Sunday, August 29, 2010

3 football scrimmages, 2 trips to the fair and I bought a new SUV (sung to the tune of "The 12 days of Christmas")

Hi there. It's been one heck of a busy week. I filled in on the morning show over on the sister station while John Pratt went to Florida on vacation. I'm not making this one up. He threw his back out the first full day he was there. I have three injury theories. Number One. He bent over and pulled something when he went to raid the mini-bar in the frig. (John, you do know you have to pay for the food and drinks that you take from it.) Number Two. He got whiplash from going too fast on the spinning tea cup ride; and number three: their was an unfortunate incident on "It's a Small World."
Did a lot of people watching this week. I hope Mark Griffin and I weren't the only ones who took notice of the fact that the scariest looking people on the planet can be found at a county fair. Man, talk about one heck of a freak show. You saw them in their glory. Checking out the exhibits, playing games, riding the rides along the midway and eating anything fried or on a stick. Diet, exercise, moderation and sense of style are some of the words not to be found in those folks vocabulary. I also kept a promise to a friend and went to the resort he owns to see a band play. Observing people in that element, watching them drink adult beverages and what happens during and afterward is a trip. It makes for great material in this case for the blog or my stand up act. What is it about the songs, "Sweet Home Alabama" or "All Night Long" by ACDC. I don't get it. Note to the bartenders. Tell the boss to add Guinness to beer list, please.
I watched 3 football scrimmages Saturday and was at the Section 2 football media day at UAlbany Sunday. A couple of observations. Hudson Falls looks potentially good; and Section 2 Class D teams here's a warning. Moriah from Section 7 is a big team with big numbers. There is a good chance they could make a third straight trip to Syracuse. Be afraid, be very afraid. As for media day, I was disappointed that no teams from our area showed up. I go so I can talk to coaches and get rosters from those schools who will be on a game of the week against one of the locals we cover.
You want to know how big "The Jug Game" is going to be. Here's how big. They were taking pre-orders on t-shirts promoting the return of the HF/GF game at Hudson Falls' scrimmage and they were expecting the shirts to sell out.
I feel real bad for the Nationals because after all the protecting, babying, pitch counts, and limiting of innings, Steven Strassburg still has to undergo Tommy John surgery.
With all of the kaos that I encountered this week, I managed to buy the replacement for my Saturn Vue. I really wasn't thinking seriously about a new or pre-owned SUV, but this particular vehicle fell into my lap and I couldn't say no it. It helped that it was one of the models I liked and was considering buying anyway. Thanks Cloutier, I'll tell Chris Della Bella to send you the finders fee for that sale.
Eldrick and Elin got a divorce. Excuse me for yawning. Moving on.
Paris Hilton got arrested for cocaine posession. That's not hot.
Note to NYRA. You were this close to having a perfect weekend. Great weather, big crowds, amazing finish in the Travers, and Rachael Alexandra. Persistantly spoiled the party with an amazing stretch run in the Personal Ensign. To quote Maxwell Smart, "Missed it by that much."
Garden update. Harvested potatoes (yessss!) and more peppers. I'm thinking homefries for breakfast. I'm getting sick of seeing zucchini. I would like to see some red tomatoes and eggplant real soon. To quote Judge Smails in Caddyshack, "Well, we're waiting."
In the next entry, the long awaited return of ,"Opie's Upset Specials!"
See you at the Jug Game...Leccese out.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Stop nagging me about not being on Facebook!

Hi there. There is nothing better on a rainy day than sitting in front of my laptop typing away creating another riveting entry in "The Greenhouse Effect." Sometimes I feel like Stephen J. Cannell at the end of all his tv shows when he's meticulously finishing a script and he rips the final page from the typewriter and in the end it says "A Stephen J. Cannell Production" with the music stinger.
Where to start. Thanks to everyone who participated, contributed money, and volunteered their time to help us with the go-cart race. Next to Bowl for Kids Sake, its my favorite thing we do charity wise. I rode the carts after it was over and I felt for the drivers. Those go-carts could haul and you got pretty rattled around making turns and you could see the rubber coming off the tires.
I'm not backtracking on my opinion of Rex Ryan, but I'm going to defend him. We've all heard about his overuse of salty language on "Hard Knocks," but I think he should tell Tony Dungy to just bleeping shut up and go bleeping away. When did Tony Dungy become such a hot piece of bleep and the moral conscious of the NFL? If it weren't for Peyton Manning you'd still be nothing more than a choke artist coach who constantly whines about things being unfair. Remember, Chucky Gruden took the same Bucs team he had the year before to a SuperBowl win the next season.
Watching Brett Favre's return to the Vikes and the scene that was made on his arrival at training camp kind of reminded me of that white Bronco driving down I-5 in LA sixteen years ago.
The two best sports writers hands down are Mike Lupica and Mitch Albom and I always try to read their columns whenever possible.
The feistiness, denial and just plain stupidity Roger Clemens is showing these days must be making Donald Fehr and Marvin Miller proud. If Clemens does take a hit over these allegations, I hope its with the same piece of broken bat he flung at Mike Piazza.
Been to 4 high schools to watch football practice and talked with coaches about the upcoming season. Hudson Falls looks good and they've got numbers that a lot of schools wish the Tigers had. Lake George, Warrensburg, and Glens Falls are all young and raw. I was shocked by numbers at Lake George. They were down, but they also didn't have freshman practicing with the varsity.
My friend Mike Rowe was back in town for a wedding and he took time to teach the fitness class I take at the gym. It was just like the good old days when you didn't want to miss one of his classes and you were jokingly scolded for not showing up. A bunch of us combat veterans were there and we had a blast hanging out.
Dave Thomas will be filling in for me this week while I go across the hall and do the morning show on the sister station. I also have two days at the Washington County Fair. I promise that there will be no eating of deep fried Oreo's this year not even if Lisa Robertson or Patricia Kara showed up with them and personally fed them to me. Eating those things that morning were like the classic SNL "Little Chocolate Donuts" commercial with John Belushi.
Finally, a note to my all caring friends and younger sister. Quoting Susan Powter, "Stop the Insanity!" No more mentions, suggestions, or dropping of hints that I should come into the 21st century and join Facebook. It's not gonna happen! Now if you go to the top of the website, you'll see that WCKM and WCQL is on Facebook. I've checked out the WCKM page and discovered that many our staff has befriended it. Why? I don't get the whole Facebook/Twitter thing. If a current friend or family member wants to get in touch with me, they know where I am and they have my e-mail address and cell phone number and can either text or call me. If any of my former high school or college friends wanted to find me, don't you think they would have stayed in touch after all these years or found me by now? All they have to do is google my name if they remember how to spell it. I've made big strides this year in getting a new cell phone. I know how to text, I can download ringtones and I just learned how to send photos to peoples' phones and e-mail addresses.
Jug Game in two weeks...Leccese out

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Just call me "Hands of Stone" and other observations

Hi There,
Before we get to the other stuff, I'll start off with what happened Saturday night. Went with Dan and the Ashs' to Joe Bruno Stadium to see the Valley Cats play the Staten Island Yankees. If you've never been to a game at HVCC, go. It's a nice minor league ballpark and the prices are fair. The highlight of the trip was dinner at Ted's Fish Fry, which is one of Miner's favorite places. Now for the low lights. First, I directed the driver to the wrong entrance. Then Yankees got clobbered 11 to 2 and to top it off my mediocre athletic ability got showed off. During the game a foul ball goes over our heads, takes a bounce off the walk way, hits a light pole and comes back our way. It was beggin' for me to catch it and be a hero. But nooooo! I had the ball in my sights, hits my outstretched left hand and I couldn't snag the dang thing. Now you know why I don't play softball or give massages. Hands of Stone. Those who can't play the game either end up broadcasting or keeping score. I do both.
Football and other fall sports get under way and for me the first thing when I go check out practices is always look at the numbers of kids playing. Especially with smaller schools like Warrensburgh and Fort Edward. Two or three key injuries and the season teeters on the brink of extinction. Its harder to get kids to make that kind of commitment to football. With jobs, girlfriends, the so-called extreme sports and computers; the desire to actually do 2 a day practices, hit the weight room, make football not an easy sell. I know kids who play often tell me they'll go knocking on their friends doors begging them to try out and join them on the team. There is something still cool about wearing a varsity jacket right?
How many straight years can Mets fans endure the wheels falling off the bus? A couple of collapses, injuries and now this past week the teams' pitching ace is served a civil lawsuit over rape charges and the closer beats up his girlfriends father in the teams family room in front of children and is charged with assault. Francisco Rodriguez also has had runs ins with a coach, team executive, and a Yankee before a game last year. Anger management classes is just the start K-Rod. I don't think a complete house cleaning is in order. I would love Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz to sell to someone who'll first re-establish the Mets history to Mets fans. Next they need to find a team leader who give this team some swagger. The last two guys who took that job and relished it were dumped; and now the guy who should be the leader Jeff Francoeur has been buried in a platoon with the return of Carlos Beltran.
Brandon Phillips just shut up please! That brawl in the first inning of the Cards/Reds game was such a moronic display of idiocy. Hope the foot in mouth disease is being treated. Any simpleton knows you never diss your opponent like that right before you play 'em with first place on the line.
SF Giants pitcher Jonathan Sanchez also joined Brandon Phillips in the nurses office for foot in mouth disease when he predicted the Giants would sweep the Padres this weekend. Didn't happen now did it John? One more note on the flailing friars of San Diego. Can we just get it over with and hand the NL manager of the year award to Bud Black now please.
I may have hands of stone, but if a foul ball is headed for my girlfriend, unless she was an allstar softball player in high school or college; I'm re-enacting the scene from, "The Bodyguard" where Kevin Costner dives in front of Whitney Houston to save her from getting shot. You've been living in a cave recently if you haven't seen the video of that guy at the Astros game with his hat turned sideways dissing his woman and letting her get plunked. Moron. He was probably worried his beer would be spilled. They interviewed the happy twosome during the game and they later appeared on the CBS Morning Show. CBS really has a morning show? I did not know that.
To quote Bob Uecker from "Major League" in regards to Dustin Johnson and the 2 shot penalty assessed to him for grounding his club on the 18th hole at the PGA championship, "Personally I think he got hosed on that call." That was one mighty small bunker. Looked like trampled ground to me.
I'd rather be strapped to a chair with duct tape and forced to watch "Paul Blart, Mall Cop" or any other movie starring Kevin James and Adam Sandler than watch "Hard Knocks" on HBO.
It must have been one really slow news day for Bill O'Reilly. Why is he dissing Jennifer Aniston for her desire to have a child and raise it as single parent?
Talk about stating the obvious. Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi said she is not a role model! No duh!
This weeks sign of the apocalypse. Forgive me, its technically from last week. Kate Gosselin went on a camping trip in Alaska with Sarah Palin. That one made my skin crawl. I'm not making some of this stuff up people.
The age spots have been exploding all over my arms and body with the knowledge that two of my favorite movies "Caddy Shack" is now 30 years old and "Back to the Future" is 25.
Finally, two things to leave you with. The go-cart race is coming up this Wednesday and WCKM is now on Facebook. Check it out and be our friends, please...Leccese out.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Seven days til the start of football practice

Hi there. Ladies and Gentlemen we interrupt the beginning of the latest entry of "The Greenhouse Effect" to inform you after 4 months being late, the State of New York finally has a budget signed, sealed and delivered!!!!! All these years I tought it was Joe Bruno and Sheldon Silver being pigheaded. The truth has come out. It's the entire state legislature that is totally out of touch with reality and plain screwed up.
I would like to formally apologize to LeBron James for my rants about his free agency and drama that concluded with "The Decision" on Bristol Tech. No hard feelings I hope. After the return of that soap opera known to us all,"As the Brett Favre Turns." Compared to that fiasco, "The Wooing of LeBron" and "The Decision" was tame. Brett Favre is as big a drama queen as Ali Fedotowsky from "The Bachelorette."
If I ran my Dads' business into the ground the way Jeff Wilpon and Jim Dolan are doing with the Mets and Knicks, Big Ken Leccese would disown me, have me written out of the will and asked that I change my name.
More on the Knickerbockers. What photos or other incriminating stuff does Isaiah Thomas have on Jim Dolan that would cause him to bring him back as a consultant. After what he did to send the Knicks into a tailspin and on the same level of embarrassment and humiliation to the Association as the Clippers and Nets do, I wouldn't trust Zeke coaching or consulting a team of 5 and 6 year olds.
So A-Rod finally did hit that 600th Home Run. That's nice to hear.
Would someone tell "Fudgy the Football Coach" a.k.a Rex Ryan to shut up his big blowhole. Use number 150 for duct tape. Sticking it on Rex's mouth to silence it!!!! I hope he trips one day and lands on the guy who wears the firemans' hat and Bruce Harper jersey and does the J-E-T-S chant and suffocates him.
Buck Showalter returned to managing with the Orioles. Just remember this fans in Charm City. The guys who replaced him in New York and Arizona won the World Series the year after he was canned. Plan ahead so you can find his successor and the parade route when you end the World Series drought.
Rays manager Joe Maddon complained after a pop fly hit the catwalk in play at Tropicana Field that caused his team to lose. After this horribile occurance that should convince anybody that a new ballpark is needed in the Tampa/St.Pete area. Mr.Maddon if I had the power, I'd send you CitiField with a big red bow on it. Wait a minute. That's not an adequate major league ballpark either. Sorry Joe, you're out of luck.
After the debut Blue Jays rookie catcher J.P.Arencibia had Saturday going 4 for 5 with 2 home runs, I'd quit now and leave while on top.
I love the prep material we use on the air radio and this week I found out a lot about myself from it. I found out that I'll need at least 1.5 million dollars for an attractive woman to go out with and possibly marry me. The other discovery is 3 of the top 4 cars on the least likely to be stolen list I either own or want to own.
To add insult to injury, one my co-workers at the radio station had no idea I was filling in doing the morning show with Pete. Just stab me in the heart with a broken beer or wine bottle please.
If you think Bristol Tech sideline reporter and stalker victim Erin Andrews is attractive, wait til you see her sister! I saw a photo of her with Erin at a premier for a movie she is in and it made me wish I had learn to play a keyboard instrument. Yes my friends the gene pool has been kind to both of the Andrews girls.
Awwww poor Eldrick Woods is in a slump. If I gave the violinist a 20 dollar bill, you think he leave and go over and play for that cute couple canoodling at table 4.
Went to the track Wednesday and although I didn't win on any of the bets I placed, it was great way to spend the afternoon. Next time, I'm getting grandstand reserved seats so I could sit in the shade. Next weekend its off to Troy and a minor league baseball game.
I'm starting to sense it. High School football practice starts in 7 days. Training camp visits, scrimmages and media day in 2 weeks. Those nine months between seasons' somehow fly by real fast...Leccese out.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Did you ever just have one of those days?

Hi there. There's nothing better after a nice quiet weekend of just relaxing at home then to kick off a new work week than to have a couple of things happen to you and it feels like you've been hit by lightning not once, but twice within the same 4 hour period. So, I'm driving into the radio station Monday morning at 4:30 when I got pulled over by one of Warren County's finest for speeding. Me of all people. I was lucky to get off with a nice warning to be more careful. Thanks officer, and I promise to be less of lead foot. There was strike one. The second strike came when I was told that a co-worker was leaving and her last day was Friday. I was totally caught off guard by that hit and I'm having a real hard time accepting it. It's really depressing me. She's an amazing person and I let her know my feelings in a text. It will be even harder for me to say goodbye in person and I'm dreading that moment. It's been that strange of a day.
On to other things.
Chelsea Clinton got married over the weekend and I have wonder how her husband Mark is addressing her parents? This is not your typical in-law situation. Her dad is a former two term U.S. President and Mom is the current Secretary of State. Calling them Mom and Dad just doesn't seem very copacetic now does it?. Plus you have secret service people everywhere. Don't want to screw anything up or big brother will be watching and all over you like white on bread.
Normally this blog is an "American Idol" free zone. But not today. First Simon leaves the show, and now Kara has been fired. All that is left is Randy and that guy who seems to be hosting everything on TV and radio. As for Ellen, don't let the door hit you on the way out. I make no apologies by saying I find Ms.DeGeneres void of any talent and just plain annoying. Go back to doing Very Fine juice commercials.
You make the call. Who's more screwed up. Lindsey Lohan or Mel Gibson.
How come every team who wanted to make a trade for a big time player did so but the Mets. You even had the Padres and Rangers (who are technically bankrupt) making deals and all they parted with were a couple of low minor leaguers and some bats and balls thrown in to help sell souvenirs.
Football training camps have opened and you want to why there is a need for a new collective bargaining agreement in the NFL. Sam Bradford the number 1 pick in the draft who hasn't played a down for the Rams will get 50 ma-ma-million dollars guaranteed. That's why.
VH1 must be real happy that Terrell Owens signed with the Bengals. I'm still trying to figure out that one.
Hard to believe that the NHL actually used some common sense and voided the 17 year deal the Devils offered Ilya Kovalchuk. Bad news guys. Heeeee's back. Donald Fehr formally the head of the Major League Baseball Players Union is helping the NHLPA and contract negotiations on their new CBA is coming up faster than you think.
Why do they call it a lockout when a sports league and its players don't have a collective bargaining agreement? Wouldn't a true lock out be when there is an agreement in place and the owners decide not play?
The zucchini harvest has begun and also the first yellow pear tomatoes are being picked for those needing a garden update.
Finally, this weeks sign of the apocalypse. I saw a commercial advertising a snuggie in athletic department t-shirt grey that reads, "Property of Snuggies Athletic Department XXL." We're talking about a stinking bathroom that's been turned around so you wear it with the back in front!..Leccese out.