. And since the Rangers want to sell more merchandise (come on, I know you're hearing Mel Brooks right now). Truthfully, that's the bottom line, and if the response from a fanbase is tepid (which I'm not saying it is), then they're not going to sell a lot.

As I alluded to in the post, the sweaters are outdated on January 3rd. It better be worth it.

GHS Football, 2011

Most of your WGCH Radio Team for 2011: Chris "Kato" Kaelin, Sean "Killer" Kilkelly, Nick "Fantana" Angotto, Rob "Captain Greenwich" Adams, Chris "Janitor Wingman" Erway, and Ryan "Deemer" DeMaria.  Photographed by Carrie, November 24, 2011.

Two-thousand and eleven is the year that I'd like to forget in broadcasting Greenwich High School football on WGCH.

At least it started out that way.

And came to a crashing end yesterday.

The Cardinals were a team of lesser expectations. They were coming off a 5-5 year in 2010, and while many expected them to be in the mix this year, not many saw them as an FCIAC finalist.

Yet it was there for the taking yesterday at Staples in Westport. Oh Lord, it was there. The Cardinals led 27-17 with eleven minutes to play. Then things went astray. The dream of the 13th conference title, and a trip to the state playoffs, died as the Wreckers rallied to win, 31-27.

That's sort of why we're writing this tonight.

I can't go into everything that happened this year. It just wouldn't be appropriate or professional. People and things had to be phased out in favor of others. Feelings got hurt. And I obsessed over it all.

Along the way, we encountered a snow storm like we've rarely seen during the season. Games got rescheduled and messed with our schedules. Guys who couldn't make games due to work, or other commitments. Without the help of Paul Silverfarb, I likely would have called Greenwich and Westhill following the snow storm on my own.

Oh, and then there was the email from a listener that asked for me to quit. The one that swore that it couldn't be the first one I've received (it was). The thing is, if you don't like me - fine. But give me specifics. Are we too glib? Read too many ads? Blame me for the technical issues? Don't like my voice or my cadence?

Hey, you're entitled to your opinion. Problem was: that email only made my resolve stronger to keep doing this for many more years.

And so it was that, come yesterday, the team assembled at Staples. Nick Angotto (our new studio operations guru) surprised us by showing up...something I never expected. I won't live down my reaction to that. Ever. We gathered for breakfast, Nick went to the studio, and we rocked out one great broadcast. Knowing that the future is never certain, I couldn't be prouder of the note this group went out on.

I think that's why, after all was done and Greenwich had lost, I was pretty sad as I finished on the air. Because in the end, I had a ball, and didn't want it to end. I was pleased, and wished we had more games to do. I wished I had more spots for the many people who want to work with us.

Scott Gentile did a great job in the studio (and on-site for a game). He got married, affording Nick Angotto the chance he wanted. Bob Small was our backup board-op and constant engineer. He always made sure we sounded as good as we could. Sean Kilkelly was the same guy I've worked with since 1999. Chris Erway kept me laughing and kept me solid, yelling over me when Shane Nastahowski climbed the ladder for the Cards' first TD. Something about it made me laugh.

Chris Kaelin was a rock, as always, speaking in his native "Kato" language, yet all the while calling for the booth space, and hunting for info. Ryan DeMaria, the new guy, brought tremendous knowledge and patience, while showing a great skill for keeping stats on his trusty computer.

Am I missing anyone? Well I think we all owe a certain something to the players, coaches, and families. To the people who always support us, wherever we might be. That includes our girlfriends, wives and kids. I know Carrie counseled me through many a brainstorming moment.

I've said it so many times. It's a labor of love. We aren't getting rich. We struggle in many ways to get on the air.

But these are the guys who I chose. They're the ones I want helping me for hockey (well, paging Mr. John Spang also). God forbid we ever get basketball back on. Or baseball.

Come next September, they're the ones I want to help me call Greenwich football in 2012.

I've Got It Bad...and I Like It!

I was just exchanging texts with a certain someone in New York City (well, Brooklyn to be exact) when she told me that I had forgotten to take something with me when I left her place.

Specifically, the yummy matzo ball soup that her aunt made for Thanksgiving yesterday. Hard to believe. Me. Picky. Likes it.

Now the chopped liver was good...but I only had a quick taste. I get points for trying that, no?

Anyway, I started to write back to the person in question that I had too much to carrie when I left.

Yes, that is a misspelling. I'm normally a good writer - I spell well, and my grammar is good.

I realized my mistake before I hit "send", but I laughed to myself.

Just a reminder that I might deeply like this person...

Richmond's Main Street Station

(Photo Courtesy Shorpy)

There is, over at the fascinating Shorpy photography site,this amazing photo (seen above) of the wonderful Main Street Station in Richmond, Virginia (that's R-Va, of course).

The station was the last true landmark before the billboards for South of the Border kicked in on I-95.  But...wait a tick.  The road isn't in this view, taken in 1905 (no duh).

I took a shot of it in 2009 from the opposite side of the tracks/highway:

They tried to put stores in there. Didn't work. Amtrak rolls through here. It's a train station - in all its grandeur.

JoePa is Out

Every time I hear more about the story at Penn State...in detail...I get further sick.

Terrible.

Ultimately, despite the fact that Joe Paterno is legally innocent, Penn State couldn't afford to let him continue to coach. I'm still in shock that those at the just-completed press conference sounded like they were members of the Paterno family. It was a rough night for those of us in the media.

Kids were hurt. Badly. Lives were destroyed. And those in State College are outraged that their old Joe Paterno won't be allowed to coach again? The level of failure rolls so far down on this thing. Of course Penn State needed to clean house.

But let's not forget that this is more about Jerry Sandusky before its about Joe Paterno. It's also about the victims.

This whole situation is bad, folks.

Honestly, I have nothing further to add.

Yeah, Football...Nooooo...

As the "October Noreaster" began heading towards us, I feared for the impact it would have on our weekend.

Answer: not...good.

Sean and I headed off to Greenwich this morning, armed with the knowledge that the weather would be bad, and our day would be long. I packed as if we might not make it home - a shovel, sleeping bags, some food, and so on. We reached Greenwich around 10:30, just as the rain/snow began to fall.

Cardinal Stadium did not reveal a happy scene. A Greenwich/Darien soccer game was going on (GHS won, 1-0) but the snow got heavier and, worse, it began to stick.

In the booth, Chris Erway, Chris Kaelin and I set up shop, and Sean Kilkelly joined us later. With a 1:15 PM air time, we were comfortably prepared. The problem was that nobody else seemed to be showing up.  The stands were empty, but everyone still prepared as if there would still be a game.

Just before 1:00, our friend and GHS all-world operations guru Brian Kennedy gave us a "thumbs down" from the bottom of the grandstand. The game was off; postponed until Monday at 2:00.

From what a few people told us, it appears that Greenwich tried to move the game to Friday night at 7:00 PM, thus avoiding the weather problems, but the school has already used its allotted number of nights.

It seems a certain GHS neighbor (the man who so vocally complained about the installation of lights) would rather have people on the roads in a heavy snowstorm than have him be inconvenienced with some noise and light glare.

So Sean (my son) and I hit the road, thinking we could get home without incident (but thanks to both Chris Kaelin and Chris Erway for offering us a place to stay). We made it out of Cardinal Stadium and back to our WGCH offices before starting our trip back to Mahopac. Early on, all seemed great. We were moving well along Interstates 95 and 287. But if you haven't heard, meteorologists often use 287 as the dividing line of a storm. Accurately in this case.

We pushed through North White Plains as the situation deteriorated. It got worse along the Taconic State Parkway, as the road was dotted with busted tree branches that blocked lanes. South of Millwoood, Sean spotted a branch tumbling down.

North of Millwood, our trip almost crashed to an end. I moved into the left lane to get around a car that was just a touch too cautious on an incline, and I needed to build up a little speed for the climb. Unfortunately my tires didn't grab the roadway (this was just past a Camaro that was trying to BACK DOWN the road) and we narrowly avoided a guard rail. I used the moment to teach Sean about how to steer when slipping.

Somewhere around this point is when the windshield wiper blade in front of me began to break.  It never impacted my vision for the rest of the trip, but it was just one more thing to think about.

We made it through our next set of hazards: the steep drop before the Croton Reservoir bridge, the small climbs and descents, and even dead stoppage at the US 202/NY 35 exit, which marks the beginning of another decline, before having to climb again to get to US 6 at Jefferson Valley.

That's where I made a fateful decision.

I saw the brake lights on the Taconic, yet chose to stay the course. I found out later on that using US 6 (and thus NY 6N) would be no walk in the park either. Yet the reality was, the traffic slowed to a crawl as cars were struggling to climb a gradual incline. A couple of vehicles spun terribly, and I could do nothing but stop.

At that point, my tires could take no more.

I tried the right lane, where I noticed a few cars had created a new path. No dice. My only answer was to get off the road and wait - hopefully - for a plow.

Sean, bless him, was calm as could be. He read one of his "Wimpy Kid" books while I cleaned the car off, and I chatted with occasional passers-by.

One note: not everyone is heartless. Several motorists stopped to ask if we were OK. One went so far as to ask if we needed a ride. Very cool - thank you.

Eventually, I helped push a car or two. In total, the wait was close to an hour, when a couple of guys appeared up the road to push one of the cars still sitting (this one in the middle of the road). I helped them push another car before they came down and got me loose.

Oh, what a scene it was! A car heading southbound slammed into the center guardrail at one point, and after a while, picked up his detached bumper and drove away! I also heard the sound of creaking, cracking trees, just ready to fall. Fortunately I felt we were out of harm's way.

I thought we were in a fairly safe spot.

I still don't know who those two men were, and they weren't looking for money, but they did get Sean and I out of there. That was the good news.

The bad news was the northbound Taconic State Parkway was like an old ice hockey surface: very slippery, choppy and dangerous.

By the way, a big FAIL to New York State for not getting a plow on the Taconic. It's only a very main road.

Still I was able to reach Bryant Pond Road and exit safely, to discover that the road had been plowed. Yet...it hadn't been salted. Or sanded.

I slipped as soon as we got on it.

I knew we had two more hills to deal with - one down and one up. We started down the first hill, and as soon as I hit tapped the brakes, I knew we were in trouble.

The car wouldn't stop. Our saving grace was a landing at the bottom of this portion of the hill before we hit the big drop. I got the car under control and quickly decided to turn into the lot of a former gas station that neighbors use for parking.

At that point, I was finished, and I wasn't sure I could move the car any more.

Sean and I walked from there, carrying some of our stuff and safely hiking it the last half-mile or so to safety.

The moral of the story? I need new tires.

We're both safe, sound, and dry.

The car will be there when I go back in the morning.

Oh one last note - Connecticut held their Cross Country finals today. Greenwich came in 7th, with friend Kathryn Bernstein on the team. Twin brother Mark plays on the football team. Of course, no sport gets the attention that football does, but I wanted to make sure we recognized it here. Congrats on a fine effort!

Adios, Baseball

The season is over.

The Cardinals won. I have nothing more to say.

I have a different group of Cardinals to deal with later today, as Greenwich hosts Westhill on Homecoming Day. Weather will be a huge factor, with rain and snow expected. Yet as of now, it's game on.

The Playmakers and I will be on the air at 1:15 PM. You know where: WGCH.

We Will See You Tomorrow Night!

Well, actually, it will be later on tonight.

Any instant classic is over in St. Louis. Among the best World Series games I have ever seen. I am wide awake. Damn them!

Twice I was one Twitter, and had written a congratulatory tweet to the Rangers. Each time I sat and waited for the final out. Twice I erased what I wrote.

Joe Buck's call echoed his dad*, who used this when he called Kirby Puckett's Game 6 walk-off in 1991.

*OK, to be fair, Buck used a similar version of the line in the 2004 ALCS (which I disregard as having actually been played). But I believe what he said was, "We'll see you later tonight."

Maybe it's the father/son thing tugging at me, but I really liked it. It was fitting, and well-done by Buck, Tim McCarver and the FOX team for letting the pictures tell the story. I especially liked McCarver's line after the home run:

"How did this happen?"

We'd all like to know that.

Game 7, for the first time since 2002, is later tonight.

By the way, I'm no fan of his, but kudos to Tony LaRussa for ripping the whole "Moneyball" thing.

Really well-said.

Baseball Fever!

Didn't we have this chat about a month ago? I think so - right here.

I watched hockey tonight. Best to not get into how bad a night it was at Madison Square Garden (Chanting for Sean Avery? Really?).

Yet I kept my eye on the World Series - Game 6 between the Rangers and Cardinals. Once hockey was over, it had my complete attention.

This game has been insane. Twice the Cardinals were down to their last strike. Twice they've tied the game.

It's 9-9 in the Top of the 11th as I write.

Insane. The beauty of it is, I really don't care who wins. Oh, I'm sticking to my preference that the winner be the visiting team and, as such, that means the Rangers (plus I'm an American League guy), but I'll lose no sleep over it.

Trust me, if the Yankees were involved, I'd need an ambulance parked outside.

Once again, we see baseball at its best. Oh, don't get me wrong, this game has been ugly, but it's also been riveting. We once again see that baseball has no clock. You can't play a four corners defense. You can't take a knee. You can't skate around with the puck or play keep-away. You've got to throw the pitch. Down one or 10, there's always a chance.

Damn I love this game.

The Original Six Arenas

I was looking at NHL.com a little earlier when I came across a poll, asking for the "most iconic Original Six Arena."

OK...

The choices, of course, are Boston Garden, Chicago Stadium, Detroit Olympia, Madison Square Garden, Maple Leaf Gardens and Montreal Forum.

Well, now, I think we have to be more specific here, don't we? Any fan worth their sweater (hockey talk, people!) knows that your fancy New York Rangers played in two different versions of MSG - at 8th Ave and 49th St, and the Penn Station-destroyer that they're playing in now. Now, no offense to the current building (because I happen to like it a lot, maybe for sentimental reasons), but I just imagine the old place was more of a "hockey barn", much like the other five arenas.

So if that's what we're talking about, I'll vote for MSG, though to be honest, I also saw the Boston Garden, and liked that quite a bit also.

Anyway, who would you vote for - assuming all things are equal?

Oh, and the Rangers are playing tonight on Opening Night at World's Most Famous Refurbished Arena.

Charlie Hayes Might Have a Play...He's Got It!

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

That's how Vin Scully called it on CBS Radio 15 years ago tonight. The magic moment happened at 10:55 PM Eastern. I chose to watch it with friends in Yonkers, right at The Bronx line.

To a Yankees fan, 18 years is an eternity. I had watched the Rangers win the Cup in '94 and though I enjoyed it, I still hungered for a Yankees title.

No World Series has brought me anything like it. I literally couldn't wait for each game. I smuggled a radio into my photography class at Western Connecticut for Game 4, and raced home, hoping that the Yankees could somehow erase a 6-0 deficit (they did, of course).

Then came that Saturday night. The moment...seriously...that I had been waiting a long...long time for.


After hugging the fellow fans that I was with, I needed to step outside and have a moment to myself, exhorting "YES!" in the streets of Yonkers. I needed a moment to share with those I missed. I wondered what it would be like to talk with my dad about it, but sadly those moments aren't meant to be.

I floated home - quite sober, mind you - riding in Kevin Jaffe's Mazda Miata, with the top down, listening to all of the post-game talk on the radio. Though chilly, it was a amazing night, and all was right in my world.

The next day, I was on WREF radio in Ridgefield, CT. You better believe that, between the classic hits of Sinatra and others, there was plenty of baseball talk.

Fifteen years. Time marches on.

It's funny. That wasn't my first Yankees championship. I remember watching both 1977 and 1978, and am pretty sure I still have a scorecard I kept from the latter one. I treasure 1998, 1999 (I was at the clincher), 2000 (beating the Mets? Yes!), and 2009. I love them all equally, but there was something completely different about 1996.

Something amazing.

Something I will never forget.

From Richmond: A HoJo Flashback

I can't help but wonder if our good friend Jon from R-VA posts pictures on his blog and says to himself, "I bet Rob will use this on 'Exit 55'."

Well, yeah, this one was a near no-brainer.

It's got I-95 in its magnificent, mid-70's glory. It's also got Main Street Station, the last big landmark heading south before South of the Border. At least for a kid my age at the time.

But the picture also has a billboard for Howard Johnson's - a mere 13 miles away at Exit 6 back in the day on the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike (then a toll road). I ate many times in that HoJo's, though we never stayed at the adjacent hotel. The Richmond area was, normally, a lunchtime stop on day one of our trips to Florida.

So you put all of these things together, and you have a picture that I quite enjoy.

A Hot Wheels Track That My Son Would Love!

I'm debating whether or not I will ever show this video to Sean, because he will want this.

I'm just speechless. A huge Hot Wheels track, created for charity.

Thanks to Co-Exec Producer Mick for this hat-tip. I should have known that when I told him I had a little touch of writer's block (along with not a lot of time to write lately), he would come up with something. He didn't disappoint.

I could have seen my cousin and I trying to build something like this, but getting denied by our parents!

The link is from Yahoo! The video link is here.

The Red Sox Collapse, Animation Style!

Via Masshole Sports, with a hat tip to our "Executive Producer" Harold (and co-Exec Producer Mick has a contribution of his own coming up), we have some video from a company called Next Media Animation. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the laugh!

Wonderboy

It's cliche. It's a total desecration of the book. It's an over-the-top fantasy.

Exactly.