Its October and here's your upset specials!

Hi there.  Just think, only 3 more months of til the end of the year.  Is it just me or as you get older, time goes by faster?  Leading off today's edition, "Opie's Upset Specials!"  Last weekend was a split.  Temple manhandled the ugly uniformed Maryland Terrapins and the Bears got manhandled by the Packers.  This week you get a threesome.  Not that kind of threesome!  2 college and 1 pro upset special.  First the pro.  The Pittsburgh Steelers are a rare underdog on the road against the Houston Texans.  Take Big Ben and Hines Ward over the Texans.  Now for your college double shot.  Big Ten plus 2 leads off and I like the Nebraska Cornhuskers over the Wisconsin "we don't need no stinkin'" Badgers.  Second college upset special comes from the ACC plus Pittsburgh and the 'Cuse. I like the Clemson Tigers going to Blacksburg Virginia to knock off the Va Tech Hokies.
So Syracuse's chancellor wants to play some its teams' basketball home games at Madison Square Garden when it joins the ACC.  They want to be New York's team.  I don't want to be around the campus for the protests by alums and students when the Duke or North Carolina game is moved to the Garden and will not be played in the Carrier Dome.
On to other things.  One good thing about being a Mets fan is you get to watch from a distance Yankees and RedSox fans go at it all the time.  Kind of sad and pathetic isn't it? Jose Reyes in trying to win the batting title, gets a bunt single in his first time at bat in the first inning and then gets pulled from the game.  Nobody was happy about that.  Would it have been better if he legged out a triple and got pulled?  One more Mets note.  GM Sandy Alderson has said the team is considering making major changes to the dimensions of CitiField to make it more hitter friendly.  For once I'm keeping my CitiField hating mouth shut on that one.  It's too easy.
Divisional play-off predictions.  Yankees in 4, Rays in 5, Phils in 3 and the D-Backs in 4.
If Michael Leighton clears waivers and plays for the Phantoms this year, along with Jason Bacashihua that team will have one heck of a goaltending tandem that can carry a team deep in the play-offs.
We're building new studios and offices in Queensbury and one of the things I won't miss about working downtown (next to the parking situation) is seeing all the protestors that seem to gravitate around Centennial Circle. You people need to get a life!
If there was going to be a wardrobe malfuction on Dancing with the Stars, you would hope it would have happened to George Clooney's ex Elisabetta Canalis and not Nancy Grace.
This weeks sign of the apocalypse comes from the fourth hour of the Today show where a different member of the Khardashian family will co-host each day next week.  That will be more painful to watch than the dental surgery I'm going to have and experience Wednesday.
Most of my garden has been dug up and my home is getting ready for some renovation work in the next couple of weeks.  Football Friday night in Lake George and Saturday at Queensbury high on WWSC.  Hope you can either tune in or if you can make it to the game, wave to me in the press box.  Happy Birthday to "The Big Whistle" Dave Thomas...Leccese out.

Off to a good start and Upset Specials

Hi there.  Got lots to cover so lets get hit the ground running with Upset Specials.  Another 0 for 2 week.  Tulsa lost to Oklahoma St in game that due to weather delays didn't finish til 3:35 in the morning!  As for the pro, well so far this year the Kansas City Chiefs have been outscored by a combined score of 88 to 10!.  First, this weeks college where the Temple Owls almost beat Penn State a couple of weeks ago.  This week they get that upset win over the Maryland Terrapins and those ugly uni's they will wear this week!  For the pro, this weeks slate of games doesn't blow me away but if I have to pick one, take the Bears as a home underdog to beat the Packers.
Football rules the world and once again we saw it agan has when Texas A@M bolts for the SEC and both Pitt and the 'Cuse leave the Big East for the ACC.  The tv money that is passed out for football is mind blowing.  If big time college football ever had a play-off.  Third world countries could fix their economies with the money that the networks would pay for the rights to those games.  I'm not kidding either.  I'm unsure what to make of the Big East defections.  I sense that somewhere down the road that the football playing schools will leave and the Big East will go back to being just a basketball conference made up of the catholic universities that don't play big time football.  It has gotten out of hand and no one is guarding or protecting the cookie jar.
I saw a photo of vandalism that really torked me off.  Someone actually stole the glasses off the statue of Ernie Harwell at Comerica Park in Detroit!  That is so wrong.  In Chicago, at the statue of Harry Caray in front of Wrigley Field, they put open cans of beer in his hand.
I discovered a new addiction online and its called World Golf Tour.  They claim its the most life like golf game out there.  I'm a believer.  I putt as bad on that game as I do when I play real golf!
After seeing Win McMurry in a magazine, I might just have to start watching the Golf Channel and she has an open invite to join one of my foursomes anytime.
Admit it guys, you only watched the Emmy awards show to see what Sofia Vergara from Modern Family was wearing and how hot she was going to look. 
I don't get what the big deal is about Will Arnett.  Now he's got another new tv show.  This time on NBC called Up All Night and it co-stars Christina Applegate. 
Both the season premieres of How I Met Your Mother and Big Bang Theory were awesome.  I would mention some of the highlights but I don't want to give anything away if John or Dan hasn't seen them yet.
I think I have to find and try a pint of the new Ben and Jerry's flavor, "Schweddy Balls."  Just the name itself must make it good.
Did you really think that Ron Artest, a.k.a Metta World Peace was going to win Dancing with the stars did you?
What a crying shame.  Bethany Frankel was lost at sea for just only 20 hours.  I would have liked it better if were like say... a week or more. 
High School football the next two Friday nights in Lake George.  Enjoy the weekend.  Sending out some hellos to the gym freaks at Core...Leccese out.

Upset Specials and I need an adjustment

Hi there.  Well before we get to this weeks Upset Specials which last week we went 0-2 as both Hawaii and the Vikings lost.  A couple of things. Will anyone actually be watching the Emmy awards Sunday night?  I didn't think so.  Also a couple of notes came from one of Tinsletown's favorite actor/actress couples.  First was seeing Angelina Jolie wearing a gold handcuff type accessory to her handbag.  There's a lot of worse things in life than being handcuffed to Angelina Jolie don't you think?  Also Brad Pitt said he made a mistake in marrying Jennifer Anniston.  O.K.  I would have to disagree, but he has seemed to have rebounded nicely from it.  I wonder if Angelina at least got rid of any Billy Bob Thorton references whether it be through having body art removed or that vile of blood that she used to wear around her neck.  That was just plain freaky even for vampire standards.
Well we finally have picked some peppers and the potatoes from the garden.  I was somewhat disappointed with the yield from the potatoes.  As for the peppers, considering that when I started them inside they were doing great.  Put them outside to harden and get used to the outside, they were on the verge of, "I guess I'm going to have to replace them and buy a few plants from the local garden store."  They came back from the dead and will make a nice early fall harvest along with some leftover eggplant and tomatoes that are still gowing.
I think I'm heading back to the chiropractor for a little treatment on my lower back.  It had been feeling great with no problems.  Yesterday I go into the gym to get my workout grove back in gear again.  I sit down to change my sneakers and something all of a sudden didn't feel right.  I think my body is rejecting Global Fitness and wants me join the freaks at Core, LOL.
Thanks to my friend Mark Mulholland for the nice story on Core he did on the local news Thursday night.  He discovered what I've known and been around for years.  An amazing group of people and I can't wait to be reunited.  I think next week my exile will be reduced to under 100 days and counting.
Now for Opie's Upset Specials.  First is the NFL.  The Kansas City Chiefs are 8 point dogs on the road in Detroit.  Take the Chiefs as they rebound from that home humiliation loss to the Bills and take it all out on the Lions.  Now for the college upset special.  Three games featuring big time programs with great histories and tradition.  Not touching any of those.  Last year I picked the Tulsa Golden Hurricane over the Golden Domers of Notre Dame.  This week I'm heading to Oklahoma where the wind blows mighty on the plain. Where the air is sweet, it smells like meat. (Oops, sorry I channeled Cloutier for a minute there!) I'm liking Tulsa as a home underdog to beat the Cowboys of Oklahoma State.
I don't what shocked me more in football last week.  That Queensbury scored 48 points including 4 td passes in a loss; or the Bills scoring 41 and won on the road against the Chiefs.  Football tonight on WWSC from Corinth...Leccese out.

Upset Specials and an unbelievable trip

Hi there.  Well its good to be back from a 5 day trip to South Carolina.  Perfect weather, had my fill of shrimp and fried oysters (not enough), and some amazing photos I got to take.  I also played a lot of golf.  The most beautiful golf hole I have ever played is the 9th hole at the Ocean Point golf links on Fripp Island.  A par 4 slight dog leg left that makes its way along the Atlantic Ocean.  The view from the tee is breathtaking and if you're on the right side of the fairway, the ocean crashing up against the sea wall is killer.  If the miracle occurs and I ever get married (don't hold out your hopes for that ever happening LOL!) I want the vows to take place on the 9th green and then have a best ball scramble format reception on that golf course!
I like to compare golf to that pretty girl you like. You talk, get to know her real well and discover you have some things in common.  There's a connection. Then just when you're ready to ask her out, she punches you in the gut by telling you she's dating some guy ten times better than you.  You become depressed and just when you've given up hope in never seeing or talking to her again, she breaks up with that guy and comes back into your life and the process starts over again.  Now for the golf analogy.  You think you're playing well and everything is good.  Then wham the punch comes!  You're spraying drives left and right missing the fairway, mishitting iron shots or missing every putt including the tap in gimmees.  And just when you're ready to chuck your clubs into some bottomless lake, you hit a perfect shot on some par three and tap in for birdie.  All is good with the world again.  It happened to me Wednesday.
Would someone tell Jets coach Rex Ryan to just shut up please!  Get some duct tape for that fat a--es mouth and seal it real tight.  Look I'm no Cowboys fan, but I'm making an exception Sunday night this one time.
Boy what a rough off season for hockey.  First the deaths of enforcers Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak; and now the tragedy in Russia where 36 members of the Lokomotiv Yaroslav team died in a plane crash earlier this week on their way to their league opener.
Randy Edsall decided to leave UConn to coach at the University of Maryland.  He said it was his dream job.  Did you see the unis Under Armour gave the Terps to wear in their first game he coached for them?  Man those things made anything the Oregon Ducks have been sporting the past few years fashionable and good looking.  Talk about double bag ugly!  Where's Tim Gunn when you need him?
Finally this weeks, "Opie's Upset Specials."  Last week 1 for 2.  Won on Northwestern and lost on Fresno State.  First the college upset special where Hawaii heads to Seattle to take on the Washington Huskies.  Take those Rainbow Warriors who are actually playing at a time most people on the east coast can watch!  Now for your first pro upset special.  Interconference match up between the Chargers and Vikings in San Diego.  I'm not sold on the 'Bolts who Peter King is picking to go the Superbowl against the Falcons.  Go with Donovan McNabb and the Vikings in an upset.
Albany Academy at Hudson Falls on Talk 1450 WWSC Saturday at 1:30pm...Leccese out. 

The return of Football and Upset Specials

Here I am on the eve of another high school football season and with college kicking off this weekend and the pros next weekend its's time for the long anticipated return of...drum roll please!  Opie's Upset Specials!  Every week through the college and pro season I will pick two possibly more upsets and the motto is, "Don't bet the ranch, because you'll lose the ranch!"  These are fun picks and not for serious betting or gambling purposes.  If you listen to me, you have some serious issues and should talk to Dr.Drew Pinsky about this and other things.  O.K with the NFL kicking off next Thursday night, I've got 2 college picks for you get you in the football mode.  First we head to Chestnut Hill in Boston Mass to the house that Doug Flutie built known as Boston College.  They open at home against the Wildcats of Northwestern from the Big 10 plus 2.  Take the Wildcats over the Eagles.  Second upset special takes us out west where the Bulldogs of Fresno State are 10 point underdogs to the Cal Golden Bears.  Like the Bulldogs to beat Cal in this neutral site game being played at Candlestick Park.
First high school football broadcast is tomorrow at Glens Falls High.  Glens Falls versus Niskayuna .1:30pm kick off with the pre-game at 1:20 on Talk 1450 WWSC.  Looked over the schedule and I have to wonder what did Pat Liverio and the Amsterdam Rugged Rams do to anger the Section 2 scheduling committee?  Playing their divisional games in the first 5 weeks.  Plus what a tough way to open the season.  Queensbury, Burnt Hills on the road and then Glens Falls.  Well if you don't how good your team is going to be at the start of the year, this a good way to find out real fast.
Heading to South Carolina on Sunday for a couple days of rest, golf and some good seafood.  Enjoy the long weekend...Leccese out!