Weekend Observations

Hi There. Thank heavens for the Yankees and Mets playing each other, because everything else sports wise really sucked the gas pipe this past weekend. The folks over at Bristol Tech/ABC were either pushing the WNBA or worse: soccer with David "I married a Spice Girl" Beckham followed by the Euro 2008 final. Now for those of you who think I don't get soccer, I played from the time I was 8 years old up until my freshmen year in high school. I loved the New York Cosmos. I saw Pele play at Giants Stadium and my favorite player will always be Franz Beckenbauer. He played midfield, I played midfield. The game became boring. One more thing about soccer, the offside rule makes as much sense as the balk rule in baseball. When Peter Gammons is telling us what rock band did the best version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," it must be a slow news day. (Thanks Dan for that one) It's official. Barry Melrose is head coach of the Lightning and the NHL will never see the light of day ever again on Bristol Tech. It's buried now with AWA wrestling, the CFL, and Australian Rules Football. Speaking of Coach Melrose and the Lightning, tomorrow is Christmas Day in the NHL. The start of the free agent signing period. Number One on Barry's wish list should be a goaltender and a few guys who can block shots and play some defense. As a Rangers' fan, I've stopped trying to figure out what moves Glen Sather will make. He is still the GM, right? Pro hoops is on life support in the New York Metropolitan area and it's close to flat lining. I looked up Danilo Gallinari in the dictionary and it means "Frederic Weis" in Italian. I'm believing the New Jersey Nets miss being known as the LA Clippers of the Eastern Conference. First they trade Jason Kidd, then Richard Jefferson goes to Milwaukee. I have to know Rod Thorn, did you at least get a Sidney Moncrief throw back jersey or Paul Mokeski's autograph in the deal?
Now that the school year is officially over, its time to give my Best Of awards known as the "Opie's" when it comes to high football, basketball and hockey.
Best Big School HS Football Field: HG Moran Field in Hudson Falls.
Best Small School HS Football Field: Schuylerville. One of the many places we visited for the first time in 2007. Having an apple orchard that sells cider and donuts next door is an added benefit
Best High School Football Atmosphere: Friday night at East Field. The old girl on the corner of Dix and Haskell Avenues would come alive when the lights were on. Best Home Unis: Glens Falls. Black Jerseys with Red Numbers and the White Pants
Best Road Unis: Warrensburg. Las Vegas Gold Jerseys with Navy Blue Shoulder and Numbers and Navy Pants
Best Big School Gym: Queensbury High. It will always be the Big Blue gym even though the floor is now wood.
Best Small School Gym: North Warren. Perfect size for a small school. I just wish more fans would show up to watch the Cougars play
Best Place to Broadcast HS Basketball: The balcony at GF High. Great view of the court from upstairs.
Best HS Basketball Atmosphere: Lake George. When the drum corp plays you can barely hear yourself think and watching girls coach Rob Teftt do his pre-game dance to "Low Rider" is a trip. Maybe that's the reason the Warrior girls team haven't lost a regular season home game in five years.
HS Hockey: Glens Falls Civic Center. Need I say anything more?
One last thing. Two nice guys in coaching have retired this year. Scott Snyder at Lake George and Tom Heinzelman at Hudson Falls. Thank you gentlemen for all the help...Leccese out.

The Seven Dirty Words you can't write in The Greenhouse Effect and other Weekend Observations

Hi There. An interesting weekend to say the least. It started Friday night making it just in the nick of time to see the early showing of "Get Smart." I went in knowing it was not trying to remake the TV series and Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway were not trying to be Don Adams and Barbara Feldon. It pays tribute to the show in ways that Get Smart fans will appreciate; especially a scene that Bernie Kopell appears. Bill Murray had a nice cameo as Agent 13, but I wish that we would have had more of Hymie the Robot. Patrick Warburton nailed him right on. Saturday it was the usual. Head to the golf course for 18 holes of agony and ecstasy. Sunday I sat in front of the old set and watched Nascar on the road course known as Infineon Raceway. I love the two road courses, because it really tests the drivers ability. Its not the car set up or pit strategy that determines the winner. I also did some serious cleaning and decided to donate items to a local garage sale. Its amazing the junk I've acquired over the years. I didn't realize how many coffee mugs and drinking glasses I owned. The PC police were at it again and this time Johnny Miller was the offender. Apparently some Italian Americans were unhappy with an off the cuff comment that Miller made about Rocco Mediate looking more like the guy who cleans Tiger Woods pool. Lighten up guys. With a last name like Leccese, there is some Italian heritage in my blood. I heard the comment and thought, "You've got to be kidding me." I admit, the morning showers the past couple of days have been nice so I haven't had to water the veggies, but I really need to fertilize them. Dana Carvey has a new HBO comedy special out and its very good. Finally on the passing of George Carlin. The man was one of the greats. His observational humor was cutting edge, and after you laughed or you were offended it made you think. Intelligent humor is hard to pull off and he did it so brilliantly. Next to Billy Crystal and Bill Cosby, he was one of the stand up comics I wanted to emulate on stage. I got to see him at the old Starlight Music Theater. My cousin Andy Basso's kids were big fans of "Shining Time Station" and they're almost at the age where I can show them what Mr.Conductor was really like. I think I start them off with the Hippy Dippy Weatherman, go into Wonderful WINO radio, and last but not least play the 7 dirty words. I hope he got to heaven and someone at the gate asked him, "George, why did you agree to play Rufus in the Bill and Ted movies and what was the deal with Jersey Girl?" What were you thinking? Leccese out.

Talk about a crazy 48 hours and other observations

Hi There. Lets see in the past 2 days the Mets manager got canned along with 2 coaches. Tiger Woods has major knee surgery and is done for the golf season, and if anyone cares the Celtics beat the Lakers by nearly 40 points last night to win the best of 7 series in 6 games to claim the NBA title. I think the carousel is going a little too fast. I better get off before motion sickness takes over and I have to...well you get the idea. First the Mets. Did someone spike the water in Flushing? Talk about no class. Did Willie Randolph deserve to be fired? No he didn't. Despite the injuries to Moises Alou and Ryan Church, the mediocre play for the first 70 games of the year; and the lack of a true team leader. Unfortunately some one had to take the fall and sadly it was Willie Randolph. It didn't help that the team also blew a 7 game lead in the final two weeks of last season causing them to lose the division and wild card spot. Don't cry for Willie though. He's always been winner, a class act and a gentlemen so he'll get another shot. There's still plenty of blame left to go around so if you think Omar Minaya and Tony Bernazard are breathing any easier...Wrong! With the economy in a downward cycle and plenty of unhappy fans, Fred Wilpon knows he has to do something to regain their confidence so they'll show up at CitiField. Sorry, but the "guru" and I use the term loosely Rick Peterson had to go. For all his progress with John Maine and Oliver Perez, he messed with Aaron Heilmann's delivery early in his career and I'll always blame him for the Scott Kazmir to the Rays for Victor Zambrano trade. Stud left handed pitchers don't grow on trees you know. His crazy obsession with pitch counts and his psycho b.s. A rhesus monkey could do a better job as pitching coach. The Mets should have canned him last year especially with Mel Stottlemyre and Leo Mazzone available. So what's next? I have no clue. I do know that the Mets should go with new blood to manage them next year, someone like the Royals Trey Hillman. Don't bring back Bobby V, Lee Mazzilli or some other manager with previous experience. On to Yankees for a minute. Hank Steinbrenner please shut up! Telling the National League they should adopt the DH and join the 21st Century because your best pitcher had to bat and run the bases. Injuries are a part of the game. If you're so adamant about abandoning tradition, let's see names on the back of the sacred pinstripes. Sorry Hank, I can't hear you. That's what I thought. The baseball gods were not happy Monday afternoon in Cooperstown. If you didn't know, the Cubs and Padres were set to play in the last Hall of Fame Game at Doubleday Field, but the heavens opened up and everything got called off. Somebody tell Bud Selig to re-instate it. It's good for baseball, good for the fans and the players actually like it although it's an inconvenience for them. I had the opportunity to broadcast the Hall of Fame Game for 2 years on WWSC and it was awesome! They hold a parade through the town. The kids get the day off from school. Plus there's a home run derby before the actual game. Getting to see David Ortiz and Ken Griffey, Jr. up close was so cool. My favorite moment came when Brian and I were hunting for souvenirs in this store, and a sign says, "Welcome Bronson Arroyo and David Wells." We turn around and guess who followed us in. Finally I'm trying to choose which movie to see Friday night. Either "Get Smart" starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway or "Love Guru" with Mike Myers and Jessica Alba. If you have any suggestions on which way I should go, let me know...Leccese out.

Earnhardt, Eldrick the Gimp, and other weekend observations

Hi There. Hold on I see two people that look very familiar, wait a second its my parents. Retirement is treating them very well thank you. The world is in perfect harmony because Tiger won the US Open and Dale Earnhardt Jr won his first cup race almost 2 years. Very rarely is the US Open set up fair, they actually got it right at Torrey Pines. Rocco Mediate has a whole new set of fans the way he played. He handled himself with class and he had fun. If one more person tells me that this was Eldrick the Gimps' greatest triumph, I may pull a Tonya Harding and whack them on the knee. He should have worn a sleeve on it. Tiger would have won by at least 3 strokes if he left the driver out of the bag. The way he hits his 3 metal combined with his iron play. Yes he is that much better than everyone else. The other thing that drove me nuts was the way they were describing it. It was way over the top. I was waiting for Suzyn Waldman to chime in and compare it to Roger Clemens return to the Yankees last year. One more thing on Eldrick. People do watch hockey and if he saw the TV ratings in Detroit and Pittsburgh and the national ratings he would have not caught foot in mouth disease. I don't what was making me more happier today. Receiving my economic stimulus check from the government or the rumor Rick Peterson maybe out as the Amazins' pitching coach. I'm starting to believe that I maybe the only one who is upset that Shea Stadium is a goner after this year. I became a little depressed after reading an interview with Tom Seaver and he said he wanted to push the button that would bring Shea down. Growing up, my friends and I would play catch and pretend to be Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman or John Matlack pitching to Jerry Grote. I was saddened to hear about the passing of NBC announcer Charlie Jones. If the west coast AFC teams like the Broncos, Chargers, Raiders or Chiefs were playing on TV, most of the time Charlie Jones would call the game along with Len Dawson. Great set of pipes and a class act. Same could be said about Tim Russert, even though he was a Bills fan. I guess we can't all be perfect...Leccese out.

Seeing a color that isn't found in nature and other Midweek Musings

Hi There. There is nothing better than a simple trip to the grocery store to pick up a few necessities and discover what new products companies are trying to entice the American consumer to try. I was shopping the other day when two things caught my attention. One was a color of Mt. Dew that I know nature never intended. It was kinda sorta a blue/teal combination. Very strange indeed. The other product was Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Crackers. I'm not kidding you on this one. Cheese crackers shaped liked the macaroni found in the unmistakable blue box. Anyway I bought one of the sample sizes and I have this feeling the product is meant for little kids like my niece and not middle agers like myself who are looking to bring back childhood memories. I've written a lot about of my drink of choice, VitaminWater. Well it seems Men's Health magazine named it the most unhealthy healthy drink around. The culprits. The usual two: sugar and calories. Is there anything left out there to eat or drink that is actually good for me anymore? Even bottled water supposedly is getting a bad rap. I'm starting to believe the word organic means grown safely, but still tastes like c--p. Take it from the Garden Boy. When you buy fresh produce, organic is good but also look for heirloom varieties. They may not be as pretty looking as a hybrid variety, but they taste better. Speaking of tasting, last night's Top Chef finale was kind of bland. Stephanie deserved to win, she was the most consistant throughout. I was rooting for Richard and he summed it up the best when they asked him how he did before the final decision was made, "I choked." I thought there would be a better build up to the announcement. Padma should have at least told Richard and Lisa told pack their knives and then say the congrats to Stephanie. As a Giants fan, I'm not surprised by Michael Strahan's decision to retire. They've got enough depth on the D-line. I am worried though about Plaxico Burress and Jeremy Shockey trying to upset the apple cart. I don't who has got it worse: Roger Clemens, David Stern or Hulk Hogan. Boy when you're down they just keep on kicking hoping sooner or later you'll break. On to something more pleasant. Saturday is June 14th and besides being Flag Day, it's also the 14th anniversary of the Rangers winning the Stanley Cup and I will pop in my DVD of Game 7 and watch. Don't forget Dad on Sunday...Leccese out.

Spanning the Globe to bring you an appropriate tribute to Jim McKay and other weekend observations

Hi There. In describing the weather over the weekend, I can only think of the movie "Good Morning Vietnam" and this quote from Roosevelt E. Roosevelt, "It's Hot! It's Damm Hot!" Well we're all trying to figure out why Big Brown couldn't complete the Triple Crown. Kent Desormeaux said he had no horse that day. Here's what I'm thinking. Big Brown headed out in the paddock area at Belmont before he being saddled saw the thermometer and the 90 plus degree temperature. Then as he was lead out for the post parade it hit him and he started thinking, "I got run a mile and a half in this heat! I don't think so, not today" "I've won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness." "Just lead me to breeding stall with some cute filly, get the Barry White or Marvin Gaye music playing and let start making some future champions." Seriously though, missing 3 days of training did effect his performance and if you saw him coming out of the starting gate heading into the clubhouse turn he didn't seem focused. Now onto Jim McKay. We lost someone who was bigger than life itself. He set the bar so high and the way he did it with class and humility. The Olympics wouldn't be the television event it is now if it weren't for Jim McKay and Roone Arledge. I never met him but I had the chance to see him in person twice. Once was at Monmouth Park, the second time was in Saratoga at the Sheraton. I was at something and he walked through the lobby heading to his room after broadcasting the Travers. He loved horse racing. So Paul Pierce of the Celtics hurts his knee during game one, makes a miraculous recovery and Boston wins. People were comparing him to Willis Reed. No way, no sir, no how! I didn't see any of the Lakers stop what they were doing to see Paul Pierce come back on the court. Blue Jays are stupid birds. I've got this one who lately has been pecking on a window at my home. I'm thinking it sees its reflection in the glass and is looking to pick a fight. Fine go ahead, just don't do it at 6 in the morning. I can wake up on my own thank you very much. Leccese out.

Every once in a while I'm right and other midweek musings from the Garden Boy

Hi There. Well Lord Stanley's silver cup is headed to Hockeytown, and if you remember reading an earlier edition I thought the Wings would win in 6. Bow to my greatness. I know many people are still upset about Detroit abandoning our fair city for the Shangri-la of Grand Rapids, but you got to be happy for Kris Draper, Chris Osgood and Darren McCarty. Also Ken Holland is a great guy. That's one thing I miss about the AHL not being here. Seeing the scouts and other management types. You watch games from the press box and over time you got to know them and compare notes and talk hockey. If the rumors are true that Barry Melrose is returning to coaching and taking over the Lightning, does that mean Bristol Tech will completely drop all of its hockey coverage? I'm betting they will. Now on to the Belmont Stakes and Big Brown. I'm really torn about him running the mile and a half. Part of me wants him to win the Triple Crown, while the other part is afraid that the crack in his left hoof will cause him to breakdown and that will only put more gasoline on the embers and fan the flames that those freaks who attacked the horse racing industry after Eight Belles went down lit. The other thing I find fascinating is that people are comparing Big Brown to Secretariat. What's in the water they're drinking? Seattle Slew maybe, but Secretariat I don't think so. Did anyone see the latest "Top Chef" last night? Lisa has more lives than a cat the way she's avoided elimination the past 3 weeks and all season long. She tried last night to be more likable, however the producers are making her out to be the one everybody loves to hate. They're doing a good job, cause I can't stand her and the lousy attitude. Richard Blais had the line of the night when he said, "Congratulations on winning the bronze medal." I'm rooting for you Blais. Padma was also looking real good last night. The hot weather is supposedly coming this weekend, so stay cool...Leccese out.

June brings bikers and other weekend observations

Hi There. Since I drive through Warrensburg to get to work everyday, its hard not to notice all the tents being set up along Route NIne. I thought garage sale week wasn't until October? Did anyone catch the mixed martial arts/extreme fighting show on CBS Saturday night? I caught parts of it flipping back and forth between the Wings/Penguins game and I thought it was kind of pathetic. Reminded me of NBC and the WWE's "Saturday Night's Main Event" only the wrestling was more believable. I think Kimbo Slice and his fifteen seconds of fame are up. So "Sex in the City" bested "Indiana Jones" at the box office. Personally my favorite is Samantha, followed by Charlotte. I have this gut feeling that "The Dark Knight" will be the summer box office champ. Well Emporer Stern at the Association got the finals match up he wanted between the Celtics and Lakers and you know what, I DON'T CARE! I didn't like either team when basketball mattered to me a long time ago, and even now I still hate both teams. Eventually the clock will strike midnight and the Fuzzy Cubbies and don't call us "Devil" anymore Rays will comeback to earth and the cosmic order of baseball will be returned back to normal. Let's see Ozzie Guillen has a meltdown, the White Sox get hot and are in first place. Willie Randolph is on the verge of one and the Mets start playing better. I'm seeing a trend here. On to NASCAR, what's going on at Joe Gibbs Racing? Joe Gibbs is back running the operation instead of answering to Dan Snyder and coaching the Redskins, that's what's going on. Kyle Busch is racing out of his mind and Denny Hamlin is solid. Toyota's have made incredible strides in their second year of cup competition. However it would be a big mistake to let Tony Stewart go. When Tony Stewart gets going good, he is scary good. Happy Birthday Pete and Mikey...Leccese out.