Hi there. Some quick words of wisdom to help you get over a football free (sorry, the Pro Bowl and Senior Bowl don't count!) weekend. What makes it even more dull is the Phantoms are on the road Saturday and the NHL is in its All-Star break.
If I read one more post in Tim McManus' fine column about the lack of fighters or a coaches show at some restaurant, I'm gonna take a sledge hammer to some helpless computer and beat the crap out it!
Instead of getting a new mascot, why don't we just rent "Tux" from the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins when the Pens aren't playing on the same night at home that we are?
I think Johan Backlund is actually starting to get back into solid form, but why do I have this uneasy feeling whenever he touches or plays the puck and he's been doing it a lot more. Has he been taking goaltending lessons from former Flyer Ron Hextall?
So the Super Bowl features two great traditional franchises and everybody says it will be a boring affair. Just because neither team has cheerleaders as eye candy on the sideline. Big deal. This is a killer match-up.! Just seeing Jerry Jones' disappointed face when all those Cheeseheads and Steelers fans pour into Cowboys Stadium is worth watching the game for that reason alone.
Been hearing a lot about Jimmer Fredette's exploits all over the media. Been there, done that, and already seen it. But I have to admit it is kind of cool.
One more thing. ABC/Bristol Tech turned back the clock last Saturday by airing the Pro Bowlers Tour. Loved every minute of it! I spent many a Saturday afternoon as a kid watching Chris Schenkel and Nelson Burton, Jr. Kind of felt sorry for the guy who only bowled only a 100 in that one game. It's like watching a pro golfer shoot in the 80's in a major championship. You feel for the guy but at the same time its nice to see one of those top pros have a bad day like that. It makes feels better for only being mediocre at a sport.
Enjoy the weekend. Maybe I'll order my seeds or even better check out the latest NHL Guardian in time for the All-Star game...Leccese out.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
I just don't like Slater!
Hi there. It was just a matter of time. 3 snow storms in less than 2 weeks. The folks are headed down to South Carolina to the fortress of solitude on Fripp Island for the winter. My Mom wanted to stay here for another week or two, but Dad kind of laid the law down and said he was going there without her. Got to love my crazy parents! I actually wouldn't have minded them sticking around for another week. Miss you Mom and Dad!
O.K. on to some NFL play-off observations. How come Rex Ryan has become suddenly humble when talking about Mike Tomlin and the Steelers after all the smack talk the past two weeks before facing the Colts and Patriots. I don't like throwing the race card around, but would you want to attack Coach Tomlin on Martin Luther King Day? I didn't think so either.
Hello Packer fans. Have you forgotten about what's his name, number 4 yet after seeing Aaron Rodgers doing what he has been doing these last couple of weeks? By the way that Number 4 guy filed his retirement papers with the NFL offices. How soon does he rescind those same papers for the upteenth time?
Mike Martz has little to do with the Bears success. It comes down to this. Good defense, solid running game, and a quarterback managing the game with minimal mistakes. Of the 4 teams left. 2 of the QB's are managing the games without making mistakes, the other two are legit Top 10 QB's. Did you notice that all the winning teams had great pass rush schemes?
I think Tom Brady will be able to forget the Jet loss as soon he spends a couple of days with Mrs. Brady (we're not talking Carol either) and not think about football during that time. He'll be O.K. trust me. I would if I were married to his wife.
As for the Ravens, I'm torn. Love Ray Rice. Can't stand Ray Lewis. It was nice to see another team besides the Giants fall apart like that in front of my eyes.
If the Phantoms played the Syracuse Crunch say like 50 times, they'd be a contender for the Calder Cup this year.
Saturday night observing the mascots at the Phantoms game, one stood out and if you were there I hope you noticed too. The person who was in Tux, the Penguins mascot was phenomenal! That person must have taken lessons from Dave Raymond, who was the original Philly Phanatic. One more mascot note. There was this one person dressed as Big Foot, at first I thought it was "Chaka" from "Land of the Lost.
Seeing photos of the freak who went on that shooting rampage in Tuscon 10 days ago gives me the chills and it concerns me that there are more like him waiting in the wings.
Had a great time in Warrensburg at their first,"Dancing to Make a Difference" Marathon. I was originally was supposed to be there for only an hour, but stayed for 2. If I hadn't had my Phantoms tickets I would have gone earlier and hung out even longer. Nice going kids and when I come back next year, I'm bringing some my friends from the radio station to experience the fun I had. Thanks to everyone up there.
2011 seed catalogs have arrived. I'm circling what seeds and materials I need and I've found something new for the garden. It's called, "The Potato Planter."
Finally, last Friday from the show prep service we get had a story about a guy who was in a sports bar somewhere in Illinois. He smashed up a photo that was behind the bar of A.C. Slater, a.k.a Mario Lopez from "Saved by the Bell." He told the police his reason for doing it was, "I just don't like Slater!" I'm making that my new mantra in life. If I do or say anything either positive or negative for any reason, my reply might just be, "I just don't like Slater!" Leccese out.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Sunday Brunch thoughts and some other stuff
Hi there. Sunday morning and I'm just biding time til my one hour of watching Bristol Tech at 9am.
As for Wild Card weekend in the NFL. I didn't watch either game yesterday. The results. Nobody and I mean nobody saw that coming. O.K, a lot of people thought the Jets would beat the Colts. How it happened? Nick Folk out Vinatieried Adam Vinatieri and kicked a game winning field goal as time ran out. Now for the Seahawks. Look, no matter how bad your record is if you win the division you play in, you're entitled to be in the play-offs. How did Seattle put up 41 on the Saints with no running game? Next weekend will be a different story. Seeing Pete Carroll on the sideline with a smile on his face after leaving So Cal and claiming he knew nothing of the violations and the Reggie Bush fiasco while in charge just rubbed me the wrong way. Sure you didn't know anything, Pete? You get a hefty pay raise to bolt to the NFL while the Trojans are put on probation. It was like in the 80's during Iran/Contra and George Bush claimed he didn't know what President Reagan was doing. You were the Vice President, how could you not know something went on!
Kind of ironic that Queensbury High cancelled it's Nordic Invitational ski race in advance because of a lack of snow and a day before the event was to take place, 12 inches of the white stuff fell on the area.
If the snow that we got was the heavy, moisture laden, wet type. I wouldn't have been shoveling.
I am this close to getting back on a treadmill. I miss being at the gym and taking Pump and Combat classes. The back is getting and feeling better and I only have to go for treatment at the chiropractor only once a week. 5 years ago I was there 3 times a week for 3 months. I was that messed up and out of alignment.
Only in golf can a viewer who is watching a Tour event on TV call the network, point out a rules violation and get a golfer disqualified? I love would to be able to do that in other sports. I would be so watching the NBA every night and calling David Stern every 30 seconds.
I am so behind on "How I Met Your Mother" and "Big Bang Theory" watching this year.
Haven't seen him in a while, but there he was, "The Man" Anthony Bourdain on Top Chef All-Stars as a judge. Him and Tom Colicchio are two of the coolest guys around.
So the folks are home and Mom is doing some cleaning. Her dining room table looks like a bomb was dropped on it and left all this debris. It's the least of her worries she says.
Phantoms goalie Brian Stewart wins 3 straight games, wins player of the week and gets rewarded by being sent to Bakersfield of the ECHL.
Retiring Phlex and installment of video boards are the least of the teams worries. Ticket pricing, the sound system, continued locker room improvements and a lack prospects in the junior and college ranks who could develop into viable pros at the NHL level would be my top concerns if I were the Brooks group.
Who'd a thought that both the hottest pro coaching and playing prospect came from that football factory known as Stanford! So Cal and the entire SEC and Big 10 conferences must be having heart palpitations right now.
Between seeing the Eric LeGrand interview and Andrew Luck's decision to stay in school it made me believe that there are still some good things about big time Division 1 college athletics. Maybe like all good news stories, we don't see or hear enough of them
Finally, Cloutier goes out to Vegas this week and what was going on out there. Both the Consumer Electronics Show and the Adult Entertainment Expo. Pete still found the time to sit front of slots machine and play. I never knew he had that type of stamina...Leccese out.
As for Wild Card weekend in the NFL. I didn't watch either game yesterday. The results. Nobody and I mean nobody saw that coming. O.K, a lot of people thought the Jets would beat the Colts. How it happened? Nick Folk out Vinatieried Adam Vinatieri and kicked a game winning field goal as time ran out. Now for the Seahawks. Look, no matter how bad your record is if you win the division you play in, you're entitled to be in the play-offs. How did Seattle put up 41 on the Saints with no running game? Next weekend will be a different story. Seeing Pete Carroll on the sideline with a smile on his face after leaving So Cal and claiming he knew nothing of the violations and the Reggie Bush fiasco while in charge just rubbed me the wrong way. Sure you didn't know anything, Pete? You get a hefty pay raise to bolt to the NFL while the Trojans are put on probation. It was like in the 80's during Iran/Contra and George Bush claimed he didn't know what President Reagan was doing. You were the Vice President, how could you not know something went on!
Kind of ironic that Queensbury High cancelled it's Nordic Invitational ski race in advance because of a lack of snow and a day before the event was to take place, 12 inches of the white stuff fell on the area.
If the snow that we got was the heavy, moisture laden, wet type. I wouldn't have been shoveling.
I am this close to getting back on a treadmill. I miss being at the gym and taking Pump and Combat classes. The back is getting and feeling better and I only have to go for treatment at the chiropractor only once a week. 5 years ago I was there 3 times a week for 3 months. I was that messed up and out of alignment.
Only in golf can a viewer who is watching a Tour event on TV call the network, point out a rules violation and get a golfer disqualified? I love would to be able to do that in other sports. I would be so watching the NBA every night and calling David Stern every 30 seconds.
I am so behind on "How I Met Your Mother" and "Big Bang Theory" watching this year.
Haven't seen him in a while, but there he was, "The Man" Anthony Bourdain on Top Chef All-Stars as a judge. Him and Tom Colicchio are two of the coolest guys around.
So the folks are home and Mom is doing some cleaning. Her dining room table looks like a bomb was dropped on it and left all this debris. It's the least of her worries she says.
Phantoms goalie Brian Stewart wins 3 straight games, wins player of the week and gets rewarded by being sent to Bakersfield of the ECHL.
Retiring Phlex and installment of video boards are the least of the teams worries. Ticket pricing, the sound system, continued locker room improvements and a lack prospects in the junior and college ranks who could develop into viable pros at the NHL level would be my top concerns if I were the Brooks group.
Who'd a thought that both the hottest pro coaching and playing prospect came from that football factory known as Stanford! So Cal and the entire SEC and Big 10 conferences must be having heart palpitations right now.
Between seeing the Eric LeGrand interview and Andrew Luck's decision to stay in school it made me believe that there are still some good things about big time Division 1 college athletics. Maybe like all good news stories, we don't see or hear enough of them
Finally, Cloutier goes out to Vegas this week and what was going on out there. Both the Consumer Electronics Show and the Adult Entertainment Expo. Pete still found the time to sit front of slots machine and play. I never knew he had that type of stamina...Leccese out.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Killing gift cards and other weekend thoughts
Hi there and Happy New Year. I hope you enjoyed the New Year and haven't already failed in your efforts to keep your resolutions.
Most of the weekend seemed like a blur. I'm not a big New Years celebration type person and I had to be at the radio station at 4:30 New Years' morning, so I was in bed by 9:30. Friday and Saturday I was at one of 3 places. Home, the office and the Civic Center for the 2 Phantoms games. Sunday it was the post holiday clean-up. Trip to the landfill, exchange a gift, and write thank you notes to family members who sent me a gift and to the people who made contributions to the Operation Santa Claus charity auction.
The hardest part of my Sunday revolved around believe it or not...gift cards. I have this box that I keep them in. Besides the 9 new ones I received this Christmas, in this box were 11 old ones that had either expired or had small amounts on them that I didn't know how much. I spent 30 minutes online, typing in codes and getting the amounts, writing them on post it notes and sticking them to the cards. Yesterday, I mailed out 4 old expired cards to one local business and going to 4 other businesses killing their cards off. I also discovered in my card collection that my favorite places are Red Lobster and Panera Bread.
I'm going to the chiropractor Wednesday to have my back treated so I can workout and take fitness classes again pain free. By coincidence, I got this card in the mail from the place I used to go to offering me a free session. Not gonna happen.
On to other things. It was nice to see the Big Ten humbled going 0 for 5 in New Years Day bowl games. Upset Special wise, total loss except for TCU's win in the Rose Bowl. On a follow up note, Notre Dame did beat Miami in the Sun Bowl.
Come on Randy Edsall, leaving UConn for the Maryland job? You're kidding me right? Didn't like playing second fiddle to Geno Auriemma and Jim Calhoun now did you.
So the Pitt Panthers hire this guy to replace Dave Wannstadt and end up firing him after 2 weeks on the job because he assaulted a woman over the weekend. Brilliant. That goes down with Notre Dame's smart hire of George O'Leary from Georgia Tech who was found to had lied on his coaching resume a few years back.
The Browns fired Eric Mangini and does anyone care that he actually was fired?
Forrest Gump of the NFL, namely Eli Manning said he is not a 25 interception quarterback. You're half right Forrest. You're a 18 directly picked off and 7 tipped balls by your receivers that got picked off qb. Eli, remember when you throw the ball, the guys on your side have a lower case "n y" on the helmets.
A miracle has finally occurred. An Adirondack Phantom won AHL Player of the Week! I shouldn't complain though, the team is starting to play better and winning 5 of your last 7 is a nice roll considering the abyss the team is already in.
Has the Tournament of Roses parade folks started scraping the bottom of the barrel when Paula Deen was named Grand Marshall? Or is this something Jeff Foxworthy can use in his, "You Might be a Redneck" routine?
Was briefly depressed when I found out that both Shania Twain and Valerie Bertinelli re-married over the weekend. However my spirits quickly rebounded when Elizabeth Hurley announced she is back in the dating pool...Leccese out.
Most of the weekend seemed like a blur. I'm not a big New Years celebration type person and I had to be at the radio station at 4:30 New Years' morning, so I was in bed by 9:30. Friday and Saturday I was at one of 3 places. Home, the office and the Civic Center for the 2 Phantoms games. Sunday it was the post holiday clean-up. Trip to the landfill, exchange a gift, and write thank you notes to family members who sent me a gift and to the people who made contributions to the Operation Santa Claus charity auction.
The hardest part of my Sunday revolved around believe it or not...gift cards. I have this box that I keep them in. Besides the 9 new ones I received this Christmas, in this box were 11 old ones that had either expired or had small amounts on them that I didn't know how much. I spent 30 minutes online, typing in codes and getting the amounts, writing them on post it notes and sticking them to the cards. Yesterday, I mailed out 4 old expired cards to one local business and going to 4 other businesses killing their cards off. I also discovered in my card collection that my favorite places are Red Lobster and Panera Bread.
I'm going to the chiropractor Wednesday to have my back treated so I can workout and take fitness classes again pain free. By coincidence, I got this card in the mail from the place I used to go to offering me a free session. Not gonna happen.
On to other things. It was nice to see the Big Ten humbled going 0 for 5 in New Years Day bowl games. Upset Special wise, total loss except for TCU's win in the Rose Bowl. On a follow up note, Notre Dame did beat Miami in the Sun Bowl.
Come on Randy Edsall, leaving UConn for the Maryland job? You're kidding me right? Didn't like playing second fiddle to Geno Auriemma and Jim Calhoun now did you.
So the Pitt Panthers hire this guy to replace Dave Wannstadt and end up firing him after 2 weeks on the job because he assaulted a woman over the weekend. Brilliant. That goes down with Notre Dame's smart hire of George O'Leary from Georgia Tech who was found to had lied on his coaching resume a few years back.
The Browns fired Eric Mangini and does anyone care that he actually was fired?
Forrest Gump of the NFL, namely Eli Manning said he is not a 25 interception quarterback. You're half right Forrest. You're a 18 directly picked off and 7 tipped balls by your receivers that got picked off qb. Eli, remember when you throw the ball, the guys on your side have a lower case "n y" on the helmets.
A miracle has finally occurred. An Adirondack Phantom won AHL Player of the Week! I shouldn't complain though, the team is starting to play better and winning 5 of your last 7 is a nice roll considering the abyss the team is already in.
Has the Tournament of Roses parade folks started scraping the bottom of the barrel when Paula Deen was named Grand Marshall? Or is this something Jeff Foxworthy can use in his, "You Might be a Redneck" routine?
Was briefly depressed when I found out that both Shania Twain and Valerie Bertinelli re-married over the weekend. However my spirits quickly rebounded when Elizabeth Hurley announced she is back in the dating pool...Leccese out.
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