It's been a while since I have addressed this publicly. In fact, I don't believe I have ever revealed this throughout the vaunted history of this blog. But today, a new person has leaped into the number one spot on the list. A very special list.
Mind you, the list has changed over the years, mostly for superficial reasons. But there is a very valid reason why Julia Stiles has now taken over the mantle as being the person that I most desire to become my future ex-wife.
Never mind the fact that she is a talented actress. Never mind the fact that she appeared in all three versions of the Bourne movie trilogy, with Matt Damon being the only other to hit that trifecta. Never mind that she has a classic beauty and a charismatic smile that makes me stop flipping the TV tube around the dial whenever she comes on-screen. Never mind of all that, because in addition to all of that, there is one reason above all the rest that has elevated her to the top of the list:
She is a fan of the New York Mets. And not just a "I root for some baseball team" kind of fan either.
As evidenced by this story she wrote for the Wall Street Journal reviewing her take on the Mets home opener a while back at Mookie Wilson Stadium (I refuse to call it by the corporate greed moniker), she not only is a fan of the Mets, but has a clear understanding of the game as well.
I later found out that she also has a blog site as well. So not only am I letting the tens and tens of Crief Case Nation readers know about it, and encouraging all of you to visit her site everyday, but we're adding her onto the famous Blog Roll located over on the right.
Welcome to the club, Ms. Stiles - your jacket awaits you.
********************
Still awaiting the official ability to make the official word on my official broadcasting upgrade announcement to become official. When it is, I will spill the beans. What I can tell you is that the May 3 debut of Sunday Scores and More has been pushed back two weeks until May 17. Many more details soon to follow...
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Crief the Guest Star
Be sure to listen to Sports Journey on the Sports Journey Broadcast Network today between 4-7PM Eastern to hear me as a guest talking NHL playoff hockey. I'll be talking about Wednesday's games and previewing Thursday's action with Lake Lewis, the show's host.
Here's a link to the site:
http://www.sportsjourney.com/
In case you missed it, go to the home page linked above, and click on the TAB button that says 'Past Shows'. When the page changes, under the section titled 'Recent Archives', be sure to click on the show labeled '04/23 Sports Journey with Lake Lewis'. It's that simple. I am the first guest on the show, and it appears about 15-20 minutes into the first hour.
Also, another major announcement or two is forthcoming - stay tuned...
Here's a link to the site:
http://www.sportsjourney.com/
In case you missed it, go to the home page linked above, and click on the TAB button that says 'Past Shows'. When the page changes, under the section titled 'Recent Archives', be sure to click on the show labeled '04/23 Sports Journey with Lake Lewis'. It's that simple. I am the first guest on the show, and it appears about 15-20 minutes into the first hour.
Also, another major announcement or two is forthcoming - stay tuned...
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Heidi Heidi Heidi Hi
I'll have a new posting here this Friday about the NFL Draft. Also, be sure to go to the home blog page for the new radio show by clicking this link:
http://sundayscoresandmore.blogspot.com/
There, you will soon find info about our guests for future shows and much more.
Also, be sure to go to my L.A. Kings Examiner page to keep up to date on the Kings throughout the off-season. Today, we posted a feature story on Heidi Androl, who is currently being loaned out by the Kings to the NHL as co-host of their daily on-line program called Cisco All-Access Pre-Game Show
See you Friday morning when we go "on the clock"...
http://sundayscoresandmore.blogspot.com/
There, you will soon find info about our guests for future shows and much more.
Also, be sure to go to my L.A. Kings Examiner page to keep up to date on the Kings throughout the off-season. Today, we posted a feature story on Heidi Androl, who is currently being loaned out by the Kings to the NHL as co-host of their daily on-line program called Cisco All-Access Pre-Game Show
See you Friday morning when we go "on the clock"...
Sunday, April 5, 2009
In memoriam: Doug Kessler
When I graduated high school in 1986, I'm sure I felt like most of my peers; invincible and able to begin a long journey on the road of life. But even before graduation day arrived, my classmates at Pascack Hill High School experienced two introductions into the cold reality of life that would haunt us. During our junior year of high school, one of our classmates committed suicide. Then during the summer between our junior and senior year, another was killed in a car crash involving a train.
Since then, we've seen other classmates taken from us in various ways. I'm sure this makes us no different than other classes from our school, or other classes that graduated the same year which we did. Still, by the time we reached our 20-year reunion in 2006, ten of our class members were gone. Perhaps just as innocuous is not just how many have passed on, but how they succumbed. One to breast cancer; one involving a shooting outside a nightclub; one involving a gas station robbery where they were at the wrong place at the wrong time; one to HIV; two from drug related issues; one from brain cancer; and another reportedly from an accident swimming in the ocean where a strong tide current slammed him into a pier.
And now I've learned of yet another loss recently. It's my sad duty to report that Doug Kessler passed away in March after an 18-month battle with colon cancer. Unfortunately by the time Doug was diagnosed, the cancer had already begun to spread to his lymph nodes, liver, and spine.
Greg Blue filled me in on some of the details of Doug's passing. But what I was struck by, in even the briefest of messages, was the impact Doug had on Greg in those final months. Greg made sure to tell me about Doug's spirit in battling the disease, and remaining active in terms of athletic pursuits. He also shared with me how loving a husband and father Doug was to his wife and their two children. I know that Doug and Greg were part of a tight circle of friends from high school that still remained friends 22 years following graduation day.
So, I wanted to acknowledge Doug's passing today with this posting. Doug and I played on soccer and baseball teams together when we were little kids, and he was always a gentle and kind person. I'm very saddened by his loss, and wish to extend my condolences to his wife Ivy, and their children Ryan and Emily. I also want offer my apologies on their loss to his parents and his brother Andrew, as well as all of his close friends from our class. I also understand from Greg that donations can be made in Doug's name to the following:
JCC of Central NJ
1391 Martine Ave.
Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
Greg also wanted me to mention that if you make a donation to please notate that it is in memory of Doug Kessler, because that money will be applied towards the creation of a new recreation facility being built there. I know that times are tough financially for all of us, but any positive gesture on your part would be greatly appreciated.
Since then, we've seen other classmates taken from us in various ways. I'm sure this makes us no different than other classes from our school, or other classes that graduated the same year which we did. Still, by the time we reached our 20-year reunion in 2006, ten of our class members were gone. Perhaps just as innocuous is not just how many have passed on, but how they succumbed. One to breast cancer; one involving a shooting outside a nightclub; one involving a gas station robbery where they were at the wrong place at the wrong time; one to HIV; two from drug related issues; one from brain cancer; and another reportedly from an accident swimming in the ocean where a strong tide current slammed him into a pier.
And now I've learned of yet another loss recently. It's my sad duty to report that Doug Kessler passed away in March after an 18-month battle with colon cancer. Unfortunately by the time Doug was diagnosed, the cancer had already begun to spread to his lymph nodes, liver, and spine.
Greg Blue filled me in on some of the details of Doug's passing. But what I was struck by, in even the briefest of messages, was the impact Doug had on Greg in those final months. Greg made sure to tell me about Doug's spirit in battling the disease, and remaining active in terms of athletic pursuits. He also shared with me how loving a husband and father Doug was to his wife and their two children. I know that Doug and Greg were part of a tight circle of friends from high school that still remained friends 22 years following graduation day.
So, I wanted to acknowledge Doug's passing today with this posting. Doug and I played on soccer and baseball teams together when we were little kids, and he was always a gentle and kind person. I'm very saddened by his loss, and wish to extend my condolences to his wife Ivy, and their children Ryan and Emily. I also want offer my apologies on their loss to his parents and his brother Andrew, as well as all of his close friends from our class. I also understand from Greg that donations can be made in Doug's name to the following:
JCC of Central NJ
1391 Martine Ave.
Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
Greg also wanted me to mention that if you make a donation to please notate that it is in memory of Doug Kessler, because that money will be applied towards the creation of a new recreation facility being built there. I know that times are tough financially for all of us, but any positive gesture on your part would be greatly appreciated.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Gearing up for a new type of journey
I will never be able to run for President of the United States. I will never be able to run out of tunnel beneath the outstretched arms of Touchdown Jesus and onto the field at Notre Dame Stadium wearing a gold helmet and the Irish uniform. I will never be able to make the final save as goaltender for the New Jersey Devils, helping them to win a Stanley Cup championship, or for the U.S. Olympic hockey team as they win a gold medal. I will never be able to step into the batter's box wearing a Mets uniform and point to the center field fence, calling my shot against a major league pitcher. I will never be able to win an Oscar as best actor. I will never be able to have conversations with people I admire and/or that I'm intrigued by, like: Howard Cosell, Richard Nixon, John Lennon, Thurman Munson, John Kennedy, Marvin Gaye, Jim Morrison, Herb Brooks, or any of my grandparents. But despite all of these dreams that will never happen, I am able to proudly to announce the following:
My dream of hosting my own sports radio talk show is finally becoming a reality. No, this is NOT an April Fool's Day joke either.
This week, I entered into an agreement with the Sports Journey Broadcast Network to begin hosting a weekly three-hour program. It's going to be called Sunday Scores and More, and will air every Sunday morning from 10:00 AM through 1:00PM on the east coast, 7-10AM here on the west coast. The first show will air on May 3rd.
I am beyond excited about this opportunity and I am looking forward to delivering an entertaining and informative weekly broadcast. Ray Manukay, who worked with me on the sports team at Mahalo, is going to be working with me on the show. The program will cover all aspects of sports conversation, and I will be providing not only my own brand of opinions and commentary, but also more expert opinions from players, coaches, and members of the media.
I'm in the process of lining lined up what I think is an impressive first show of guests: NHL on NBC play-by-play announcer Mike Emrick; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio; NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen; MSG Network reporter Tina Cervasio; fellow Sports Journey show host Pat Gallen of Basketball Round-up; and Examiner.com boxing analyst Ricardo Lima. All but Emrick and Del Rio have been confirmed as of this posting, and I'm confident in landing the other two, though I won't be able to confirm those until the week prior to the show.
It goes without saying that I have many people to thank for the fact that I'm finally getting the chance to realize what, at times, seemed like an impossible dream. As much as I like to think of myself as someone who can put just about anything into words, I find myself staring at a blinking cursor in my word program trying to conjugate my emotions at this moment. It'll probably be even more difficult the day of the first show.
I'll be joined each Sunday morning by my good friend Ray Manukay, who along with "Angry" Ken Bothe comprised the on-site sports staff when Mahalo started two years ago. The three of us did a demo for a sports talk weekly video show for Mahalo that they used for misdirection purposes before their launch (too complicated to explain), but I knew from filming that demo that Ray would be a great inclusion to any show I wound up being involved in. He will provide a full news-styled sportscast at the top of each hour, and scoreboard updates at 20 and 40 minutes past each hour. He will also engage with me in sports discussion and debates on a wide variety of topics. He's west coast; I'm east coast. It should make for some great radio.
But we'll also keep things moving with plenty of conversation with guests, and I'm also planning on incorporating some kind of chat room on our site that will allow audience participation. Eventually, I hope to be able to build up the show enough to transition into taking phone calls from listeners, but for now we'll keep things simple. Nevertheless, I will always welcome and respond to your comments and criticisms whenever possible.
I've spoken with the head of the network, Lake Lewis, who also hosts the flagship program on the network each weekday afternoon between 4-7 Eastern Time. He is also planning on introducing me to his listening audience in the weeks leading up to my Sunday debut as the 'Senior Hockey Analyst' for the network. I'll post a notice here when my first appearance will take place.
I'll put more details here as they come about as well through the process. In the meantime, I want to thank all of you that have known me through the years, at whatever level of friendship we've reached, for your support of me over the years, and encouraging me to never put my dreams away. I look forward to sharing many a Sunday talking sports with you starting in May.
My dream of hosting my own sports radio talk show is finally becoming a reality. No, this is NOT an April Fool's Day joke either.
This week, I entered into an agreement with the Sports Journey Broadcast Network to begin hosting a weekly three-hour program. It's going to be called Sunday Scores and More, and will air every Sunday morning from 10:00 AM through 1:00PM on the east coast, 7-10AM here on the west coast. The first show will air on May 3rd.
I am beyond excited about this opportunity and I am looking forward to delivering an entertaining and informative weekly broadcast. Ray Manukay, who worked with me on the sports team at Mahalo, is going to be working with me on the show. The program will cover all aspects of sports conversation, and I will be providing not only my own brand of opinions and commentary, but also more expert opinions from players, coaches, and members of the media.
I'm in the process of lining lined up what I think is an impressive first show of guests: NHL on NBC play-by-play announcer Mike Emrick; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio; NHL.com senior writer Dan Rosen; MSG Network reporter Tina Cervasio; fellow Sports Journey show host Pat Gallen of Basketball Round-up; and Examiner.com boxing analyst Ricardo Lima. All but Emrick and Del Rio have been confirmed as of this posting, and I'm confident in landing the other two, though I won't be able to confirm those until the week prior to the show.
It goes without saying that I have many people to thank for the fact that I'm finally getting the chance to realize what, at times, seemed like an impossible dream. As much as I like to think of myself as someone who can put just about anything into words, I find myself staring at a blinking cursor in my word program trying to conjugate my emotions at this moment. It'll probably be even more difficult the day of the first show.
I'll be joined each Sunday morning by my good friend Ray Manukay, who along with "Angry" Ken Bothe comprised the on-site sports staff when Mahalo started two years ago. The three of us did a demo for a sports talk weekly video show for Mahalo that they used for misdirection purposes before their launch (too complicated to explain), but I knew from filming that demo that Ray would be a great inclusion to any show I wound up being involved in. He will provide a full news-styled sportscast at the top of each hour, and scoreboard updates at 20 and 40 minutes past each hour. He will also engage with me in sports discussion and debates on a wide variety of topics. He's west coast; I'm east coast. It should make for some great radio.
But we'll also keep things moving with plenty of conversation with guests, and I'm also planning on incorporating some kind of chat room on our site that will allow audience participation. Eventually, I hope to be able to build up the show enough to transition into taking phone calls from listeners, but for now we'll keep things simple. Nevertheless, I will always welcome and respond to your comments and criticisms whenever possible.
I've spoken with the head of the network, Lake Lewis, who also hosts the flagship program on the network each weekday afternoon between 4-7 Eastern Time. He is also planning on introducing me to his listening audience in the weeks leading up to my Sunday debut as the 'Senior Hockey Analyst' for the network. I'll post a notice here when my first appearance will take place.
I'll put more details here as they come about as well through the process. In the meantime, I want to thank all of you that have known me through the years, at whatever level of friendship we've reached, for your support of me over the years, and encouraging me to never put my dreams away. I look forward to sharing many a Sunday talking sports with you starting in May.
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