2 Reasons to hate Chicago: The Cubs and Deep Dish Pizza and other Weekend Observations

Hi There. There's nothing better than scarfing down some thin crust pizza no matter what time of day it is. Come on now, don't tell me you've never left a slice or two out overnight and the next morning had it cold for breakfast. We've all done it at least once. Its the American way. The creative juices are flowing and I don't know where to begin. Maybe the Olympics should keep going for another two weeks. The Democratic and Republican party conventions are coming up and all the networks will be hitting you with endless coverage right up until the start of the new TV season.
The Mets are playing well and the way Johan the Great and the Big Pels have been pitching, it makes for a tough 1-2 combination if the Mets make the playoffs. Tom Seaver was at Shea on Thursday and hopefully Mr. Pelphrey spent some quality time with Mr.Seaver and talked pitching. If I were Dan Warthen I would have Big Pels take a quiz and I'm not talking TRUE/FALSE to see if he learned anything from Tom Terrific. As for the Bronx Bombers was there a Carl Pavano sighting? No kidding there really was and he was actually pitching on a mound in a big league game and there was no Alyssa Milano around.
Who had a better day at the track Saturday? Colonel John, who won the Travers by a nose hair over Mambo in Seattle. Alan Garcia, who rode 5 winners including 2 stakes races or Slambino who went off at 88 to 1 and won the 7th and paid $177.00 to win. Just think if somebody had a winning ticket on that Superfecta they would have won more than the owners of the Travers. The estimated payout on that Super would have been over 1.5 MILLION dollars. Even though Big Brown didn't run in the Travers, the race itself was great.
The PC police are getting out of hand. Apparently nutritionists are upset that Michael Phelps will endorse Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. If I won 8 gold medals I wouldn't be pushing to plug All Bran, Super Colon Blow or some other healthy cereal. Is it just me or the coolest name in sports right now is Usain Bolt.
Well with football practice underway and the season starting in 2 weeks, the 2008 Broadcast Schedule for WWSC is done and it will be on the Radiowins.com website in the next couple of days. Just to let you know picking what games to do is probably the hardest thing about the season. We have what I call 8 core football schools to cover and another 4 that we give consideration to. Trying to get them on at least twice during the regular season is a tough chore. Unfortunately right now it looks like Hudson Falls and Schuylerville will be on only once. Scheduling got easier this year with Queensbury and Lake George dropping down in class. We also won't be doing as many Friday night games. Now that Glens Falls plays its home games on Saturday, only Lake George, Corinth and Schuylerville play locally on Friday. I prefer Saturday games anyway. I'm not crazy about Friday nights. Speaking of Glens Falls, I've been raving about the construction and how great the new field at Sherman Avenue looks, well now I've got a criticism of it. They've put lines in on the new turf for other sports like soccer, field hockey and lacrosse. I also looked at the rosters from last year to see who would be coming back. The teams that look the most intriguing to me are Glens Falls, Lake George and Warrensburg. Well Labor Day weekend means scrimmages and I'm going to be looking for some football to watch. Finally, I'm developing a serious crush on TV host Lisa Robertson. Lets say the gene pool was very kind and generous to her. Talk about smokin' hot...Leccese out.

I have a gardening boner and other weekend observations

Hi There. There is something wonderful about not being married and not having a steady girlfriend. Look I'm not afraid of making a commitment. I'm just picky so sue me and what I'm looking for in a female companion doesn't exist in real life. I'm glad you understand where I'm coming from. Yesterday was one of those rare days you get to enjoy on occasion. Didn't have anything really to do except enjoy it at a medium pace. Headed to the farmer's market to check out the harvest. As a foodie and a home gardener I was in sensory overload. Or maybe it was the cup of Green Tea I had for breakfast or the free coffee I sampled at the market. I try to avoid caffeine if possible. Picked up some fresh local eggs laid by chickens named Lola, Lilly, Leslie and Lolita. There names were in the egg carton. I also bought a delicious local cheese that tasted like Swiss. After I got done running around, I was inspired to check out my own garden and do some harvesting. I thought I would wait another 2 weeks, but I saw something coming out of the ground and lets just say I have about 4 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes. Let's see between the artisan cheese and home grown potatoes, can you say Potato Gratin. Slowly by surely the slackers in the garden are joining the harvest. You know, peppers and tomatoes. Even the eggplant is growing finally.
Considering the people who have passed away lately namely Isaac Hayes, Mayor Akins, and Skip Caray, I find myself talking about another death of some sort. If you ever watched the YES network from 1 to 6pm weekday afternoons it aired WFAN's "Mike and Mad Dog" radio program. There are also times you can get WFAN's radio signal on your car or home radio up here pretty clear. Thursday Chris "Mad Dog" Russo decided to leave the show and the station after 19 years. Whether it was a new challenge that he needed or the 3 million dollars he will get from doing satellite radio, as much as I disliked Mr Russo, I was saddened by his decision. I really don't think we'll ever find out the truth of what really happened. One thing is for sure, Mike and Chris were good at what they did. You didn't have to agree with them or even like them as personalities, but they kept you listening. That's the basic formula of good radio.
After reading Brian's blog the other day I've decided to add a few observations of my own. With the Washington County Fair this week, I have to wonder can you go to the fair and eat healthy? My favorite sno-cone is one that has more than one flavor on it. My favorites are Grape and Lime. I'm rooting for the Great Lakes team to win the Little League World Series. Now that Michael Phelps has won his 8 gold medals, will anyone continue watch the Olympics? With all the talented basketball players in this country, how come we can't find 15 or 20 of them to play team handball? I like Hunt's ketchup better than Heinz. If Adam West appears on "Dancing with the Stars" will he teach his partner "The Batoosie" I hope so. Ben and Jerry's "Strawberry Cheesecake" Ice Cream tastes just like those Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream bars without the stick. Julia Child worked as a spy during WWII? Golf Magazine released a list of the top 100 courses you can play. I noticed in the top 5 the cheapest rate was $70.00. No one should have to pay more than $50.00 cart included to enjoy a round of golf at a quality course. My six month sabbatical is coming to an end. High School football has arrived. Remember I like Grape and Lime on my sno-cone...Leccese out.

Squash, the gift that keeps on giving and other weekend observations

Hi There. What does warm, humid, rainy weather mean? It means an explosion of squash in the garden. Zucchini, Butternut, and Yellow squash ready for the picking. I picked two butternut squashes and they weighed in around 3 pounds a piece! Why can't my eggplant grow like that? Everything else in the garden is looking real good. Tomatoes and peppers starting to ripen. The only thing I don't know about are the potatoes for the obvious reason. I'll dig up one of the plants Labor Day weekend and see if anything grew. The vines are looking good, so maybe that's a sign.
On to other matters. If you root against your country in an Olympic event, does that make you un-patriotic? Sorry but I want to see the Men's Basketball team lose and finish without a medal. I don't like Kobe, LeBron, and Coach K so I hope they go down in flames big time.
Speaking of going down in flames, has anyone smelled the smoke from the Mets bullpen. I think they should give the starting rotation some of their salaries to pay the therapists they see after watching their teammates blow lead after lead.
I can't believe 11 thousand people showed up to watch Brett " Guess what! I'm a J-E-T now" Favre practice. They even cheered him when he ran a lap around the practice field. The demand for his number 4 Jets jersey was so great that the websites where you can order them crashed. Maybe I'll get one after I'm done polishing Eli's Superbowl ring for him. Hey Dan want a Brett Favre jersey? It would look real good on your cats scratching post. What's that? You want two of them. One for each cat.
If you haven't noticed, the past 2 years Padraig Harrington has won 3 of the 8 major golf tournaments: 2 British Opens and now the PGA Championship which they set up like a U.S. Open course. What was up with that? By the way how many has Eldrick won during this time?
The so-called "experts" are picking West Virginia to win the Big East football championship. They also have this love affair with the Pitt Panthers. I have no idea why? Dave Wannstedt has done some good recruiting, but nothing's happened. This "expert" is picking South Florida. The Bulls are young, fast and well coached by Jim Leavitt. George Selvie should be a top 10 pick in next years NFL draft and Matt Grothe is the best QB in the conference. I think he's better than Pat White and the Mountaineers will miss Coach "Hail to the Victors" Rodriguez and Steve Slaton more than everybody thinks. The same applies to Rutgers. You don't lose a stud like Ray Rice and 3 of his offensive lineman and expect to contend. Mike Teel has a nice group of receivers, but who's gonna protect him? He'll be scrambling more than Donovan McNabb. I think both UConn and Cincinnati over achieved last year and Louisville is on a downward cycle. As for the 'Cuse, well basketball practice starts October 15th.
The field for the Travers is shaping up to be very competitive without Big Brown. I'm heading out to buy a battery powered blow dryer, then go to the track to offer my services and help dry out the turf course...Leccese out.

Midweek Musings

Hi There. Well the soap opera known "As the Brett Favre Turns" has finally come to a end. While Packer fans are either relieved or crying over their loss and J-E-T-S fans are celebrating, I'll be helping Mr Mara and Mr Tisch polish the Lombardi trophy from SuperBowl 42 at Giants Stadium. Just remember J-E-T-S fans, Johnny Unitas finished his career as a Charger, and your beloved Joe Willie ended up a LA Ram.
Am I the only one who could care less about the Summer Olympic Games? From what I've heard there will be sporting events going on. Between the talk of the pollution in Beijing and China's political involvement in certain parts of the world, the games themselves are taking a backseat. Besides the Winter Games have more fun events like Bobsled, Luge, Skelton and you gotta love the Biathlon, a combination of skiing and rifle shooting.
I have to know is there a company out there that makes an indestructible tomato cage? I've tried 2 or 3 different styles and none of them have held up to the size and weight of my tomato plants. One of the great things about gardening is growing something different and this year it was Butternut squash. However they are not a good idea when your garden is a set of raised beds. The vines are huge, like pumpkins and they go everywhere. Right now, they've made it to my driveway. High School Football is 1 month away and practice starts in 10 days...Leccese out.

Cold Eggplant Parm and other Weekend Observations

Hi There. Welcome to another edition of The Greenhouse Effect where we are officially a "Brett Favre" free zone. Sorry Cheeseheads. Saturday was Old Timers day at Yankee Stadium and it was great to see 78 former players who at one point in their career called the Big Ball Orchard in the South Bronx home. Very rarely does Michael Kay anger me but he did when he introduced Willie Randolph. I'm glad that Willie showed up and got a great ovation. I never blamed him for the Mets mediocrity through the first months of the season. The "Once a Yankee, Always a Yankee" jab at the Mets though p---ed me off. I hope Howie Rose gets even when Darryl Strawberry and David Cone get introduced at some pre-game ceremony at Shea. Howie put this one in your book and use it in the future, you have my permission: "First a Met, and Forever a Met." and stick it to Mr Centerstage. I feel better now. I don't need to vent anymore. Had the opportunity to go to a friends' home for a barbecue this weekend. There is nothing better than good food, good beverages and good company. Unfortunately I made the mistake of bringing an entree that needed to be warmed up. Eggplant Parm is not a dish served best cold. I knew I should have gone the dessert way. Caught Big Brown Sunday in the Haskell at Monmouth. I thought he did fine, but all the so-called experts think he's not right. He ran a good race for a horse that was coming off a two month layoff. Horse racing is so desperate for a star to appear and peak the casual fans interest. Now the debate on the thoroughbred scene is the racing surface of the main track. Go natural or with a Polytrak type surface. I know in California and Kentucky they use it. Speaking of artificial surfaces if you get a chance, drive by Glens Falls High School. The new football field is almost finished and its looking real good. The press box is up and I've been trying to figure out where we will be broadcasting from. The dedication of Putt LaMay field is September 13th and WWSC will be there. I have to go now and cash my winning ticket from the Haskell...Leccese out.