Hi there. Some quick thoughts as we head into the weekend but first "upset special" time. Last week was a case of ass whooping. Both Kent State and the Arizona Cardinals got spanked. However there was a lot of bad football last weekend as many big time programs needed that extra scrimmage time before conference play begins by guaranteeing a big check to some average Division 1AA program and just embarrassing them. Don't lie Ohio State, Louisville and Miami don't tell me you thought these teams were gonna be national title contenders when you scheduled them. However most big time college programs are guilty of scheduling cupcakes. Got to keep the alumni and student body happy with big wins, right boys.
This weeks upset specials are the East Carolina Pirates knocking off the North Carolina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill for your college upset special, and the pro take the Chargers who are home underdogs to defeat the "How 'bout them Cowboys!"
Three weeks into the high school season and of the local teams we cover I'd have to say Queensbury is the best of the bunch, but we'll see how good when they take on the defending state champions in Burnt Hills this week. How come some teams every year just re-load while others are constantly stuck in quick sand?
One coach I always feel does the best coaching job every year and the record doesn't always show it is Kevin Stimpson of Fort Edward. That small group of kids he has always seems to play hard and are fundamentally sound. Love watching the Forts play.
One last football note. I wish I could have been there to watch last Saturday, but my alma mater Franklin Pierce now plays "Sprint" Football. It's a lower weight version of regular football and the boys from Rindge NH took on Cornell in a game that is played every year at Saratoga High School. They won 13 - 6. Then I get home and see Rutgers on Bristol Tech beat Arkansas for a second straight year. In the mid '70's, Rutgers took on the Tennessee Volunteers and the Vols coach was asked about them and he replied, "What's a Rutgers?" Still love that quote. I hope you SEC boys now know that us Jersey boys can play some big time football too! Remember we invented the game, it just took 140 plus years to be good at it.
More and more we're becoming one overly sensitive, politically correct, screwed up nation. When kids can vandalize a vacant home by having a party that the Delta House from Animal House would be envious of, brag about it on social media sites and then these kids parents can sue the home owner for calling the kids out for doing it and spinning it so the kids are the victims, something is wrong! Good for Brian Holloway.
Is it just me or does, "The Mother" who Ted will end up with kind of remind you both in looks and personality of Lilly?
Bad news single guys, Kaley Cuoco from Big Bang Theory announced her engagement. My good friend John Pratt was a little depressed over that one. Welcome to my world, JP.
If you haven't been, Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt in South Glens Falls is the real deal! It is scary good stuff. Take this recommendation from a hard core foodie who knows his stuff. If you're on a date, or if you have a family treat the spouse and kids and enjoy a frozen treat from this place.
Got apples and pumpkins and I'm searching for a pumpkin ice cream recipe...Leccese out.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Catching up and the return of "Opie's Upset Specials!"
Hi there. Finally found some time to write a new entry. First we begin with a football season tradition that started some 17 years ago when I did Sunday morning's at another radio station. "Opie's Upset Specials." Each week I pick one college and one pro upset game straight up, with no point spread involved. First for the college upset special where I'll go to State College, Pa and see the Nittany Lions of Penn State lose to the Kent State Golden Flashes from the MAC. For the first pro upset special, I like the Cardinals beating the Saints who are a totally different team away from the Super Dome.
Staying on the topic of football comes the choice of Bruno Mars to be the half-tme entertainment for this years' Superbowl in the Meadowlands. Solid choice.
I know the NFL is really pushing the safety/anti concussion thing, but not allowing teams to wear throwback uniforms with different helmets because they are unsure the helmets are safe is being a little too nit picky. Come on Roger, us hardcore NFL fans need to see Buccaneer Bruce and Pat Patriot make a return appearance at least once a year.
One more football note and I'll move on. There are 3 sports documentaries I would highly recommend. Showtime has a new one on Lawrence Taylor. NBC Sports Network produced a great one on Earl Campbell the former Houston Oilers running back; but the best comes from HBO on the life of Marty Glickman who is the big redwood tree when it comes to sports play by play. He was that influential and a pioneer of the way sports is called on radio and television. He also was an outstanding football player at Syracuse and an Olympic sprinter who made the 1936 Olympic team that went to Berlin, Germany Glickman and Sam Stoller were taken off the U.S. 400 meter relay team because they were Jewish and no one wanted to offend Hitler. Find a way to watch this one.
Sending props out to the Boston Red Sox for the classy ceremony and the cool gifts they bestowed upon Mariano Rivera last Sunday night before his last game at Fenway. The portrait and pitching rubber from the visitors bullpen were nice, but the best was the #42 placard from the Green Monster scoreboard. I would want one of those for my bedroom wall. Even better than the gold record of "Enter Sandman" that the Indians gave Mariano from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
With the fall tv schedule upon us I noticed Will Arnett is trying his hand again at another sitcom. This time on CBS following "Bing Bang Theory" and it co-stars Beau Bridges who I've heard of and some actress who I guess everyone has heard of except me of course.
Bill Engvall and Bill Nye the Science Guy on Dancing with the Stars? Must have reached the bottom of the list of male possibilities. Tom Bergeron, here's your sign. The only reason anyone is going to watch is to see Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi.
I watch Fox Cable News on occasion in the morning and they have this stable of very intelligent female news hosts, readers, correspondents...whatever you want to call them. Oh by the way they also happen to be very attractive blondes as well. So how come when they replaced the female host of their "Fox and Friends" morning show, the best they could find was Elizabeth Hasselbeck from. "The View." Personally I think they should have promoted from within the company.
On a lighter note, why do I keep get e-mails from someone named Adrian?. Who the heck is she? I know its spam with some stupid virus attached that only a fool would open. She probably is a dude who looks just like the actor who is in those creepy credit card commercials who answers the phone with, "Hi, this Peggy. How may I help you?"
Finally after I was done with the football game that we broadcast on WWSC from Granville last Saturday afternoon, I made the first cider and donuts run on the way home. Got the cider and also a bag of maple cotton candy. That long wait in the donut line was worth it. The smell of that warm dozen in the bag that sat along side me in the front passenger seat was intoxicating. Yeah I noshed on one or two driving back. If you can resist, you're lying to me especially if you're a parent with kids. Resistance is futile. Now here's an idea. Make of those air fresheners you hang in your car with the scent of apple cider and apple cider donuts. Enjoy the weekend and by the way fall officially begins Sunday...Leccese out.
Staying on the topic of football comes the choice of Bruno Mars to be the half-tme entertainment for this years' Superbowl in the Meadowlands. Solid choice.
I know the NFL is really pushing the safety/anti concussion thing, but not allowing teams to wear throwback uniforms with different helmets because they are unsure the helmets are safe is being a little too nit picky. Come on Roger, us hardcore NFL fans need to see Buccaneer Bruce and Pat Patriot make a return appearance at least once a year.
One more football note and I'll move on. There are 3 sports documentaries I would highly recommend. Showtime has a new one on Lawrence Taylor. NBC Sports Network produced a great one on Earl Campbell the former Houston Oilers running back; but the best comes from HBO on the life of Marty Glickman who is the big redwood tree when it comes to sports play by play. He was that influential and a pioneer of the way sports is called on radio and television. He also was an outstanding football player at Syracuse and an Olympic sprinter who made the 1936 Olympic team that went to Berlin, Germany Glickman and Sam Stoller were taken off the U.S. 400 meter relay team because they were Jewish and no one wanted to offend Hitler. Find a way to watch this one.
Sending props out to the Boston Red Sox for the classy ceremony and the cool gifts they bestowed upon Mariano Rivera last Sunday night before his last game at Fenway. The portrait and pitching rubber from the visitors bullpen were nice, but the best was the #42 placard from the Green Monster scoreboard. I would want one of those for my bedroom wall. Even better than the gold record of "Enter Sandman" that the Indians gave Mariano from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
With the fall tv schedule upon us I noticed Will Arnett is trying his hand again at another sitcom. This time on CBS following "Bing Bang Theory" and it co-stars Beau Bridges who I've heard of and some actress who I guess everyone has heard of except me of course.
Bill Engvall and Bill Nye the Science Guy on Dancing with the Stars? Must have reached the bottom of the list of male possibilities. Tom Bergeron, here's your sign. The only reason anyone is going to watch is to see Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi.
I watch Fox Cable News on occasion in the morning and they have this stable of very intelligent female news hosts, readers, correspondents...whatever you want to call them. Oh by the way they also happen to be very attractive blondes as well. So how come when they replaced the female host of their "Fox and Friends" morning show, the best they could find was Elizabeth Hasselbeck from. "The View." Personally I think they should have promoted from within the company.
On a lighter note, why do I keep get e-mails from someone named Adrian?. Who the heck is she? I know its spam with some stupid virus attached that only a fool would open. She probably is a dude who looks just like the actor who is in those creepy credit card commercials who answers the phone with, "Hi, this Peggy. How may I help you?"
Finally after I was done with the football game that we broadcast on WWSC from Granville last Saturday afternoon, I made the first cider and donuts run on the way home. Got the cider and also a bag of maple cotton candy. That long wait in the donut line was worth it. The smell of that warm dozen in the bag that sat along side me in the front passenger seat was intoxicating. Yeah I noshed on one or two driving back. If you can resist, you're lying to me especially if you're a parent with kids. Resistance is futile. Now here's an idea. Make of those air fresheners you hang in your car with the scent of apple cider and apple cider donuts. Enjoy the weekend and by the way fall officially begins Sunday...Leccese out.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
The fear of being, "That Guy" again
Hi there. My lack of a summer which went by a like a blur has fortunately finally come to an end. No more vacations, staff changes, and medical leaves for various ailments here at the radio ranch. We're back to full strength and I now can concentrate on high school sports and calling games. Last week I talked about the numbers game and how it hit Salem. This week it hit again, only harder. Fort Edward forfeiting its first game and cancelling its scrimmage due to low numbers. Warrensburg having only 20 for its scrimmage due to players not having the required 11 practices needed to scrimmage. Hoosic Valley's football season on life support after the school board held a special meeting to possibly cancel the season because even though they had 29 kids on the roster, they were worried about 9th graders playing against upper class men. Their season was luckily spared. Here's the future of small school 11 man football in our area. It's called combined school squads! Get used to it. I read an article in one of the capital district newspapers and it talked about that topic and when I saw Maple Grove from Section 6 among the many in that area now in a combined situation, my jaw hit the floor.
So Johnny "Football" Manziel got only a 1/2 game suspension for his autograph signings. The NCAA is one messed up organization who's leadership is like a rudderless ship. My take on Johnny "Football" is he's nothing more than a spoiled rich kid who thinks he can do whatever he wants and doesn't care and will run off in a tantrum and take the ball with him if he's upset and doesn't get his way. I really think his parents didn't punish him enough when he grew up.
I think Sandy Alderson should sign up to be one of those UFC or MMA fighters after the two blows he gave us Mets fans earlier this week. First Matt Harvey most likely is headed down to Dr. James Andrews and Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow; and the trade of Marlon Byrd and John Buck to off all teams the Pirates.
When the Pittsburgh Pirates are active at the waiver trade deadline and to acquire players to make that play-off push its a good thing for baseball. I hope the Pirates make it so every one who has never seen it will discover what I already know. PNC Park is most beautiful of the new "retro, throwback" ballparks in MLB hands down!
Don't blink! You've might have missed Fresno State's offense run 3 plays in the time it takes you to read this sentence. I stayed up til 2:45am to watch them and Rutgers play Thursday night into Friday morning. Hawaii was finished with their home game with USC before that 52 - 51 OT final actually ended.
I have to bring this up. The VMA's and Miley Cyrus' ummmm "so-called" performance. What did you expect? Hannah Montana finally admitting her secret identity? The VMA's are hands down the undefeated world champion of shock value performances. Howard Stern as, "Fart Man." The kiss between Madonna and Brittney Spears. The list goes on and on. What caught my attention was the French duo known as Daft Punk and the crazy helmet, cyber being type get ups. Reminded me of the Styx video, "Mr Roboto."
I'm I the only one who finds Judah Freidlander and his "World Champion" hats and look frightening or disgusting.
Finally the middle aged never married, single male in me started contemplating this the other day and realized a possibility. I'm becoming "that guy" again. In high school and college I was the, "I like you but only as a friend" or "if we went out and broke up it would ruin our friendship" guy. Now either I'm evolving into or have evolved into, "The single, nice, male friend who has no interest me sexually that I can count on when my husband or boyfriend isn't around" guy. It's either depressing or I'm spending way too much time over analyzing things...Leccese out.
So Johnny "Football" Manziel got only a 1/2 game suspension for his autograph signings. The NCAA is one messed up organization who's leadership is like a rudderless ship. My take on Johnny "Football" is he's nothing more than a spoiled rich kid who thinks he can do whatever he wants and doesn't care and will run off in a tantrum and take the ball with him if he's upset and doesn't get his way. I really think his parents didn't punish him enough when he grew up.
I think Sandy Alderson should sign up to be one of those UFC or MMA fighters after the two blows he gave us Mets fans earlier this week. First Matt Harvey most likely is headed down to Dr. James Andrews and Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow; and the trade of Marlon Byrd and John Buck to off all teams the Pirates.
When the Pittsburgh Pirates are active at the waiver trade deadline and to acquire players to make that play-off push its a good thing for baseball. I hope the Pirates make it so every one who has never seen it will discover what I already know. PNC Park is most beautiful of the new "retro, throwback" ballparks in MLB hands down!
Don't blink! You've might have missed Fresno State's offense run 3 plays in the time it takes you to read this sentence. I stayed up til 2:45am to watch them and Rutgers play Thursday night into Friday morning. Hawaii was finished with their home game with USC before that 52 - 51 OT final actually ended.
I have to bring this up. The VMA's and Miley Cyrus' ummmm "so-called" performance. What did you expect? Hannah Montana finally admitting her secret identity? The VMA's are hands down the undefeated world champion of shock value performances. Howard Stern as, "Fart Man." The kiss between Madonna and Brittney Spears. The list goes on and on. What caught my attention was the French duo known as Daft Punk and the crazy helmet, cyber being type get ups. Reminded me of the Styx video, "Mr Roboto."
I'm I the only one who finds Judah Freidlander and his "World Champion" hats and look frightening or disgusting.
Finally the middle aged never married, single male in me started contemplating this the other day and realized a possibility. I'm becoming "that guy" again. In high school and college I was the, "I like you but only as a friend" or "if we went out and broke up it would ruin our friendship" guy. Now either I'm evolving into or have evolved into, "The single, nice, male friend who has no interest me sexually that I can count on when my husband or boyfriend isn't around" guy. It's either depressing or I'm spending way too much time over analyzing things...Leccese out.
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