The Daily Del Franco

Best Job Ever: Ombudsman

2010-08-13T19:32:00.000-07:00

I think I may have found the perfect job. The title? Ombudsman. What exactly is an ombudsman, you ask? Webster's defines one as "a public official appointed to investigate a citizen's complaints against local or national government agencies that may be infringing on the rights of individuals."

In other words, a watchdog. What can be better than that? Providing critique without having to do anything? I've found my calling. At any rate, many media outlets, such as New York Times, have installed such a person.

Interestingly, ESPN has installed Don Ohlmeyer as its ombudsman. Ohlmeyer, a long-time producer of ABC's Monday Night Football, recently wrote a scorching critique of ESPN's role in Lebron's "The Decision." He writes:

"It was billed without irony as "The Decision." But for those who thought ESPN could agree to televise live LeBron James' announcement that he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat -- ultimately served up with ample hype in the form of an awkward, uncomfortable, staged one-hour network special -- and still be free from public controversy, it might as well have been called "The Delusion.""

To read the rest of Ohlmeyer's rant, click here

Although the guy is known to be a close friend of OJ's and was a prick to Letterman during his final days at NBC, he's as right as rain here. ESPN is dysfunctional. Maybe this guy can knock some sense into the higher-ups over there.

In case you forgot...

2010-06-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

I rule the blog, the blog doesn't rule me.

Russ Salzberg is awful on these post-game wrap-ups on My9. And Ed Randall as a Yankee analyst? Terribly uninspired. Who's the suit that hired these two clowns?

Note to BHO: Time to lead.

More later. I'm pacing myself.

Gaborik Hurt

2010-02-10T05:56:00.000-08:00

It was inevitable. Like death, taxes and the cancellation of the Jay Leno Show, the Rangers' Marion Gaborik got hurt. That was the knock on Gaborik's otherwise brilliant career: that he couldn't stay healthy during a full season. And as is customary with this star-crossed franchise, the incident occurred not during a game but at practice.(Quick, someone cue up Allen Iverson's "we talkin 'bout practice?)

Gaborik suffered what's being described as a "deep laceration" after colliding with goalie Henrik Lundqvist during shooting drills. On the surface, one might say a cut is no big deal. However, skate blades are razor sharp and can do some serious damage. NHL fans will not soon forget the scene after goalie Clint Malarchuk throat was inadvertently slashed by a skate. Gruesome scene. Luckily, Gabby's cut was on his leg.

It's unclear how long Gaborik will be out. This is a big hit to the team's offense. The Great Gaborik, who managed to stay healthy all year, was putting up big numbers in his first season on Broadway: 69 points (35 goals) in 57 games. Rangers fans knew it in their hearts: It wasn't a question of if but when. Now is when.

Witnessed, overheard or felt at the Super Bowl Party

2010-02-08T07:22:00.000-08:00

CBS pregame jailhouse interview with Bill Cowher and Plaxico Burress was outrageous. Why are we giving airtime to this thug? Where's Chris Henry's 15 minutes? How about Mike Vick if you want "redemption stories?" Plax hasn't even served his time yet. Kudos to Boomer Esiason who noted, "I hope this piece serves a public service announcement as to why all athletes should stop carrying hand guns in our cities."

In the parts of the game I heard, Phil Simms was dead-on, never more than during the review for Lance Moore's 2-point conversion. "We were informed during commercial why it (the ruling on the field) could be overturned," Simms said. The call was overturned. Simms did not have to let listeners know of this inside information. He could have kept it to himself. But he didn't. Honesty counts.

I can't hit a number to save my life. Feeling my pain, Papa Gooch says to me: "Son, with my luck, if I bet that tomorrow is Monday, the world would end at 5 to midnight."

With 35 seconds left, CBS put up a ridiculous graphic informing us how many times in Super Bowl history a team has scored with two minutes remaining in the half. Two thoughts here: First, why bother? Second, if you insist on using the graphic, wouldn't viewers be best served to see the graphic with 2:00 minutes remaining? Apparently, the production truck employs the use it or lose it philosophy.

The Letterman/Oprah/Leno ad was my favorite. Kudos to NY Times' Bill Carter who chronicles how they pulled it off...
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/how-the-letterman-oprah-leno-super-bowl-ad-came-together/?hp

CBS has got to come off using Katie Couric on these big network spots. Sure, the network wants to showcase its lead anchor in its marquee event. Did Dan Rather do it? How about ol' Bob Schieffer? Leave the sports interviews to the sports guys. If you insist on using CBS people, why not let 60 Minutes Steve Kroft interview the Saints Dree Brees.

It was inevitable--and becoming tradition--that I either spill or drop something or contribute greatly in it. Invariably, the spill involves a red sauce.

Couric, again, this time with a live sitdown with BHO. Tedious and self-serving. Note to Obama: wear a suit. All presidents wear suits. You're the president. Do the math.

I will pass over, in silenc,e my rendering of the Who at halftime.

You knew the spin would begin: WFAN's Mia Harris, right after the 11:40 pm sports update, began questioning Peyton Manning's legacy bringing up his .500 record in career playoff games. What a bunch of garbage. No one should question, ehem, Peyton's place. (couldn't resist)

Super Bowl Halftime...

2010-02-04T18:57:00.000-08:00

I'm a fan of The Who. Always have been. I saw them in 1989 at Foxboro in the rain. Great show. John Entwistle was still alive and Daltrey was still in good voice.

But let me be clear: I in no way want to see Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey prance through 15 minutes of My Generation, Baba O'Reilly and Who Are You this Sunday. It will be painful to watch and judging by last year's Springsteen performance: tedious.

All the songs I want to hear, such as My Wife; 5:15 and Join Together, will not be played before the masses.

Given their ages, Townsend (65 this May) and Daltrey (66 in March) would be better served talking about the relative merits of BHO's health-care overhaul. I've said it here many times: the legend is always better. Long live rock...(which by the way, they won't play either.)

Spring Cleaning Comes Early For Blueshirts

2010-02-03T19:13:00.000-08:00

Editor's note: In an effort to salvage a disappointing season, the New York Rangers traded Ales Kotalik and Christopher Higgins to the Calgary Flames for Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust. Will it work to propel the slumping team or does it amount to rearranging the Titanic's deck chairs, our author examines the trade.

By Joe D'Angelis

According to hockey maven Stan Fischler, the New York Rangers have received something for virtually nothing in return. Let me explain.

GM Glen Sather packaged expensive defensive liability Ales Kotalik (3 years $9 million) and scarce goal scorer Chris Higgins to the Calgary Flames in return acquiring forwards Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust. Jokinen, 31, a powerful forward will collect plenty of assists skating on the top unit with Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal, is playing out the final year of his contract; consider it an up-close audition for 2010-11.

In Prust, the Rangers surely get someone who doesn't mind dropping the gloves. This should help erase the embarassment of the Marion Gaborik fight with Daniel Carcillo. To date, Prust ranks second in the league with 18 fighting majors; one has reason to believe Slats' interest in Prust has little to do with his puck handling abilities, and that's a good thing.

This trade accomplishes several things, it frees the Rangers of Kotalik's ridiculous contact; Jokinen will surely be motivated to boost his value with production as he becomes a free agent at seasons end; and they receive that much needed enforcer Prust; it will be interesting to see how coach John Tortorella uses him perhaps skating alongside the feisty Sean Avery.

If nothing else, the Rangers made an uneventful trade that can only propel their efforts for a playoff berth, that cost them, in Fischler's words, virtually nothing.

Joe D'Angelis, a lifelong NY Rangers fan, lives in New Jersey. This is first piece for The Daily Del Franco.

Priceless Picasso Damaged

2010-02-03T09:02:00.000-08:00

For the record, this is something which might happen to me. Here's the story from USA Today.....

An important Picasso painting accidentally damaged by a visitor last week will be repaired in time for a large exhibition of the artist's works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in April, the museum said Monday.

"The Actor," a painting from Picasso's rose period, will be restored at the museum's conservation laboratory, the Met said.

The accident has also led museum director Thomas P. Campbell to request a review of relevant policies and procedures, spokeswoman Elyse Topalian said.

The museum described the damage as an irregular 6-inch tear to the lower right-hand corner of the painting. Conservation and curatorial experts "fully expect" that the restoration "will be unobtrusive," the museum said in a statement Sunday.

The artwork is nearly 6 feet by 4 feet and depicts a standing acrobat in a pink costume and blue knee-high boots striking a pose against an abstracted backdrop.

The restoration will be done in the coming weeks, and the piece will be displayed as planned in an exhibition of 250 Picasso works drawn from the museum's collection, from April 27 to Aug. 1, the museum said.

The accident occurred in a second-floor gallery of early Picasso works when a patron participating in one of the museum's art classes lost her balance and fell on the canvas, the museum said. She was one of 14 people in the guided group.

It happened during regular visiting hours when other visitors were in the gallery. People who attend the art classes typically roam through the museum in a group stopping in front of works of interest.

"The Actor" was donated to the Met in 1952 by art patron Thelma Chrysler Foy, the elder daughter of auto magnate Walter Chrysler. The museum said it had been included in many major exhibitions of Picasso's works both in the United States and in Europe.

Picasso painted the work in the winter of 1904-05. It marked a transition from his blue period of tattered beggars and blind musicians to his more optimistic and brighter-colored rose period of itinerant acrobats in costume.

In 2001, another Picasso was accidentally damaged during a private showing of the artist's "Le Reve." The artwork's owner, casino mogul Steve Wynn, was showing the work — a portrait of Picasso's mistress, Marie-Therese Walter, to a group of friends in Las Vegas when he inadvertently poked a thumb-size hole in the canvas with his elbow.

The accident occurred just after Wynn had negotiated a deal to sell the painting for $139 million.

Note: See? The Daily Del Franco can play cultural, too.

Obama Drama: President Calls Out Recent Supreme Court Decision

2010-01-28T08:23:00.001-08:00

Did anyone else catch Obama's slam directed at the U.S. Supreme Court justices during his State Of The Union speech last night?

Obama had taken the unusual step of scolding the high court. "With all due deference to the separation of powers," he began, the court last week "reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests - including foreign corporations - to spend without limit in our elections."

Judge Samuel Alito made a dismissive face, shook his head repeatedly and appeared to mouth the words "not true" or possibly "simply not true." A reliable conservative appointed to the court by Republican President George W. Bush, Alito was in the majority in the 5-4 ruling.

And was it only me who thought there was plenty of catcalling going on during the speech. I'm not referring to the "spontaneous applause" either. That's customary (not to mention tedious). I'm saying that parts of Obama's speech that didn't merit any reaction, got reaction and vice versa. Strange. I don't recall these outbursts happening under Reagan, Bush or Clinton. Perhaps this is further evidence of the erosion of civility in this country.

One further note: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg should refrain from buying green banannas in the interim.

Tuesday Quick Hits

2010-01-26T09:35:00.001-08:00

Tuesday Quick Hits:

For the record, Brett Favre's last three "retirement games" all ended with him throwing an interception. See Heel, Achilles.

So I was 50% correct on my Super Bowl prediction. And allow me a correction: Colts/Cowboys was Super Bowl V, not Super Bowl III (aka, Namath's guarantee). The Daily Del Franco regrets the error.

Larry Brooks, the usually reliable and on-point NY Post columnist covering the Rangers, has allowed his feud with coach John Tortorella to seep into his columns. Why do I say? Slowly, phrases such as "lost the locker room" and "players quitting on the coach" have found their way into recent columns without an attribution or even an unnamed source. Brooks should know better. Take a page from the Godfather, Larry. "It's business, not personal."

Hope For Haiti aired on so many stations Friday night, I was never so relieved to find an episode of Ice Road Truckers. And not to be Ned Negative but where is all the donations and money going? I wonder who's measuring how many pennies on the dollar actually go to the charity (in this case, Haiti).

On first blush, the Mets recent signing of Gary Mathews Jr seemed like a mistake. However, it's a steal given the Angels are eating the majority of Mathew's (awful) contract. A suspected steroid cheat, Mathews signed a big contract with the Angels following a career year before reverting back tomodest career numbers last year. At least he can go get 'em in the spacious Citi Field expanses. One of these days, a column should be devoted to the all-time worst sports contracts. Until then, Carl Pavano, Mike Hampton and Hideki Irabu can rest easy.

Alert the Arden Ave. faithful: I will be in Staten Island for the Super Bowl. Note to Mama Gooch: Start building the monuments...

Conan's Classy Last Words

2010-01-26T09:34:00.001-08:00

Conan's Classy Last Words...

Those expecting a tear-jearker for Conan O'Brien's final Tonight Show were likely disappointed. Though the show didn't rival Carson's 1992 tear-jerker ("I bid you a very fond good night.") , it was heartfelt. I loved all the bits (Steve Carell doing an exit interview, Tom Hanks, beluga caviar sprayed on a Picasso) save for Will Ferrell's forced bit at the end. Was it me or did the bit seem like a ripoff of Jim Carrey's "Jim Morrison" impersonation at the Video Music Awards?

At 12:20 am, Conan's final words were these:

"There has been a lot of speculation in the press about what I legally can and can't say about NBC," he said. "To set the record straight, tonight I am allowed to say anything I want. And what I want to say is this: Between my time at 'Saturday Night Live,' 'The Late Night' show and my brief run here on the 'Tonight Show,' I have worked with NBC for over 20 years. . . . This company has been my home for most of my adult life. I am enormously proud of the work we have done together, and I want to thank NBC for making it all possible."

"All I ask of you, especially young people . . . is one thing. Please don't be cynical," O'Brien said. "I hate cynicism -- it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen. I'm telling you, amazing things will happen."

Neil Young sang it best: Long may you run. Long may you run.

What I've Learned Friday....

2010-01-22T12:28:00.001-08:00

It’s sick out there and getting sicker……

Like it or not the National Enquirer deserves kudos for its coverage of the John Edwards scandal. By now everyone knows the story of the former presidential candidate denied fathering a child with a campaign staffer. Yesterday, in a desperate attempt to tell his own story before an upcoming book, Edwards admitted to it. So the Enquirer is vindicated. Two years ago, during the presidential campaign, the Enquirer went where the mainstream press would not go, and are now basking in legitimacy. But does such reportage merit a Pulitzer? Let’s relax. After all, isn’t this is the same publication running breathless headlines of aliens and Big Foot sightings?

Perhaps the best zinger during the whole late night fiasco came courtesy of Jay Leno, who after weeks of taking David Letterman’s jabs, fired back this salvo…”Letterman’s talking about me again. He’s really killing me. (Turning to bandleader Kevin Eubanks) Hey Kev, do you know how to make Letterman ignore you? Marry him.” Ba-zing.

And as Conan winds down the Tonight Show tonight, over the last few days he introduced new comedy bits "that aren't so much funny as they are expensive," "The good news is, until NBC yanks us off the air, we can pretty much do whatever we want," O'Brien told the audience. "And here's the beautiful part: We do whatever we want, and they have to pay for it.

That included rolling out a Bugatti Veyron, the world's most expensive car, onto the stage, decorated as a mouse with the original recording of the Rolling Stones’ Satisfaction playing in the background. He said the bit cost $1.5 million. Last night's expensive skit included 2009 Kentucky Derby winner "Mine That Bird" wearing a mink Snuggie and watching restricted NFL Superbowl footage. Total cost: $4.8 million.

On WPLR 99.1’s Chaz & AJ mornings show, a CNN reporter covering the aftermath in Haiti called covering 9/11 the highlight of her career. You can tell she was shaken by the death and devastation around her. Then, on the air, she said this. “I thought 9/11 was the highlight of my career, I had my live shot and everything….” After prodding by Chaz, the reporter realized her gaffe and tried to explain. Too late. The damage had been done. The reporter was suitably blasted by unforgiving callers.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any lower or depraved or depressing, let me offer this: The estate of Michael Jackson is objecting to a claim by Jackson’s father, Joe, that would give him an estimated $15,000 per month. In filings, the elder Jackson listed his expenses as follows: $1,200 a month on rent for his Las Vegas home; $2,500 to eat out; $1,000 on entertainment, gifts and vacations; $2,000 on air travel and $3,000 on hotels.
Note to Joe Jackson: Really? $2500 to eat out? Dominoes won’t do every now and then?

Leno Addresses Late Night Fiasco

2010-01-18T19:09:00.000-08:00

On last night's Jay Leno Show, Jay used the post monologue segment to weigh in on the late night fiasco. Leno explained to the viewing audience his side of the story going back to the 2004 decision to give the Tonight Show to Conan. His candor was admirable and seemed genuinely concerned with the well-being of 175 people who work with him. More important, he acknowledged his low ratings. "Look, where I come from, when you don't get the ratings, you are humbled."

Leno also explained that he didn't want to do the half-hour show at 11:35 (Leading to Conan's Tonight Show) He followed with this:

"I asked NBC if I could get out of my contract and they said no...and that I was too big an asset to lose. How big an asset can I be if you fired me twice?" Great line.

Leno went on to say that he holds no animosity against O'Brien, but threw this zinger David Letterman's way: "Remember the good ol days when the biggest thing was figuring out which intern the host was nailing??

What I've Learned Friday

2010-01-15T09:38:00.000-08:00

What a strange week.

10.) It has come to this: Local Fox news anchors took to wearing yellow neckties to promote the Simpson's 20th anniversary special. Can you imagine being in the marketing meeting touting this ridiculous concept?

9.) Word has it that Tiger Woods is donating money toward Haiti earthquake relief. I don't care if it's $3 or $300 million, this comes off as hollow ploy to rehabilitate Eldrick as corporate good guy. More proof that this stooge has learned nothing from his public flogging.

8.) Brittle Mets centerfielder Carlos Beltran elects to have off-season surgery. No biggie, right? Only Carlos not only doesn't use the team surgeon he neglects to tell Mets brass. Is it only me or does anyone else think that NBC executives are now also running the Mets?

7.) A rising tide lifts all boats. The Great Late Night Fiasco of 2010 has made everyone with a monlogue and couch relevant and funny. CBS' Letterman has never been wittier or more vindicated. O'Brien, Leno, Dave and Kimmel are daily must-watches.

6.) Among the most chilling information to emerge from the Haiti coverage: Scientists peg the chances of a Category 7 earthquake hitting southern Caifornia in the next 30 years at 99.7%. Yet, strangely, everyone is concerned with this being Simon Cowell's last season on Idol.

5.) Al Roker describing the lodging conditions on NBC's Today show--including showing viewers where "Anne Curry slept last night." Who cares about Anne Curry or where she sleeps. There are people dying in the streets in Haiti yet Roker hijacks airtime to tell us about sleeping arrangements. He should be FIRED for this...Unreal.

4.) Based on public comments, I get the feeling if people knew, or could separate, the character Jerry Seinfeld from the real-life Jerry Seinfeld, his popularity might suffer. His comment about NBC's handling of Leno/Conan was ill-timed. "What did the network do to Conan," Seinfeld says. "{When the ratings suffer} "It's on you." Don't look for Seinfeld at the O'Brien family picnic. When Michael Richards issued his "I'm not a racist" mea culpa on Lettermana few years back, Jerry shamed the crowd, who laughing nervously, didn't know if it was a gag. "It's not funny," said Seinfeld.

3.) After some mergers & acquisitions, Triple AAA ain't the same friendly, do-gooding organization you remember. That's all I'll say.

2.) Lock-it up: Feb. 7, in a rematch of Super Bowl III, is Cowboys-Colts.

1.) One year later, the Miracle on the Hudson is more remarkable in every sense of the word. And thankfully, pilot Sully has, pardon the pun, remained grounded. Maybe heroes can exist.

Last Night's Comments On The Great Late Night Fiasco (1-13-10)

2010-01-14T10:18:00.000-08:00

It's getting ugly. How much time passes before NBC – which is getting clobbered -- says enough is enough. Here are last night’s zingers….

Tonight, ABCs Jimmy Kimmel, who did his entire show the other night in a bad Leno chin and wig, guests on Leno at 10. Should be fun (and slightly awkward.)

The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien

Hi, I’m Conan O’Brien, and I’ve been practicing the phrase, “Who ordered the mochaccino grande?”

Hosting “The Tonight Show” has been the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for me – and I just want to say to the kids out there watching: You can do anything you want in life. Unless Jay Leno wants to do it too.

According to a new TV Guide poll, 83 percent of voters want me to stay at 11:35. When he heard this poll number, President Obama asked, “How can I get NBC to screw me over?”

I’m getting a lot of support out there, especially from an online group calling themselves “Team Conan.” It’s very exciting—it’s the first time in my life I’ve been on a team where I wasn’t picked last.

Last night, the new season of “American Idol” started on the FOX Network and it was watched by an audience of 30 million people. When they heard that, NBC executives said “That’s not true, there’s no such thing as an audience of 30 million people.”

The Jay Leno Show

Good news from Afghanistan -- critics of the war have stopped referring to it as "another Vietnam." they are not calling it that anymore. The bad news -- they're now calling it "another nbc."

Welcome to nbc. America's most dysfunctional tv family. Thank you very much.

You thought the Gosselins were screwed up. Oh my god.

Nobody knows what is going on. Conan O’Brien, understandable, is very upset. He had a statement in the paper yesterday. Conan said nbc has only gave him seven months to make his show work. When i heard that…seven months! How did he get that deal? We only got four! Who’s his agent? Get me that guy. I’ll take seven.

All the late night host are having great fun with this debacle. Last night Jimmy Kimmel did his show dressed up as me. Show that clip. I was going to come out dressed as Jimmy Kimmel…put jimmy’s picture up there. But I realized I do not have enough black shoe polish here at NBC to get my hair that dark.

Late Show with David Letterman

“Okay, all right settle down, CBS hasn’t fired me yet.”

“Cold outside, isn’t it lousy cold outside today? Whoo! You know, they say, from the weather bureau, they say it’s caused by an arctic chill between Jay and Conan.”

“Did you hear about this? Yesterday, Conan O’Brien – it’s so, so confusing, ladies and gentlemen. And Jay Leno used to be on at 11:30, then they moved him to 10, then Conan O’Brien was on at 11:30, now they want him to go on at 12:05 and then they want to put Jay from 10 to 11:30, and Carson Daly now’s got to get a show in Mexico or something. He don’t know what to do…It’ll make you dizzy. So Conan O’Brien says yesterday, ‘Well, I’m not doing the ‘Tonight Show’ at 12:05,’ and you think about it, well, he’s right. ‘The Tonight Show,’ that would, you know, that’s the next day. It’s not really – it’s like ‘The Day After’ or, what it used to be, ‘The Tomorrow Show. So he said, ‘Forget it, I’m not doing the show at 12:05. Well, NBC went back to him, and they decided to sweeten the deal – they offered him 12:04.”

“And now, the buzz is that Conan may leave NBC to start a show of his own at another network, and I thought, ‘Where’d he get an idea like that?’”

“And the whole idea of this was NBC wanted to get a thing going whereby they wouldn’t make the same mistake they made when Johnny quit and retired, that there were a lot of bad feelings. They wanted to avoid causing more bad feelings – well, mission accomplished.”

“I miss Johnny Carson – I mean, by God, when Johhny quit, he quit.”

“And my mom, bless her heart, she’s so confused – last night, she actually watched me.”

“Oh, now this was good: last night on ABC, Jimmy Kimmel did the entire show as Jay Leno…Jimmy Kimmel was so convincing as Leno, today, NBC canceled him.”

O'Brien Says No To 12:05

2010-01-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

Conan O'Brien says he will not do "The Tonight Show" if it airs at 12:05 a.m. He released the following statement Tuesday afternoon:

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I've been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I've been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I've been absurdly lucky. That said, I've been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn't matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it's always been that way.

Yours,

Conan

Conan and Dave Jump On Leno

2010-01-12T04:44:00.000-08:00

Following yesterday's announcement that NBC had cancelled the Jay Leno Show at 10:00 --and moving him back into his old late night slot--the gloves came off. On last night's Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien and Late Show with David Letterman, large portions of the opening monologue were devoted to the news. Typically, you wouldn't hear so much inside baseball about networks and programming on these shows--that's why it was so great to hear the airing of network dirty laundry--at Leno's expense.

In a perfect world, NBC would love to re-install Jay Leno back into his old 11:35 slot and move the start of the Tonight Show back one half hour to 12:05. Good for Jay, bad for Conan. Late Night With Jimmy Fallon would also move back on the schedule.

Conan O'Brien greeted his audience with this quip: "Settle down, everyone. If you keep this up, you won't hear a joke until 12:05." O'Brien, whom everyone predicts will jump to his own show on FOX, was good at portraying the jilted lover. In a skit, O'Brien wondered if NBC will keep him, "If he adds 10 pounds of chin."

David Letterman, who hates Leno, also got into the act. Letterman, playing the role of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," also devoted chunks of his opening monologue to the debacle over at NBC. Reacting to NBC's lineup changes, Letterman quipped: "Don't worry about Jay, he'll land on his chin." Dave even made his old employer the subject of last night's Top Ten, "Top 10 Signs Of Trouble At NBC"

Is it only me or does this Jay Leno/Conan O'Brien thing strike you as an episode of 30 Rock being played out in real life? Only Tina Fey's fictional executives seem smarter.

NBC 's Late Night Fiasco...

2010-01-08T05:24:00.000-08:00

Jay Leno's low ratings are causing NBC big trouble. And finally, it seems that the network is bowing to serious pressure from station affiliates. NBC says its retooling its late-night lineup, Leno's show is going on hiatus until after NBC's coverage of the Olympics.

Another scenario under discussion is to give the 10 p.m. hour back to the stations for news while shifting the rest of the late-night lineup. NBC affiliates could have the 10 o’clock hour, followed by Leno at 11 p.m. and "The Tonight Show" host Conan O’Brien at midnight.

Yet another option would be to cut Leno’s show to a half-hour so that the affiliates could run their news at 10 p.m. and Leno could air from 11 p.m. to 11:30pm -- the rest of the lineup would remain unchanged.

NBC maintains that Leno’s show, which has appeared each weeknight at 10 p.m. since last fall, is generating ratings that are in line with what it guaranteed advertisers. But the show has proven to be a dismal lead-in for the late local news .

NBC affiliate stations have become more vocal in expressing their displeasure, especially after the November sweeps came back and showed huge declines for a number of stations at the 11 p.m. hour.

By trying to keep all of its late-night stars happy, NBC has made none happy. Conan O'Brien has to be upset here. There's no easy solution for NBC. Does it cut ties with Jay and admits it made a huge mistake? Or does it tinker with its flagship Tonight Show, moving it to midnight? Very strange.

As Leno (and Letterman and Conan) have stated previously: NBC stands for "Never Believe Your Contract."

What a mess.

The Big Unit Retires...

2010-01-06T19:41:00.000-08:00

His nickname is the Big Unit, but a more apt name for Randy Johnson could have been Freak of Nature. A lefty, Johnson stood 6 feet 10 inches tall. Yankee fans will not soon forget how the Unit twice came out of the bullpen in 1995 (for Seattle) and 2001(for Arizona) to slam the door shut on the Yankees. A few years later, an aging Randy Johnson eventually came to the Yankees winning 34 games in two seasons. However, as his 5.00 ERA shows, the Unit was more the beneficiary of a good offense than a shut down, strikeout artist the team wanted.

Johnson is a legitimate Hall-of-Famer and probably one of the last to win 300 games in our generation. He not only authored a perfect game at age 40, he helped Seattle reach the playoffs in 1995 by going an amazing 18 and 2.

I like Johnson not because of his baseball ability but because he's one of the few people to have worse acne than former Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega. Is it only me or does anyone else get the feeling that if the Unit were not pitching he'd be starring in a Cops episode from Seattle.

I'm back in 2010

2010-01-05T17:21:00.000-08:00

So 2010 is here. With apologies to SI's Peter King, here are some things I think I think.

For starters, some people have chastised me for not updating the blog on a more regular basis. I have one rule: I rule the blog, the blog doesn't rule me. The blogosphere doesn't need one more voice railing about Tiger. Although I raised more than eyebrow when I saw the comments of golfer Jesper Parnevik, the guy who introduced Elin to Tiger. "We thought Tiger was a better guy...The next time she should hit him with a 3-Iron."

10.) Now that Copenhagen has come and gone, I wonder: Are we passed the point of no-return for climate change? Scientists a lot smarter than I say that at the current rate, Minnesota will have the climate of Texas sooner than we think.

9.) From the 'legend is always better' file: The return of Bret Hart to the WWE last night revealed the years have not been kind to the Excellence of Execution. It's doubtful Hart could even be a mid-carder now.

8.) The Dallas Cowboys, although playing at home playoff game against Philly Saturday night, look to be in trouble. It's 2007 all over again. Remember? Dallas beat the Giants twice during the regular season but lost as the Giants began their Super Bowl run.

7.) Not that I watched all the coverage but thankfully I missed perennial camera hog Dick Clark on New Year's Eve...Just because he owns the show, doesn't give Clark the right to creep people out. It's New Year's Eve for God's sake, no one wants to see him warble out one more missive to keep some dopey streak alive. Hopefully someone close to Clark has spelled it out for him.

6.) Me in my element: Grand Central Station on 1/2/10...I did about 60 seconds of improv comedy and made about 20 women laugh while waiting in line for the toilet. As my friend Tommy would say, "the fire still burns."

5.) The baseball network is the best thing to happen to television since the founding of ESPN in 1979.

4.) Don't look now, but among other things, your credit card company is looking to charge you an inactivity fee if you don't use your plastic often enough. Priceless. Where's the outrage from Sens. Chris Dodd and Charles Schumer? Exactly.

3.) Not that I'm counting but it seems the BHO Administration is on a Bush-like slump...Between the embarrasing gaffes, security leaks and misintelligence, you wonder who's pulling the strings over there. Time for the Messiah to step up. Campaign's over dude. Quit the interviews and speeches. Time to govern.

2.) Does it make me a bad person to chalk up the death of Bengals wide receiver/All-Pro thug Chris Henry as thinning of the herd? The Man Upstairs has a way of evening the teams, doesn't he? Besides being an arch criminal, Henry was an unreliable fantasy player....

1.) Between the Winter Classic and the Olympics, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has all the momentum to market the NHL...What makes me think he'll bungle it like Fredo Corleone?

Lastly...Let's cut the shit: It's pronounced 'Twenty-Ten'. Can we get on with it now?

Random Media Thoughts

2009-11-14T19:52:00.000-08:00

10.) Lou Dobbs leaves CNN. A suprise to no one, Dobbs seemed to go off the rails promulgating the Obama birthers story long-after his own network dropped it.

9.) Normally straight-down-the middle Brian Williams really made me cringe by closing his broadcast with a softball interview with Jon Bon Jovi as someone who made a difference. Please. So the singer gives of his time and money to the unfortunates. Know what that makes him? It makes him sleep better at night.

8.) David Spade must really need the money. Why else would he appear on a DirecTV ad with the image of the late Chris Farley? When Farley died, Spade was supposedly so distraught he skipped Farley's wake and funeral. No problems there but don't appear on a TV commercial with him.

7.) That the NY Post had everything, and I mean everything, from the Steve Phillips affair, was certainly chilling and should be required reading for cheaters everywhere.

6.) MTV News puported to have landed a sit-down with Chris Brown, the singer/thug/Ike Turner wannabe who beat up his girlfriend, the pop star Rihanna. Only Brown wouldn't discuss details of the night in question. Disgusting. MTV gave Brown a forum for image rehabilitation. Where's Kurt Loder when you need him? Does Tabitha Soren still work for MTV?

5.) The more you hear regarding the Letterman case, sounds like ol' Dave isn't as innocent as once believed.

4.) That Leno is struggling at 10:00 really saddens me. HAHAHAHA!

3.) I've said it before, for as much as Fox's Joe Buck is on the air, he's as solid
as they come.

2.) Glad to see Bob Costas make Bud Selig squirm a bit on MLB's Baseball Network--too bad only six people saw it. Costas is great especially if you're able to overlook his self-appointed Lord of Baseball attitude.

1.) Suzyn Waldman's performance during the Yankee parade made for great morning radio fodder. Was she drinking? And what's with that voice? Not since Maddog Russo has someone gotten so far with less-than-stellar pipes.

2009-11-14T19:27:00.000-08:00

Time to get off my Snackwells ass and start writing. I went up to the attic and rediscovered my baseball card collection. I have more common cards than any one person should be allowed. And I have tens of thousands. I can remember buying a Topps wax pack for $0.27 cents in 1979. I've never thrown them out nor has my mother (thanks Mom). Much of what I've collected, however, is worthless. Perhaps worthless is too strong. I have some nice cards from the 50s, 60s and early 70s. It's just that Mickey Mantles, Ted Williams' and Honus Wagners have eluded me. Perhaps it's worthy deeper self-analysis to why I'm so emotional invested to collect the cardboard of journeyman pitchers such as Joe Coleman.

Ten Things You Didn't Know About the Stanley Cup

2009-09-21T18:01:00.000-07:00

10.)Each player on the winning team gets one day with the Stanley Cup.

9.)Th ere are two Cups: a house Cup, which resides at the Hockey Hall of Fame and a presentation Cup awarded to the players.

8.)Here's how you can tell the difference: to prevent damage the presentation Cup given to the players was augmented with nickel which is sturdier than the all-silver house Cup. Nickel also gives the Cup its shimmer recognizable on television.

7.) The Stanley Cup has room for seven more years worth of engravings. When the bottom ring is filled, the Hockey Hall of Fame will add another ring to the bottom. The top ring, which now lists the 1960s winners, will be put in a vault for safe-keeping.

6.)Sadly, the lockout of 1994-1995 is notated on the Cup. Another reminder of those dark days.

5.) The player whose name appears the most? Henri Richard.

4.) The presentation also contains a few typos. For example, the Boston Bruins inscription for 1967-1968 Stanley Cup winner contains "Q"s where the "O"s should be.

3.) The only man to win a Super Bowl and have his name on the Cup? Owner Edward Debartolo, Jr. who won Super Bowls with San Francisco and Cups with Pittsburgh in the 90s.

2.) The Red Wings Cups of late include the names of pizza mogul Mike Ilitch and his children, each of whom were given menial team tasks--thereby satisfying the requirement that names appearing on the Cup were those employed by the team in some capacity.

1.) The same could not be said of Oilers owner Peter Pocklington, who was rebuffed by the Hall of Fame after attempting to have his father's name on the Cup.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly....

2009-08-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

Some highs and lows from the broadcast weekend.

The Good. Last night's retrospective on 60 Minutes creator Don Hewitt did not disappoint. However, there were a few surprises. Morely Safer fronted the open and called his old boss a pain-in-the-ass. From there, I knew we were in store for some good stuff. There was plenty of historical footage and Hewitt at work in the editing studio. The special left me with some questions, such as why wasn't Mike Wallace featured more? Is the nonagenarian ailing? And the people 60 Minutes interviewed about Hewitt was strange...although it was interesting to learn that actor Alan Alda was Don's best friend. But why the quotes from former CBS president Sir Howard Stringer? And the quotes from CBS president Les Moonves...what else is he going to say. I have a feeling Hewitt himself might have left the last two interviews on the cutting room floor.

The Bad. From the what-happens-when-you're-15-games-out file. Sunday on WFAN, whilst killing time in another loss, the usually reliable Howie Ross became fixated on a reference from the Odd Couple sitcom. To his credit, Rose immediately knew the reference was tortured at best couldn't stop it. He kept trying to make it funny. Wasn't going to happen at least yesterday.

The Ugly. Regular readers of the Daily Del Franco know of my
fondness for Yankee radiocaster John Sterling. But when he and Suzyn Waldman began making excuses for CC Sabathia (the Yankee defense let him down again) I began screaming at the radio. "How do you like that?" Sterling asks, "another seeing eye flyball falls for a basehit." Twhich prompts Waldman to come to sabathia defense. "CC will get out of this. He's durable. He's not going to wilt out there, John," which prompted a "shut-up Suzyn" response.

Hewitt, Patron Saint of TV News, Dies

2009-08-19T19:38:00.001-07:00

Don Hewitt, the legendary television news pioneer who created "60 Minutes" and spanned Edward R. Murrow to Walter Cronkite to Mike Wallace, died this morning at the age of 86.

For you Philistines who don't know Hewitt, here are ten reasons you should know him:

10.) He originated cue cards for news readers.

9.) He was the first to superimpose words on a television screen for a news show.

8.) Hewitt was producer for the famous Kennedy/Nixon debate in 1960. He urged Nixon to apply makeup. Nixon refused. The rest is history.

7.) Would infuriate journalists, such as Mike Wallace, who often accused Hewitt of gutting his pieces during the editing process: "C'mon Don, you're gutting the piece!"

6.) As executive producer, it was Hewitt's call as to what pieces aired weekly on 60 Minutes.

5.) Was mentioned in movies such as Good Night and Good Luck and The Insider, which painted an unflattering portrait of Hewitt as caving to CBS lawyers.

4.) During Hewitt's run, "60 Minutes" won an incredible 73 Emmy Awards, 13 Dupont /Columbia University Awards and 9 Peabodies. Damn.

3.) His coverage not only freed innocent people from prison but laws were actually changed.

2.) Under Hewitt's watch, "60 Minutes" was the top-rated show an amazing four times.

1.) Like Johnny Carson and Les Paul, I hope you got a chance to see Hewitt's work because we won't ever see another like him.

CBS News announced shorty after Hewitt's passing, that this Sunday's "60 Minutes" will devote the entire hour to Hewitt's life and legacy. I think he's earned it.

Tuesday Musings...

2009-08-18T15:02:00.000-07:00

Some Tuesday musings:

Brett Favre unretires. C'mon dude. Stay away. You get the feeling that Favre was one of these college freshman who used to frequently return to his high school to get some love. At any rate, it looks the INT record will grow larger.

When will the ax come down on Roger Clemens? If only for the decades long affair he had with country singer Mindy McCready, while she was 15. Slice it anyway you want, the Rocket is a grade A creep. And not a Hall of Famer.

Has anyone else been paying attention to the Cy Young type season of St. Louis' Cris Carpenter? This guy's record is 13-3! I'd say he's all the way back from arm problems, no?

U.S. Supreme Court judge John Paul Stevens is nearing 90 years of age. Ruth Ginsburg is 76 and ailing. While Anthony Kennedy and Antonin Scalia are both 73. Assuming BHO gets eight years, he will possibly pick the next four judges to the U.S. Supreme Court in addition to Justice Sotomayor. Talk about living your dreams. Whilst in Harvard, BHO was a Supreme Court scholar. If my thesis is correct, BHO will have had a hand in choosing 55% of the Supreme Court. That will be BHO's lasting legacy. Only no one is talking about it.

I tried to watch Mad Men Season III on Sunday night. I wanted to love it. I hated it and didn't see what all the buzz is about.

Fantasy football is coming back. Krist. The pressure. Who's the goal-line back in Jacksonville? I must prepare and read my preseason periodicals. And no more Tom Brady with the first pick. I learned that lesson real fast last year.

Interesting addendum to my baseball card post of last week. Two of my avid baseball card cronies, Joe D'Angelis and Tommy Gooch, inform me that Mickey Mantle is not part of last year's 6600-card Yankee Stadium Legacy set by Upper Deck. Imagine all those game cards from the 1950s and 1960s and not a single Mickey Mantle. Why? Because Topps owns the rights to Mantle's likeness.

Kate Sullivan of WCBS-TV in New York is good enough reason to wake up at 6 am.

Let me get this straight: Kate Gosselin is complaining about papparazzi taking photos of her family. Wasn't she the one who whored herself out to TLC with the television show? Am I missing something? From my humble opinion, if you invite the cameras to roll 24/7 in your home, don't you pretty much waive your right to privacy? And (we watched last night) when she goes off with a day trip with some of the kids, who watches the other brats? Couldn't have been Jon because he was with two of the daughters--so that leaves three unaccounted for. How's my math?

What I Learned Friday

2009-08-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

Busy week.

Regardless of your political affiliation, you can't knock the good deeds done by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who died this week at the age of 88. Kennedy founded the Special Olympics and instantly gave hope to millions who lost the genetic lottery. I could do without, however, seeing Oprah at the church. Apparently Oprah and Eunice's daughter, Maria, worked at the same Baltimore TV station.

Speaking of lives well lived...Les Paul, the inventor of the guitar bearing his name, passed away at 94. A source of mine told me that Paul played every Monday night at the Irideum Jazz Club in New York City. I kept meaning to go see the legend. I never got there. The Irideum Jazz club says it will pay homage each Monday night to Paul's night and legacy. Nice touch.

Screw Twitter, Facebook and Craig's List. There. All that in less than 140 characters.

CBS' James Brown (no, not the singer) landed the sitdown interview with Michael Vick upon his return to pro football. Only Brown will be guesting on 60 Minutes. No matter what questions Brown asks, some in the audience will think Brown soft-tossed queries to Vick; some will see Brpown as too tough. Don't believe me? See the Katie Couric interview with Sarah Palin, supposedly hand-picked by the Palin/McCain camp because they assumed 'Ol Katie was sympathetic. And look how that turned out. Vick did Brown no favors.

For all I care, Joba Chamberlain, his rules and fist pumps, can go down to Columbus and learn how to be a starter in . No need to worry about innings limits then. And I say that as a 30-year Yankees fan.

Few things in television are more tedious than Olbermann/O'Reilly feud. Two more egomaniacal wind bags do not exist. I'd like to see both of them in an Undertaker/Mankind "Hell in a Cell" match.

Can Eisner Save Topps?

2009-08-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card is an iconic card in the card collecting game. It is also an example of the kind of card Topps used to produce. Like the Mantle of 1952, those days are long gone.

Last week, Major League Baseball Properties signed an exclusive agreement with the Topps Company to be its exclusive supplier partner of baseball cards. That means that beginning next February, only Topps can manufacture baseball cards with the player and the MLB team uniform. And that's bad news for collectors because it means less choice and fewer options.

The Topps news is like a death knell to the Upper Deck Card Company, a Topps competitor that produces a better product. That's right, the photos are vibrant, intersting and depicting action.

When I collected as a kid, it was as if Topps waited for the players to pass through New York--so all the shots are in the in Yankee Stadium taken during batting practice or long-toss.

Topps was bought by Michael Eisner's Torante Company and Madison Dearborn Partners in 2007. Eisner, the former executive who once led the Mickey Mouse's turnaround in the mid 80s only to be later forced out by the Disney board, is filming a movie about his new business called, Back on Topps. Great.

I have a bad feeling about this. It only took one statement from the press release. "We are looking forward to working closely with MLB Properties and Clubs to invest in innovation and creativity to bring baseball cards and other collectible items to new audiences for many years to come," Eisner said in a statement.

So Mr. Eisner, Michael, Mike. (Can I call you Mike?) Yes, I urge Topps to innovate. Make a product that kids and the card collectors will buy. People cursed Upper Deck for having the audacity to chop up a Joe DiMaggio uniform into a thousand tiny swatches--the insert cards were then included in the regular wax packs. Clever idea.

Say what you want: Upper Deck makes better cards. The Upper Deck photography is topnotch and last year's Yankee Stadium Legacy set (one card produced for each game played at Yankee Stadium) was a stroke of genius. These are the kinds of innovative ideas Topps should have been owning since 1938--when Topps was founded. Instead, "innovation" for kids and collectors of the 1970s meant mini-baseball cards. Save for the popular Heritage sets, Topps too often comes up short on innovation IMHO.

Like I said, I have a bad feeling about this. Hopefully, the Upper Deck lawyers are drafting an anti-trust case as we speak.

The Legend Is Always Better...

2009-08-11T19:24:00.001-07:00

Something is rankling me:

In Marty Appel's Thurman Munson biography, he reveals that Orioles pitcher Tippy Martinez grooved a fastball to Bobby Murcer in the "Eulogy" game won by the Yankees 5-4.

You know that game: It's curently in heavy rotation on YES and was originally broadcast on Monday Night Baseball which means a heavy dose of Howard Cosell. Here's the situation: The entire New York Yankee contingent travels to Canton, Ohio for Munson's funeral. Bobby Murcer and Lou Piniella are the eulogists. Emotionally spent, some players don't want to play that night's game against Baltimore. But owner George Steinbrenner proclaims, "that's what Yankees do." So they travel back to New York and play.

Bobby Murcer is up at bat in ninth already having hit a three-run homer. For some reason, Yankee manager Billy Martin leaves the lefty Murcer in to face the lefty Tippy Martinez, a former Yankee and Munson devotee.

Tippy gets two quick strikes on Murcer but then Tipppy's mind wanders back to a game years ago when Detroit speedster Ron Leflore had a 30-game hitting streak on the line. Munson, Tippy recalls, visited Tippy on the mound and instructed Tippy to give him a fastball to see if Leflore could extend the hitting streak. Fast forward to the Murcer at-bat. Tippy, who claims he could have blown away Murcer with three pitches, has Thurman in mind. Tippy grooves a fastball to Murcer who lines down the right field line. Yankees win.

Cosell breaks into high drama ("Bobby Murcer, who buried his friend this morning" ). As Appel writes in the book ABC-TV cameras showed Tippy walking off the mound, looking skyward, as if to say, 'That's for you Thurman.' ABC didn't know what they had, writes Appel.

Granted Murcer still had to hit the fastball with the game on the line. Great anecdote. But aren't some things better left unexposed? Must we know everything? The legend is ALWAYS better.

Sox-Yanks coverage...

2009-08-10T17:50:00.000-07:00

The Yankees complete a four-game sweep of the Red Sox. It just goes to show what's possible when you wisely spend half a billion dollars. While the Yankees were giving the Red Sox a beat-down over four days, the broadcasters following the team were less successful. Here's but a small sample:

1.) I hate to be Ned Negative here but why does the NY media consistently give Joba and his on-the-field antics a pass? Case in point was Thursday night when Joba was life and death to get through five innings. A Jpba strikeout ends the fifth and what do we get? A closeup of Joba acting all Tiger-draining-a-30-footer-at-Augusta ensues. Dude, relax. You were lucky to get the win. Be quiet, walk back to the dugout and look at your plate.

2.) Though he doesn't have the big league resume or shtick of his YES counterparts, analyst John Flaherty is consistently on point and insightful. I'd listen to the guy call the phone book. No corn-ball antics just straight ahead analysis.

3.) YES' Paul O'Neill is rapidly becoming this generation's Bobby Murcer: the beloved former ballplayer coming back as broadcaster. And O'Neill is also Murcer-like in the following: the next time he says something insightful or intelligent will be the first time.

4.) Shut-up-Suzyn moment: Saturday on WCBS-880, radiocasters John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman squeled in delight that the Yankees are undefeated on YES' Yankee Classics. Clever line. Only it was used by the YES crew the night before. I'm not sure if it's the tickle in her voice, but invariably I yell 'Shut-up-Suzyn' withing ten minutes of tuning in. Mrs. Del Franco Daily thinks I'm crazy.

5.) Speaking of the Friday night telecast, play-by-player Michael Kay was building the drama. Only it came off as forced and faked: "When we come back, Derek Jeter, who one won a game in November, will try to win one in August." Please. You get the feeling that some of the guys think they are never far away from their Al Michaels "Do-You-Believe-in-Miracles?" moment. Like pitching a perfect game, a great radio call maybe happens once in a career. Most guys don't have one.

Coming soon....

2009-08-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

the return of the Daily Del Franco from a self-imposed slumber....

A Few Thoughts About My New York Trip...

2009-04-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

Just returned back from a FANTASTIC weekend in New York with my wife. A few thoughts:

Rarely have I encountered a more overrated pizza joint than Lombardi's on Spring St in New York's SoHo. If one were to rank tri-state pizza joints, the first six would easily reside in the New Haven area. Even the pizza place along Arden Ave. in Staten Island is better.

Sadly, Ground Zero today resembles an orderly construction site. Interestingly, pamphleteers around the site demanding a re-investigation of the 9/11 Commission. Far-fetched but interesting.

Here's the golden rule regarding souveniers: Two of shit is shit. If a vendor really wanted to screw you, he'd give you the third one for free. How many NYC emblazoned Statues of Liberty does one truly need?

If you have the means, I highly recommend taking in an opera at Lincoln Center. A grand hall built in the 1950s, the Metropolitan Opera House is the Yankee Stadium of opera halls. All the great ones played here...

The famed Waldorf-Astoria hotel was actually the merging of two New York hotels built by the dynastic Astors. Hence the hyphen.

Waiting for a seat at any crowded restaurant, I have two words: What Recession?

If you're taking the train into NYC from Connecticut, avoid doing it the day of a Yankee day game.

I don't know what it is but there's something about a well-played saxophone in the Subway that really gets to me.

How star-crossed are hockey's Rangers? Before Saturday's victory, it had been almost 70 years before the Rangers won a playoff game 1-0.

Rangers Getting Routed

2009-04-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

Have you ever walked up to a roulette table and witnessed a sick run of reds or blacks? So you put your money and instantly the run ends? That's the case with tonight's Rangers game. It's 3-0 Washington in the third period. What happened? Playing on the road in Washington, the Rangers rode brilliant goaltending and clutch scoring to take a 2-0 lead in the playoff series...So what changed playing at the Garden? The answer is simple: I tuned in. Either that or they began running around in their own end and taking too many penalties against Ovechkin & Co. Without support,even King Henrik can seem like a jester. I guess it was too much to ask to take a 3-0 lead.

What I've Learned--the No Context Version

2009-04-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

Some nights it's choosing between blogging, watching sports or sleeping. Sports has been winning lately.

NBC's John Madden retires. It was time.

The Yankees should fire Joe Girardi like the Corleones got rid of Pauley..."Grab the connolis, drop the gun."

I've been watching baseball for 30 years. This Yankee bullpen, save for Mariano, is probably the worst version I've seen. Even during the Stump Merrill years, the bullpen of Steve Howe, John Habyan and Steve Farr, was the strength of the team.

Although two starts does not a Cy Young make, I have to admit: I was wrong about A.J. Burnett.

Are they still playing the college basketball playoffs?

It's hard to believe that pirates still exist outside of Pittsburgh. But that captain proved courageous...That's the guy we all should emulate. He and that Sullenberger fellow--you know the Hudson River pilot.

CBS's Masters Leader Board went seven screens deep on Sunday apparently trying to fool casual golf fans that Tiger still had a chance. While we're on the subject, don't you just hate the hushed tones and reverence thrown at the feet of Augusta National? Come on people. It's a golf course. Nothing more.

The Washington Capitals are scary offensively with their sharp breakout passes and fancy stick-handling. Alex Ovechkin is just a great hockey player--although I can live without his hysterionics everytime the Capitals score. Enough Alex. Act like you been there before.

Jose Theodore's soft goals last night are bound to stay with him at least the rest of this playoff series. Surrendering those soft-goals in the playoffs? They have a way of staying with you like luggage. Go ask Detroit netminder Chris Osgood who tarnished his reputation after surrendering bad playoff goals.

Rangers color-man Joe Micheletti sure sounded awfully prescient when he said that the Capitals power play corps might get tired if they continued to log the full two minutes each power play. Sure enough, on his third period goal, Brandon Dubinsky went by his man who at this moment in time is stil looking for his jock.

Visit the new Yankee Stadium? I'd love to...after BHO approves me for bailout funds.

It took one inning of one baseball game...

2009-04-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

The Yankees are back. That's the good news. The bad news? They brought last year's bullpen with them. I know. It's one game. One awful, excruciating game where the starter sucked and the bullpen was even worse. And manager Girardi in all his wisdom was hell-bent on running out the entire bullpen. How else can you explain why Girardi had Edwar Ramirez up and throwing as Marte was luckily getting the last out. And what the hell happened to Marte? Guy was worse than John Edwards during the debate. Yankees are in trouble when the lefty Marte can't get lefties out.
Still it's one game. The only Yankee on notice should be Girardi.

Elsewhere in New York sports, the Rangers got a big win in regulation against Montreal and likely did enough to secure a playoff spot. They can get as high as sixth. The eighth spot likely draws top-seeded Boston.

Live Blogging: Rangers vs. Canadiens in OT

2009-03-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

The New York Rangers gave up the tying goal and settled for overtime in Montreal against the Canadiens in Montreal. There was a time when OT and the Rangers usually meant a loss. Having already gained a point, the Rangers are as close to tenth place as they are to fourth. It's that tight. Nearly two minutes into OT, the Rangers had their chances, most notably on new arrival Nik Antropov.

Good to see Alex Kovalev has not changed. He still thinks he can beat the entire defense on his way to the net. Former Ranger Matheiu Schneider just had a shot from the point. Good save Lundqvist. Drury had one last point shot that Canadien goalie Carey Price turned away easily as time ran down. Now the shootout: edge Rangers

Canadiens: Kostytsen: missed with a wrister up high
Rangers Naslund: Great fake on the forehand and put it in on the backhand
Canadiens: Kovalev: Great goal scorer's goal on the backhand. Tucked it under the crossbar
Rangers: Antropov: Faked, delayed, and scored stick side
Canadiens: Markov: Goal
Rangers: Drury scored with a wrister that Carey Price missed. Game over...

BTW, the usually steady Sam Rosen seemed confused during the shoot-out: He called a Rangers victory after the Antropov goal not realizing that the Canadiens had a skater remaining. Big win by the Blueshirts though...

Coming Soon: BHO and a Media Outlet Near You

2009-03-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

Don't look now but President Obama is coming to a media outlet near you. Tomorrow, he'll be the first sitting president to appear in late night. He'll go on Jay Leno. Safe choice. I've said it many times, give me a choice I'll always take David Letterman. But BHO is is own man.

Obama has also has agreed to sit down with "60 Minutes" and Steve Kroft for an interview that will air Sunday (Thank you Howard Kurtz for the scoop). Kroft who gets all the great intervies will no doubt ask him about the economy, the AIG bonuses, the vetting of his cabinet, and the like. Many of you will recall Kroft interviewed BHO and Mrs BHO shortly after the nomination.

You can't blame BHO for playing to his strengths but someone close to His Almighty might remind him that he's no longer campaigning. Yo Barack, you got the job. Now it's time to govern. Stay the hell in D.C.

10 Things You Didn't Know About Baseball Memorabilia

2009-03-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

Seen, discussed or overheard at the National Card Show in Fort Washington, PA...

10.) Should you be lucky enough to find a mint condition 1952 Topps Andy Pafko (Card #1)keep it close. Because almost none exist. The reason? Back in the day, kids would keep their cards together with a rubber band with Pafko's #1 on top. Either this really did happen or this is the most common misconception in the hobby.

9.) All of the certified Joe DiMaggio signed baseballs? They're genuine. No problems there. However, in what has to be the most creepy and low-rent money-grabs of all time are the baseballs signed--and released into circulation--by the Yankee Clipper on his death bed. Dubbed "death bed" DiMaggio balls, you'd have to have some set yourself to shell out money for these.

Cain/Palin bumper stickers. Seems the gun-folk are thrilled with BHO. Inside the card show featured Punter Sean Landeta (the long-time Giant wearing an Eagles cap) an 80-year-old Robin Roberts and softball queen Jennie Finch. Walking the aisles in near anonymity: famed 1970's hockey goon Dave "the Hammer" Schultz. And we're in Philadelphia and no one recognizes him. Another good reason to wear a helmet: No one recognizes you.

5.) The 1914 Cracker Jack find that we reported last year fetched an unbelievable amount of money...more than $150,000. Separate from that auction, a 1914 "Cracker Jack" Joe Jackson was graded a 10 out of 10. One dealer told me, that once that's gone, you'll never seen another in better condition. Today's grading system of cards takes the guesswork out of a card's value...Much like buying a diamond, baseball cards carry color, cut and clarity as well.

4.) Sadly, baseball cards in the 1980s are virtually worthless save for a few cards. Those were my salad days. By 1981, Topps was no longer the only game in town and rival card companies such as Fleer and Donruss entered the market and produced set after set after set to the point where you can longer keep track of the sets.

3.) Two collectors thus far have completed the massive 6,661 Yankee Stadium Legacy series from Upper Deck—the card company carried over last season’s games to the 2009 set as well.

2.) Not baseball related but I saw some cashed bank checks from Moe Howard, Curly Howard, and Larry Fine—The Three Stooges.

1.) Quick Story: Going back to DiMaggio. He had few friends and mostly kept to himself, expect apparently when there was appearance money involved. A long-time business partner of DiMaggio’s got wind of Carl Yastrzemski’s charity event. DiMaggio was asked to attend but declined the invite. The business partner said, “Joe, it’s for charity.” To which DiMaggio motioned to his heart as if to explain, “Charity begins at home.” Now we can remember him as “The Yankee Gypper.”

Mastro Folds House of Cards

2009-03-12T19:39:00.000-07:00

Memorabilia king Bill Mastro was one of the central figures in the book "The Card," the book detailing the mystery surrounding the T206 Honus Wagner, the Mona Lisa of baseball cards. Some believe it was Mastro who cut the card, giving it its funny shape. Can you imagine? At any rate, here's one more added to the unemployment rolls. Perhaps he can get the cell next to Madoff's.

Bill Mastro folds sports memorabilia's largest auction house amid FBI probe
BY Michael O'Keeffe
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Mastro auctions chairman Bill Mastro boasted in a Jan. 21 article in the Chicago Daily Herald that his auction house would not be damaged by the recession because it caters to high-end clients.

"When we do our big auctions we're typically dealing with well-heeled guys, and this is what gives them pleasure," Mastro said. "If anything, I think guys are getting more choosy and discriminating about what they buy and how they buy it. But at the end of the day a Mercedes is a Mercedes, and if you want and have the means, you'll pay for it."

Less than two months later, Mastro Auctions is apparently out of business.

Sports memorabilia's largest auction house is at the center of an FBI investigation into shill bidding, card doctoring and other allegations of fraud that have damaged the company's Mercedes image. While Bill Mastro said in the January interview that the company would continue to generate $50 million in annual sales, industry sources say it had crippling credit-line and cash-flow problems. Consignors have complained that they were not paid for items sold at Mastro's December auction.

Three Mastro executives, including president Doug Allen, have purchased Mastro Auction's assets and will launch a new company called Legendary Auctions. The new business has taken possession of computer software and client lists, sources told the Daily News. Allen did not return phone calls for comment, but in a press release, the new company said all outstanding Mastro Auctions business will be "seamlessly facilitated, processed and completed through Legendary Auctions." Industry sources told the Daily News they expect Mastro's consignors will all eventually be paid.

Allen had told potential investors that he is not a target of the FBI probe, according to sources, but the new company appears to be taking steps to avoid shill-bidding allegations and other problems that damaged Mastro's credibility with collectors.

"The principals employed by Legendary Auctions will put their own collecting interests aside and concentrate solely on providing opportunities for our customers," Allen said in the press release. "There will be no mixing of business and pleasure at Legendary Auctions in terms of our own collecting pursuits. This will really be all about our customers."

The Daily News reported last year that sports-memorabilia officials have testified before a grand jury in Chicago that is investigating Mastro Auctions and fraud in the collectibles business.

The grand jury deliberations are part of an investigation into memorabilia fraud initiated last year by the Chicago division of the FBI, whose "Operation Foul Ball" smashed a multistate autograph forgery ring in the 1990s. Other sports-memorabilia businesses and individuals may also be under investigation.

Bill Mastro will not be associated with Legendary Auctions. "Circumstances make it clear to me that the business needs to move in a different direction at this time, and Legendary Auctions is a positive step that allows everyone to be taken care of, especially our customers who have been so loyal," Mastro said in the press release. "I am looking forward to taking some time off for now, and wish Legendary Auctions only the best as they move forward."

New York Islanders Modern Day Mickey Mouse Operation

2009-03-11T14:44:00.000-07:00

After a 13-4 drubbing of the New Jersey Devils in 1984 a game in which the Edmonton Oilers scored at will, Wayne Gretzky famously labeled the Devils a "Mickey Mouse operation on ice." But judging from a recent visit to Nassau Coliseum, the Great One could apply the tag to the modern day New York Islanders. Here are 10 reason why the Islanders could be considered Mickey Mouse.

10.) Ice Girls cleaning up ice during breaks in the action. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with hot chicks on the ice....but it smacks of minor league hockey

9.) Your team gets booed in its own building, especially when the New York Rangers come to town. Wanna solve the problem? Sell-out your building

8.)Outside of Rick DiPietro, Trent Hunter and Andy Hilbert, the team is devoid of NHL vetereans...Taken further, no stars means fewer dollars devoted to payroll means more dollars in owner's pocket.

7.)Other than the aforementioned Rangers, the team lives off its one glory period, 1979-1983, when it made five consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup finals--winning the first four

6.)Speaking of those Cup winning teams, banners memorializing coach Al Arbour's 1500 game is a joke, so is Bill Torrey's trademark bow-tie. The travesty regarding Arbour is that they brought him back for one game, two days shy of his 75th bithday.

5.)Team executives are more corrupt than government officials in Bridgeport and Rprovidence combined.

4.)After falling behind in the Ranger game, fans serenaded the Islanders with chants of "Kan-sas City, Kan-sas City"--the team's future home if the Wang gets his way

3.)Some Islander braintrust gave golaie Rick DiPietro a 15-year contract. Let that sink in for a minute. A U.S. president gets 8 years max!

2.)Former great Bryan Trottier demands payment for the privilidge of the team retiring his number 19. Imagine the balls of this guy to do it with a straight face.

1.)Incredibly because of short-sighted deals, the Islanders must share revenue from luxury, concessions and parking with Nassau county. The result? a $70 ticket for nose-bleed seats with an obstructed view.

A-Rod and The 5 Stages of Grief....

2009-03-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

A-Rod's off-season exploits have been well-documented. But after the latest revelation--that he'll miss more than two months repairing a torn labrum--I feel spent. I don't know how to react anymore. It's always something with this guy.

Whether it's trying to swipe the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's glove during the 2004 ALCS or yelling "I got it" when running behind Toronto's John MacDonald a few years ago, everything A-Rod does is bush-league and calculated.

Rooting for Alex is like befriending an impossibly hot chick. You're happy that she talks to you but you're disappointed time and again. It's reached that point with Alex. You're just drained emotionally.

So here are the five stages of Grief as seen through the eyes of a Yankee fan.

Denial---What happened? A-Rod took steroids? When? I don't believe it. How can it be? Boy, the media won't leave this guy alone. Maybe Mike Francesa was corret when he said that some guys just can't make it in New York. The witch hunt continues.

Anger (after seeing that BS interview with Gammons)--That little bastard! Can't trust the Dominicans. Bolly? Are we kidding? And why is Madonna's manager insisting he wear that faggy blue v-neck? And who the fuck is going to play third base now? Get me Hank Steinbrenner's number...Can we void A-Roid contract? And who can play third base? Newcomer Nick Swisher? Grrrr. Season's wasted?

Bargaining--Okay Alex admitted it. Now we can go on and concentrate on the baseball season and begin debating important matters such as who's going to play center field. Why manager Joe Giradi should be shitcanned before the season starts...Not to mention who's going to play third base.

Depression I don't care anymore. What does it matter? A-Rod's hurt and will miss two months. The Yankees lost their best hitter and third baseman. Boston looked strong and Tampa and Toronto look better this year too. What's the use?

Acceptance I'm ready for whatever comes my way. Perhaps the Yankees will be a better team in the early going and get back to the teamwork during the 1996-2001 era. We don't miss A-Rod..we got Mark Teixera!

Ah, that little bit of Yankee rehab worked wonders..Thank goodness baseball season is around the corner and A-ROD successfully surgically repaired his torn labrum. Only every Yankee fans knows Alex is all thumbs.

Fallon in Train Wreck TV

2009-03-03T15:08:00.000-08:00

I don't want to say I told you so....

Jimmy Fallon was very uncomfortable right from the opening monologue last night. Was the hands-in-the-pockets delivery during the monologue an homage to Johnny Carson? I hope so and I hope they tell him to stop that tonight. And the jokes....very tepid.

Now there are worse things in life than sucking at your own heavily hyped talk show. But was it a good idea to impersonate Robert DeNiro in front of Robert DeNiro? What's the best result here? Is DeNiro going to laugh at Fallon....like he's a clown? Like DeNiro's here to amuse Fallon...like's he's a clown? (Sorry couldn't resist)

And this deliberate attempt to make it all technological and hip came across as lame and stupid. "Jimmy on Facebook!" Who cares? NBC wanted this apparent "pushing the envelope" to be in the same style as Letterman circa 1982. Who tune in...you never what's going to happen! Please.

Yes, this will be a work in progress for NBC. All talk shows musyt given a puncher's chance to smooth out the kinks. But seriously who made the decisionto cast Fallon? Is it the ssme guy who put Celelbrity Apprentice on Sunday nights at 9?

You get the feeling that NBC has totally lost its way? Memo to Jeff "Zippy" Zucker...You have to get involved here.

Tina Fey tonight--She should give him some good material. Or at least make him a little more comfortable.

Snowbound Monday!

2009-03-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

Some random thoughts on a snowbound Monday: Twelve inches in CT. Snow in March is gay.

Call me crazy but I think Jimmy Fallon's new talk show (which debuts tonight) has a good chance of being Train Wreck TV. I saw Fallon guesting for Letterman during Dave's heart attack hiatus and he sucked. Visibly nervous. Don't get me wrong--I liked him on Weekend Update but some can't make the jump to carrying their own show. See Chase, Chevy. DeNiro--who rarely does television interviews--is Jimmy's first guest. I'll be sure to tune in ---at 12:30. CMON.

I'm watching the Baseball Network and they're in the middle of previewing the 30 baseball teams. Today? The Houston Astros. They are actually talking about Mike Hampton making 30 starts. Mike Hampton....If I wasn't doubled over in laughter, I'd actually explain it here.

Anyone catch Steve Kroft interviewing Harry Markopoulos last night on 60 Minutes? For those of you dumbasses who don't know, Markopoulos was the would-be Madoff whistleblower who sent five letters to the SEC urging the investigation into Madoff's firm. The SEC did nothing. Markopoulos told Kroft (I swear Kroft gets the best stories. Guy is Aces. Love Kroft.) the investigators at the SEC couldn't spot fraud, even if you instructed where to look. The SEC investigators simply don't have the sophistication. That's a damn strong statement. But then Markopoulos should know. He figured out the Madoff scheme in less than five hours. Great piece.

While we're at it, can we cut the shit with penciling in stats for certain players. Last year, some people who should know better, figured Yankee pitcher Phil Hughes was good for 18 wins. He finished the 2008 season with exactly zero wins. This year's hot rookie is Mark Melancon--who's being touted as Mariano's replacement in waiting. Can I at least see Melancon close out the Tampa Rays first? Already he's the Yankee closer? Only in baseball do you see such lofty statements.

Giants signed Cowboys defensive end Chris Canty...That will hurt Dallas next year.

Sean Avery will return to the Rangers this week. Will it help? Well, it couldn't hurt. They're fucked. The NHL trade deadline is tomorrow. Can the Rangers swing a big deal?

The Dow saw 6,999 today. What the fuck is going on?

Top 10 Reasons To Fire Glen Sather

2009-02-26T17:19:00.000-08:00

10.) Gave Bryan Trottier a coaching gig after being pitched the job on a coacktail napkin

9.) Bitched and moaned whilst in small-market Edmonton. Then spent like drunken sailor in NY. (And sucks managing today's salary cap)

8.) Short of hiring Osama bin Laden, Sather's creepy realtionship with Garden boss Jim Dolan provides him the Teflon-status not seen since Fredo Coreleone when his mother still alive

7.) Maneuvers NHL Drafts with all the dexterity and finesse as did Dick Clark last New Year's Eve. Don't beleive me? In 2003, for example, the Rangers used the 12th overall choice to select Dartmouth College forward Hugh Jessiman. In doing so, they passed on Dustin Brown (13th), Brent Seabrook (14th), Zach Parise (17th), Ryan Getzlaf (19th), Brent Burns (20th), Ryan Kesler (23rd), Mike Richards (24th), Loui Eriksson (33rd), and Patrice Bergeron (45th)..Jessiman is no longer with the team

6.) Let Jagr, Shanahan and Avery walk and replaced them with Nik Zherdev (the modern day Alex Kovalev) past-his-prime Markus Naslund and Aaron Voros.

5.) By compiling too many of the same player (Callahan, Dubinsky, Dawes) he's seems to be taking a page from true genius Lou Lamoriello.

4.)He had Gretzky, Messier, & Coffey in their prime and mistakenly thought his a birthright to drink from the Cup

3.) Slats is gay nickname for a grown man

2.) Two words: Wade Redden.

1.) Since he got to 33rd and 7th nine years ago, Sather's won exactly TWO playoff rounds

Separated at Birth

2009-02-26T17:08:00.000-08:00

New York Gov. David Paterson

Rangers coach John Tortorella

NY Rangers Fire Renney, Hire Tortorella

2009-02-23T18:14:00.000-08:00

Tom Renney deserved better. The New York Rangers apparently thinking they can still save the season fired coach Tom Renney today. Unfortunately, Jim Dolan fired the wrong guy. It should have been Glen Sather. Renney deserved better than he got. After all, was it Renney who brought in past their prime free agents in Markus Naslund and Wade Redden? Nope. Was it Renney who let Jagr, Shanahan and Avery walk? Nope. This team is Sather's mess to fix. Michael Obernaur of the Daily News remarked that Sather is on his fifth coach on nine years which "borders on Isiah territory."

John Tortorella, a former Rangers assistant who won a Stanley Cup with Tampa in 2004, was named as coach. Apparently "Torts" is something of a hard-ass, which is directly opposite of the laid-back Renney. Good. Maybe it'll sink in to pay attention to the little things, such as taking too many men on the ice penalties (that happened twice yesterday). Maybe it'll sink in that on the Power Play, you shouldn't give up goals while on two-man adventage.

It'll be interesting to see if the Rangers are buyers or sellers at next week's trade deadline. Although in this day and age, who's going to take on bad contracts such as Redden's. Just when you thought the NHL lockout wiped the slate clean on big contracts, the Rangers go right up to the salary cap limit.

At least the Rangers are saying the right things about Renney on the way out. Too bad their play couldn't speak loud enough while he was here. After all, he deserved better.

What I Learned Friday

2009-02-19T17:29:00.000-08:00

Does anyone miss Bush?

Conan O'Brien last NBC Late Night show is Friday Night. Can you believe he's been doing that show for 16 years? When he started as a nobody, NBC only would commit to him for three months stints at a time. I bet Letterman makes an appearance. Would be appropriate. Friggin Leno on a 10 pm? Just leave Jay--just leave.

There looks like lots of great bargains in the stock market. Knowing which stocks are headed up is the hard part.

Now that the apparent transfer of wealth has begun, when will I begin getting an extra $13 in my paycheck from BHO?

In reporting the attacking chimp story, the NY Daily News, I kid you not, actually got a quote from actress Morgan Fairchild, who worked with the beast. C'Mon! Can you imagine being the reporter getting this assignment from the City Editor?

Gotta love the acting skills of one Alex Rodriguez...Looking wistfully at his teammates during the fake, phony, press conference, the Lightning Rod was supposed to produce a tear. A-Rod, however, much like October performances, choked. And the people who expected Corporate Jeter to say something remotely controversial, well they were disappointed weren't they?

The Philadelphia Sports Card Show & Exhibition is rapidly approaching. The lead guest? Willie Mays who is charging $269 for the privilige of signing a baseball card. Signing a shirt or a hat will set you back hundreds more. To further drive home the point, Mr. Mays, the Website describes, will sign "Say Hey" but not "Say Hey Kid" For nearly three hundred smackers, Ol' Willie ought to be giving me a rubdown or shining my shoes.

Saw "The Wrestler"...loved it. I must see "Frost Vs. Nixon" before Sunday night...BY the way, I'll be blogging the Oscars live for those scoring at home.

That Tom Renney's job is on the line is one of the biggest jokes this or any sports season. Can he help it if he must replace Jaromir Jagr with Bradon Dubinsky or Ryan Callahan? I love Chris Drury but maybe this is not his year.

Rangers Really Testing My Patience

2009-02-16T19:24:00.000-08:00

Every year about this time, I say the same thing: This team isn't so good. This year is no different.

Currently, the Rangers are fighting it out for the eight and final spot in the Eatsern conference.

Yesterday's thrashing at the hands of the Flyers produced something I hadn't seen in a long time. Rangers on a 5-3 power play--yup two-man advantage--and try to tie the game at 1. A turnover is picked up by the Flyers and deposited in the Ranger net for a crushing 2-0 lead. Lundqvist was awful. He gets yanked after he yields two more goals. On the NBC telecast, studio hosts Mike Milbury and Pierre McGuire are killing the Rangers saying ostensibly, "this is how you get your coach fired." Strong statement. I didn't realize Renney's job may be in question here. Perhaps Slats can go too?

Can I just add that I'd listen to Mike Emrick call a grocery list? They guy is brilliant with the imagery. Hockey's Vin Scully.

Tonight in St. Louis--the Rangers fall again. 2-1 loss. Listless. Except for the really cool fights. Colton Orr decked his opponent while Aaron Voros gamely fought Cam Jansen, who get this--threw punches lefty and righty! Never saw that before either. Hockey players are tough dudes.

Rangers need a spark. Calling Sean Avery. That would be step one.
Ugh. Why did I have to throw in with this team? Maddening!

A-Very Ranger Return

2009-02-11T17:12:00.000-08:00

All indications point to Sean Avery coming back to the New York Rangers via Hartford. Will it help or did NHL commissioner Gary Bettman take the bounce out of Tigger? Let's hope it's the former because the Rangers need a spark. Losers of three straight, the Rangers have fallen to third in the division and sixth in the division--three points out of the eighth and final playoff spot. Why does it seem the Rangers are always in this position year after year regardless of the roster?

The Rangers just tied the game with Washington at 3 by Markus Naslund crashing the net. Perhaps Avery's Impending return is already paying dividends. Whatever happens with Avery does not help address the lack of scoring, the disappearance of Wade Redden, Chris Drury, and Scott Gomez.

I just loked at the standings. There's the Devils--without Marty Brodeur--rolling along. They were supposed to tank when their goaltender went down. Yet they are in first. How did that happen?

Oh my goodness....Defenseman Paul Mara just scored the fourth Ranger goal--and a power play to boot. What an embarrasment of riches!

The Press Reveals Its Ugly Side

2009-02-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

Anyone wanting to know about the state of the country, or the press for that matter, need only to have witnessed President Obama's question and answer session with the White House press corps following his first press conference as President.

Would you believe some well-minded journalist actually asked BHO's thoughts on Alex Rodriguez. That's right. A-Rod's foibles have been lifted into the same discussion as economic stimulus and avoiding another Great Depression. I can't believe I just wrote that sentence. Seriously. And this is what our country has come to...Almost as remarkable was the fact that BHO adressed it! Although being the adroit performer, BHO used it as public service about children and lessons learned. Blah Blah Blah.
Can you imagine Helen Thomas asking Ronald Reagan back in the day about the demise of one Lyle Alzado?

And keeping on all things A-Rod, what happened to Peter Gammons? This guy was once an earnest reporter. Then he throws in with ESPN and that's where the trouble starts.

He gets the interview of the sports year---no doubt handpicked by the evil Scott Boras. But what does Gammons do? He serves as the chief softball tosser to A-Rod. C'Mon Pete. Suzyn "Goodness Gracious" Waldman might have been tougher. At no time, does Gammons ask an intelligent follow-up or do some deductive reasoning. Instead we're forced to take in more spin and more deception. Ugly. If A-Rod besmirched a careerby taking steroids, than Gammons did equal damage to his by playing the part of A-Rod's hostess. Presumably Gammons can resume his career as a stand-in to Andrew Jackson--a.k.a the guy on the $20 bill.

Don't believe me? Check this out:

Super Bowl Post Mortem

2009-02-02T18:47:00.000-08:00

Great game. Pittsburgh wins in the game's waning moments. But for three-quarters of the game, it was a ho-hum affair. I don't know if it was because I was trying to match the world's worst Super Bowl square numbers or trying to outfunny everyone. I have that tendancy you know. At any rate, it seemed that Madden and Michaels were at sea. Madden was Madden. But Michaels seems to over-dramatize things. For instance, replays clearly showed Santonio Holmes' catch being legal Michaels gets all fired up. At any moment, I thought I was going to hear, "Do you believe in toes?"

I will pass over in silence the fact that Pittsburgh's Jeff Reed cost me $500 for his extra point.

And NBC had waaay to many commentators present. Perhaps this was the reason that guest commentator Mike Holmgren seemed overly pissed on the set? Only reason I can tell. Patrick and Olbermann are awful as is Tiki Barber. Normally, I like Costas but this was overkill. For my money, I'd like to throw a shoe at Olbermann. And why were the announcers wearing bankers striped suits yesterday? Was NBC's Dick Ebersol trying to tell us something?

Halftime? Bruce and the E Street Band. Sucked. Disagreed with all the song choices. Granted 12 minutes is 12 minutes. But when the pseudo referee comes out and declares Boss Time? I vomited in my mouth. Hokey. Bruce just say no next time. That's what happens when you let President Obama dictate your set list. Oh, he didn't?

Color Me Converted...

2009-01-29T17:28:00.000-08:00

I must share something. I wasn't a fan of the President...until now. I had no idea the guy was left-handed. And check out the crook of the arc--the tell-tale sign of left-handedness. The only thing BHO is missing here is the Charlie Brown-style tongue hanging out of the mouth. Not very presidential I guess.

Torre's Book Blasts Former Players

2009-01-28T19:33:00.000-08:00

When you follow a team, it's usually a one-dimensional view. You glean snippets of a player's personality from interviews and dugout shots and you try to read body language. But that's about it. Rarely do you know team chemistry and who hates whom--unless a tell-all book is written. So thank you Joe Torre. I'm making a beeline for the bookstore on 2/2. Although there's probably zero chance that Torre takes a pop at phoney baloney Derek Jeter--otherwise we would have heard it by now. Some guys, such as Wells, you knew Torre disliked. Others, such as A-Rod, we finally get confirmation.

ON ALEX RODRIGUEZ: 'Alex is all about the game. He needs the game. He needs all of those statistics. He needs every record imaginable. And he needs people to make a fuss over him.'

ON KEVIN BROWN AND DAVID WELLS: 'The difference between Kevin Brown and David Wells is that both make your life miserable, but David Wells meant to.'

ON RANDY JOHNSON: 'It was sad more than frustrating when we got him, because I thought we finally had someone you could hook your wagon to, and that wasn't the case.'

ON CARL PAVANO: 'The players all hated him. It was no secret.'

Amen, Joe. Amen.

A few thoughts on Andy Pettitte

2009-01-27T19:10:00.001-08:00

So the Yankees brought back Andy Pettitte for another season. Good for them. He should solidify the backhalf of therotation. Funny thing about Pettitte though. I don't really trust him in a big spot. Don't get me wrong...he's pitched well in a number of big games. Pettitte's 1-0 Game 5 in the 1996 World Series when he outdueled Atlanta's John Smoltz is at the top of the list. However, for my money Pettitte has had his share of post-season stinkers.

I recall a Friday Night in October 1998 when Cleveland really lit him up. I can still hear Michael Kay's radio call "And Andy Pettitte is getting rocked..." This game set up El Duque's gem when he ostensibly saved the Yankee season the next game. Then there's the 2001 World Series when Arizona forced a Game 7 by pounding Pettitte for six runs in two innings in Game 6.

(A less meaningful--and equally horrendous--start by Pettitte last year lends itself to a quick story. The game against the Kansas City Royals last July...hottest day of the year. Great seats. I'm keeping score and willing Pettitte to get through five, maybe six innings. Didn't happen. Pettitte proceeds to give up 12 earned runs, the last four courtesy of a Jose Guillen Grand Slam. Pissed beyond belief, I leave the Stadium in time to listen to John Sterling's call of a Yankee comeback win in the car on Johnny Damon's sixth hit of the game. This story summed up my entire 2008.)

Personally, I like Pettite. Always have. But I always trusted David Cone, David Wells, even Mike Mussina, before Pettitte in a big game. I will pass over in silence the hatchet job of Game 7 against Kevin Brown and Javier Vazquez in 2004 because, well, why should I get upset? Still bothers me.

My comments on Pettitte aside, his post-season numbers look better than I remember: Pettitte is 14–5 with a 3.96 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 35 postseason games (1995–2003, 2005, 2007). Pettitte has pitched 218.1 innings in the postseason.

Maybe its me. I remember the bad more than the good. It's like that way with gamblers too: You don't remember the wins with nearly the same vigor and emotion. The losses? Most players can recall them with stunning alacrity.

Biff Destroys the Economy. But He's Hardly to Blame

2009-01-19T19:14:00.000-08:00

By Michael DiMarco

If I tried to sell you a steaming pile of shit, would you pay me? A filthy, hulking, noxious lump of dung; in a paper bag for ease of transport. You’d appreciate that I bagged it, wouldn’t you? I mean, I could’ve just left it on your stoop, per our hypothetical agreement, and let you rummage through twenty years of garage surplus to pull out that rusty wheelbarrow, or hand truck, or pitchfork, all while fighting the swarm of flies now festering on my extraordinary gift. I’ll bet with a firm handshake and solid eye contact, you’d take this off my ass, excuse the pun. Look at me, for goodness sake; I’m not wearing a red and green checkered suit like that shifty maniac at the used car lot, or the vagrant that’s been making eyes at your wife from behind the gas pump. And you know what, because I like you, I’ll wrap this in cellophane and place it in a gift basket with a few colorful party favors and a sack of tasty nuts. My nuts score the highest marks in the ratings, you know. Consistently. Hell, everyone loves my nuts. Your wife loves my nuts. OK, now you’re sold.

Sound crazy? It’s a near mirror analogy to this Wall Street housing debacle cum economic implosion. When your buddy took out his 5-year option ARM interest-only embarrassment of a home loan, or when you locked in that 30-year fixed rate mortgage at 5.75%, there’s a very good change the lending institution sold the loan to be packaged into a pool of mortgages with similar terms. In the glory days of housing flips, these loan packages were peddled on Wall Street as investment securities. Much like stocks and bonds change hands over the course of daily trading, pools of mortgage-backed securities (MBS) were bought and sold like any other financial instrument. The interest payments distributed to investors were collateralized by the underlying mortgages. So long as homeowners continued making regular monthly payments to their bank, the securities could make regular interest payments to their holders. This worked great, until eventually, it didn’t.

Over the course of the past decade, Uncle Sam relaxed mortgage lending rules tremendously. For a while this was constructive, as it dropped the American Dream into the laps of countless, hardworking individuals. When combined with low interest rates, your boy Biff at the car wash could qualify for home loans at an obscene multiple of his yearly after-tax income. To the disbelief of more educated brethren, income documentation was nary a requirement. Of course, the terms of Biff’s mortgage weren’t quite so stellar once you read the fine print. But Biff doesn’t read because he was too busy crushing skulls before he dropped out of high school and failed his GED. To add insult to injury, Biff’s loan was packaged into a mortgage pool as well. True, it was a lower quality product, as anyone with half a brain could see, but perhaps there was a way to jam these low-rent loans under the same umbrella as the nobler ones. Surely some MBA pencil-neck could structure that complex instrument to afford it the highest score from the bond rating companies, namely “AAA.” And these polished triple-A securities were held by the billions, on the balance sheets of staid (and no longer so staid) institutions from Goldman Sachs to (*cough*) Lehman Brothers.

Well, eventually Biff realized that his insanely low teaser rate was going to balloon like an unloved housewife. Refinancing would be difficult because his credit score was an abomination. Likewise, income requirements were more stringent now, as the recession bit hard. So Biff defaulted, and the bank foreclosed on his expansive home in South Beach, or Scottsdale, or Riverside, or some other overbuilt sunbelt tract lacking character. In fact, foreclosures swept across the country like a tidal wave, decimating neighborhoods while bankrupting some of the largest holders of MBS. And suddenly that triple-A security has plummeted in price. Because it’s toxic, and because no one will touch it. The next morning, the AAA is a B. How long can a bank weather these losses before having to commit enormous write-downs on its books? How long can a firm survive when its peers on the Street have pulled their credit lines and shuttered their trading activities, for fear that said firm is burning through cash faster than Charlie Sheen in a whorehouse. Ask Dick Fuld of Lehman, or Jimmy Cayne of Bear Stearns (assuming he wasn’t toking up with his geriatric Bridge club when you caught his ear). They know the answer. And so do the hundreds of thousands of Americans losing their jobs in the midst of this fallout. Economists call this a negative feedback loop: Crippled banks institute layoffs. Layoffs curb spending and propagate defaults. Lower spending hurts retailers. Retailers close stores. Defaults hurt banks. The stock market plummets. Banks lose more money and institute additional lay-offs. And so on and so on.

What? You think this doesn’t affect you because you work at your old man’s tire shop in downtown fucking Des Moines? Vote against the bailout plan, right? Those money hungry crooks on Wall Street don’t deserve billions after they defrauded and defrocked the masses, then escaped with the spoils of guerilla ambush! And you got nothing! Well, relax for a second, cowboy. Do you have a retirement plan? A 401k? Have you checked your statement recently? Have you checked the Dow Jones average? Think you’ll make back that 30% shortfall if, say, Morgan Stanley blows up tomorrow? So the next time I come knocking on your door with my blistering bundle of crap, maybe you shouldn’t be so eager to open that wallet, even if I’ve got a few Tupperware containers to mask the smell and nuts to sweeten the deal.

Either that or take a ride to Sleepy’s, buy a big mattress, and start saving for the future. You’re still young. Right?

This is Michael DiMarco's first piece for TDD. For more on DiMarco, check out his blog at http://www.essentialbastard.blogspot.com

Inside Flight 1549...An Aviator's Perspective

2009-01-16T18:40:00.001-08:00

By Len Roberto

An aviation buff comments on the skill and complexity of the pilot who safely crash landed in the Hudson River. Quite simply it was nothing short of a miracle.

You might feel like scoffing at all the praise heaped on Sully-the Captain of the Airbus who landed his stricken airliner in the Hudson River …unless you were piloting the thing.

But think about it this way:

Still in the climb, the part of the flight where you have the fewest options in case of a problem, the pilot loses not 1 but BOTH engines-meaning the plane all the power of a glider.

In a few seconds, the pilot must think about all of this:

Decide where to go- can I make nearby Teterboro Airport?

Declare an emergency. Inform the crew and passengers, while he is flying a real heavy GLIDER now, yet he does all this as cool as the other side of the pillow.

He quickly realizes and understands his only choice besides 5th Avenue & 42nd St is a water landing in the Hudson. If he fails, he knows the frigid waters are likely going to kill people within three minutes so he needs to land near help (ferries) and he needs to set the thing down as softly as possible to allow max float from wings…if it broke up-trouble. So he did all this in seconds and greased a landing that saved them all…

There's an old pilot saying: Any landing you walk away from was a good one. Sierra Hotel Sully!

Len Roberto is a recreation pilot and aviation enthusiast living in Connecticut. This is his first piece for the Daily Del Franco

Some Interesting Numbers for Jim Rice

2009-01-13T15:36:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Jim Rice who finally made the Hall of Fame on his last year of eligibility. Someone got something right. If you look at Rice's career numbers, there's no question: He is a Hall of Famer.

Besides the 382 homers and all those RBIs (1451), Rice was a career .298 hitter.

Jim Rice was one of the best hitters of the 1970s and the early part of the 1980 decade. His stats also match up favorably with Orlando Cepeda who made the Hall of Fame. Cepeda finished his career with a .297 career average, 379 home runs and 1365 RBIs. Accordingly, Cepeda finished with a lower batting average, fewer total home runs, and fewer RBIs than Jim Rice had during his career. In addition, Jim Rice played one less year than Cepeda did, meaning his individual yearly averages were higher than Cepeda's.

Jim Rice's statistics also compare favorably to Duke Snider who is also in the Hall of Fame. Snider had a career .295 average, 407 home runs, and 1333 RBIs. Billy Williams also made the Hall of Fame with totals of a .290 batting average, 426 home runs, and 1475 RBIs.

The next name on the list of players comparable to Rice is believe it or not, Ellis Burks. Maybe it's because I remember Burks coming up as a skinny outfielder in Boston but I would never compare him to Rice. But look it up:

Burks hit .291, 352 homers, and had 1206 RBI. Just judging on numbers alone, Burks warrants consideration, right? Wrong. And that's where baseball, which relies on its statistics as a measurement tool more than any other sport, got it wrong. How can you judge players in the steroid era against their predecessors? At least the voters continue to punish McGwire: He got about 20% of the necessary 75% to get in.

Here's a few other Rice numbers to consider:

--Rice never drew more than 63 walks in a season
--During his 1978 MVP year Rice whiffed 126 times and still hit .315
--That same year, Rice hit 15 triples although Red Sox fans of the early-to-mid 1980s might recall Rice as Mr. 6-4-3 as the slugger routinely grounded into 30-plus double plays a year.

Just writing about baseball adds another 15 degrees outside. Pitchers and catchers report in 35 days.

We Talking About Practice...

2009-01-12T16:31:00.000-08:00

Just Because. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUYjD7A75HQ

And that's why they play the games...

2009-01-12T16:13:00.000-08:00

Nothing pleased me more than watching the Plax-less Giants go down in a home playoff game to the Eagles. It reminded me a lot of last year's Giant/Dallas game. Third game of the season between NFC East rivals with the road team beating a 13-win team. Wasn't everybody rubber-stamping the Giants into the SuperBowl? One know-it-all radio host said as much during his Sunday morning chat with Phil Simms. "The Titans, Phil, presented the most difficult matchup for the Giants," said Francesa in one of those I know the answer before I ask the question. It wasn't only Francesa. Others did the same thing. And John Carney picked a bad game to be bad.

I had an enjoyable listen on Westwood One with Ian Eagle/Dennis Green doing Pittsburgh/San Diego. Who'd have thought former coach Dennis Green ("The Bears were who we thought they were.")would have been so informative, concise, and entertaining. This guy should be doing more color. Very refreshing. When a third quarter punt glanced off a San Diego player and picked up by Pittsburgh, Ian Eagle went into full celebratory mode with an emphatic Touchdown Pittsburgh! Coach Green though, knew better. He calmly told the audience that the ball, in that scenario, could not be advanced. No Steeler touchdown but Pittsburgh would take possession at the spot of the foul. Correct call, Coach Green.

The Media Interview: Jerry Dunklee

2009-01-09T18:27:00.000-08:00

Jerry Dunklee, professor of journalism at Southern Connecticut State University, was gracious enough to answer a few questions about the current state of media and journalism. And by "media" I'm not talking about Access Hollywood. The line is indeed getting blurred...

Daily Del Franco: Do you recognize blogs as a legitimate source of news gathering or is it a tool for the lazy?

Dunklee: It depends on the blogger. The huge majority of bloggers are not news gatherers. They are simply opinionating on what is happening the the field they are writing about. Most of the “facts” they use come from mainstream news organizations who have professional reporters in the field. A few bloggers actually dig and find news that is not being covered by other reporters.

TDD: The national press coverage on Obama...was it fair?
Dunklee: Yeah, I think the coverage was fair. He, like most newer faces on the political scene, went through a long process of getting known. There was, according to some organizations who research such things, more positive than negative coverage. That is not unusual actually. There was more positive than negative coverage of Pres. Bush when he was running the first time also. And Obama is a very different kind of figure on the scene. It’s not only that he is bi-racial but that he is unusually articulate. Now, we’ll see how the press deals with him once he has the power of the presidency.

TDD: In the age of the 24/7 news cycle, some cable news shows (i.e. "Countdown") are so biased it's frightening. Do you think viewers notice? or even care for that matter? Should they?

Dunklee: It depends on the viewer. I think many people choose a show like “Countdown” or “The O’ Reilly Factor” because it’s biased. That is: People who have strong political opinions often choose news and commentary outlets that agree with their views. That said, I think many people...according to quite good research...don’t separate quality news sources from those with high levels of slant...or entertainment shows, like “Access Hollywood” from legitimate news operations. That is a problem. I think better education about what real journalists do can help...but I’m not holding my breath on the great bulk of our citizens becoming more sophisticated. Perhaps this economic downturn will help them focus on higher quality news.

TDD: Was the biggest misconception of student journalists entering the business?
Dunklee: That it’s glamorous. Or high paying. The truth is the best reporters would do what they do for nothing. (though obviously it’s nice to eat and pay the rent.) They are curious, skeptical of authority and willing to dig. And most of the good ones care deeply about making a difference. They believe that when people have good, accurate information they will usually make good decisions about public issues. We try to give students a sense of the First Amendment mission and hope they will be good citizens.

TDD: What's right about the media today? (We know what's wrong about it)....
Dunklee: With all of the warts...economic and otherwise...there is very good journalism being committed every day in this country. We are going through a very difficult time. I hope we will come out on the other side with broader ways to communicate news to the public and figured out an economic model that will pay for it. And I hope the public will understand that without an independent and strong news media a quality democracy becomes almost impossible.

1869 Baseball card found

2009-01-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

An antique collector found a baseball card from 1869 while rummaging through a box of antiques. The 70-year-old woman wanted to sell it on Ebay for $10--the card is going to go for six figures easy. Can you imagine hitting that kind of jackpot? (Oh she did that too! Read on.)

With my luck, I'd come across a 1979 Topps Cliff Johnson. Here's the story. Thanks Fresno Bee.

By Mike Osegueda

Bernice Gallego sat down one day this summer, as she does pretty much every day, and began listing items on eBay.

She dug into a box and pulled out a baseball card. She stopped for a moment and admired the picture. "Red Stocking B.B. Club of Cincinnati," the card read, under a sepia tone photo of 10 men with their socks pulled up to their knees. The card itself was dirty and wrinkled in a few places.

It was definitely old, Gallego thought. As a collector and seller, it's her job to spot old items that might have value today, to find the gems among the junk.

It's what Bernice, 72, and her husband, Al Gallego, 80, have been doing since 1974 at Collectique, their Tower District antique store full of old jukeboxes, slot machines and records.

This card, she figured, was worth selling on eBay.

She did what she does with most items: Took a picture, wrote a description and put it up for auction. She put a $10 price tag on it, deciding against $15 because it would have cost her an extra 20 cents.

Later that night she got a few odd inquiries -- someone wanting to know whether the card was authentic, someone wanting her to end the auction and sell him the card immediately.

Hmm, she thought, this could be something special. It could be worth $50, or even $100.

Or, as Bernice Gallego came to find out in the following weeks, it could be worth a lot more.

The card is actually 139 years old. It, and a handful of others like it, are considered the first baseball cards.

Sports card collectors call the find "extremely rare" and estimate the card could fetch five, or perhaps, six figures at auction.

And Bernice was worried about 20 cents.

Instead, just like that, she is the least likely protagonist ever for a rare-baseball card story.

"I didn't even know baseball existed that far back," Gallego says, between puffs on her cigarette. "I don't think that I've ever been to a baseball game."

Spooked with all the questions she was getting on eBay, she picked up the phone at 9:30 that night and called her good friend George Huddleston and asked his opinion.

"I never make phone calls after 8 o'clock at night," Gallego says. "My mother taught me never to do things like that."

Huddleston's answer was simple: End the auction now. Figure out what you have and what it's worth before selling it. Her husband, Al, agreed: "Get this thing off the Internet."

So the next morning -- with no bids yet on the card -- she canceled the auction. She wanted to find out more about the card.

Huddleston directed Gallego to a friend who would know what to do: Rick Mirigian, a local concert promoter and card trader who sold a rare basketball card in 2004 for $62,100.

In the meantime, Gallego didn't want the card to get lost, so she put it in a sandwich bag and push-pinned it to her laundry room wall.

"If it fell off the wall, the cat would have ate it," Gallego says. "Well, or the dog."

When she met with Mirigian, she found out what the card was -- an 1869 advertisement with a picture of the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings.

"When I came to meet her and she took it out of a sandwich Baggie and she was smoking a cigarette, I almost fainted," Mirigian says.

"They've uncovered a piece of history that few people will ever be able to imagine or comprehend. And it comes out of Fresno," he says. "That card is history. It's like unearthing a Mona Lisa or a Picasso."

The adventure begins

Mirigian's first question to Bernice was what you might expect: Where did you get this?

To this day, the details are sketchy.

"We really don't know where we got it," Gallego says. "We don't even know how long we owned this thing."

Makes sense when you consider the Gallegos are a couple of pack-rats who have been married 45 years and whose antique store overflows into their house.

The theory is that the card came out of a storage space they bought a few years back. It's not uncommon in their line of work to buy the entire contents of storage units, usually from a relative of a recently deceased person, for about $200.

That's what the Gallegos think happened here.

Before this, the Gallegos' biggest eBay sale was a John F. Kennedy autograph from 1939 that brought in $1,000.

Since baseball cards were new to them, Mirigian laid out a plan for the Gallegos. They had to get the card authenticated, store it in something better than a plastic bag and put it in a safe place.

So the Gallegos headed south to Los Angeles, bound for the headquarters of PSA, the leading sports card grading and authenticating company, which has graded 12 million items since 1991.

Most people mail their cards off to PSA. The Gallegos decided that for their almost 140-year-old card, they'd rather drive it down. They picked the one day a month that PSA opens its doors to the public, dropped the card off at 9 a.m. and picked it up at 3 p.m., encapsulated and authenticated.

It was all a little much for a dumbstruck Bernice who still says, "It's a little card I found in a bunch of stuff."

They chose not to have the card graded, the process of judging the mintness on a 1-10 scale. It's PSA's most popular service, but in the case of this card, being real and in one piece is the most important thing.

"It does have some pretty significant discoloration and creasing," says Joe Orlando, the president of PSA. "The good news is that the sepia tone photo that is mounted on the front is, relatively speaking, unscathed. The clarity of the photo is still there. If this were graded, it would be near the bottom. But even for a card that low on the grading scale, it does have some eye appeal to it. It still presents fairly well, and that's the more important thing."

And perhaps even more important is the story it tells.

'A Time Capsule'

Before the Cincinnati Red Stockings, there were no professional baseball teams.

Formed in 1868, the team set the foundation for what we know today as Major League Baseball.

"To borrow a term from rock 'n' roll, they were a kind of supergroup," says Tim Wiles, the director of research at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

"They brought in some of the best baseball players from around the country. They went around and challenged all comers. They barnstormed around the country and were undefeated."

The Red Stockings won games by as many as 30, 40 and 50 runs, Wiles says.

"They were kind of an all-star team before that concept really existed," he says. "In 1871, what the Red Stockings started would evolve into the first baseball league and the first sports league."

In 1869, the team's picture ended up on the front of a card advertising Peck & Snyder, a company that sold baseball equipment. Unlike modern baseball cards, the Peck & Snyder card was larger and focused on the whole team, not individual players.

"It really provides a time capsule for the game," says Orlando of PSA. "You look at the picture and the guys are wearing boots. They don't use gloves at that point. The classic uniforms. It was a completely different game at that time."

To Bernice -- who, let's remember, has never been to a baseball game -- it was the history, not the sport that meant something.

"Because I love history, the thing that really got to me was that it's a photo, a real photo of real people, basically taken right after the Civil War," Gallego says. "That's what got to me. I don't know much about them. Who are they? What are they thinking? Those kind of questions go through my mind."

Next is the big question: How much is this card worth?

Mirigian says he expects six figures.

The Gallegos are content to put it on eBay and "let it fly."

Orlando offers: "The last one that I'm aware, it sold about a year to a year and a half ago, and it sold for well into five figures. You have to let the market decide what it's worth when you're dealing with something this scarce, because there's just not the market history to determine it."

But who would pay that kind of money for a baseball card?

"A lot of people use sports memorabilia and sports cards as conversation pieces," Orlando says. "And what a conversation piece this is."

That could mean anybody from a businessman who is a baseball fan to a baseball executive. That's the kind of stuff that Mirigian and Gallego sit around talking about.

"You might have George Steinbrenner wanting to buy this," Mirigian told her one day, referring to the longtime New York Yankees owner.

"Who's George Steinberg?" she asked.

Plans are to put the card back on eBay, though the auction is expected to draw a little more attention this time, thanks to Mirigian, who is already plotting marketing schemes and sales tactics. He'll get a percentage of the sale for his part.

"I find it so hard to believe that this little card is worth so much," Bernice says. "Neither one of us count chickens before they hatch. We don't want to expect the world out of this find. It's good enough that we've found it, and have been able to enjoy it and share it with a few of our friends. That for us is more of where it's at."

It's not the first time Bernice has unexpectedly walked into a windfall. She hit a $250,000 jackpot playing quarter slots at Harrah's in Lake Tahoe.

"She's a very lucky lady," Al Gallego says.

That was 10 years ago. Now this. Next? Who knows.

"We gotta live at least another 10 years for the next one," Bernice says.

Sarah Palin redux???

2009-01-06T19:28:00.001-08:00

I'm not saying there's a double standard here (or maybe I am) but where's the outrage over Caroline Kennedy's "youknow" fest with the editorial board of the New York Times? And where's good 'ol Katie Couric now?

Sarah Palin, like her or hate her, was destroyed by the mainstream media. Where's the Charlie Gibson sitdown with ol' Caroline? Is it because Caroline has the deep political bloodlines?

Upon McCain's announcement picking Palin Obama's people quipped that Palin, a former mayor of Wasilla (pop. 8,000) was a heartbeat away from the presidency. What did Caroline Kennedy ever do?

We'll see how Caroline holds up under the white hot spotlight and media frenzy---and it will be.

What I Learned in 2008....

2009-01-01T17:34:00.000-08:00

I can go another twenty years without equating "Wall Street" to "Main Street." Ditto for bailout, and Joe the Plumber and Change. Yes we can? Now go do so. There's a lot of pressure for BHO to lead us. There's bound to be backlash. But call me Ned Negative.

When you accidentally lock both of your children in the car--with the engine running--as I did on Christmas Eve...remain calm.

I'm fired up for Eastwood's "Gran Torino" and "Frost vs. Nixon." Lots of Oscar talk surrounding these movies.

I'm rooting for Caroline Kennedy in her Senate quest. Yup. Ums and all. If she wins, she'll eventually have to run again in two years. And that means opening the Kennedy
financial records. Let's see where all that money comes from. Kennedy money trumps all...including Trump.

The people who thought Bernie Madoff could deliver 8% - 12% annual gains,regardless of the market, were as delusional as ol' Bernie. Call it the chickens coming home to roost

Memo to Dick Clark....Please. Please. Please. Stop appearing on camera on New Year's Eve. Dude, it's over. I understand you own the show and you are the executive producer, so you're the boss. I get it. But you have to stop.

Yout think the NHL would have at least ordered some snow for its Winter Classic. It just wasn't the same this year without the near blizzard as was the case last year in Buffalo. Commissioner Gary Bettman continues to do the wrong thing. Islanders/Rangers at Yankee Stadium would have been my choice.

The Dallas Cowboys went from America's Most Wanted Badasses at the beginning of the season to the team that couldn't take a punch. Glass-jawed fools. The 2008 finale at Philadelphia was reminsicent of Mike Tyson at the end of his career. Sad.

Same old Jets. Wildly entertaining. Only a gift touvhdown by the Buffalo Bills prevented the Jets fom losing the last five games of the season.

Jay Leno on at 10:00 every night? Great financial move by NBC. But don't you think this hurts Conan taking over the Tonight Show. It's like dating a chick after her ex moved out...across the hall.

Yanks Get Big Tex

2008-12-24T06:00:00.001-08:00

Only in Yankeeland is there no recession. Don’t get me wrong I’m fired up for baseball season now that the Yankees picked up Mark Teixiera yesterday. Great player. Switch-hitter, young, good defense. 8 years at $180 million---that’s after spending $243 million on CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett. I’m a little embarrassed by how they thrown their money around like Teddy KGB in Rounders. It’s one thing to get a single big free agent in the offseason…but to get 3? The Yankee lineup now includes the four highest paid players in the sport.

This team still has a few holes with which to address. That’s hard to believe after spending a King’s Ransom on players. For example, who’s the left fielder? Damon? My grandmother has a better throwing arm. The center fielder? Is it Melky Cabrera..who ended the season in the minors? The fifth starter? Phil Hughes? Howard Hughes pitched better last year.

Don’t get me wrong. The Yankees pay to play. The luxury tax, which should be named the Yankee tax, just grew way north of $26 million. That money gets doled out to other baseball teams to do with it as they wish. So in a weird way, the Yankee subsidize the Royals for the right to go pound them in July. I look it at like this: when your starting third baseman (Aaron Boone) breaks his ankle playing a pick-up basketball game during the off-season, you shouldn’t be allowed to go get the best player in the sport (Alex Rodriguez). It’s in the rules but not really in the best interest of the game.

Oh well. Let’s play ball. The pressure’s on …..manager Joe Girardi.

I'm back.....

2008-12-22T16:28:00.000-08:00

A lot has happened while I was away. And believe me, there are many people worthy of a shoe-throw: (Thank you, Iraqi journalist)

They are:

Anyone sending out a letter detailing that year's highlights: I have two thoughts on this: A.) Nobody gives a shit what you did or saw and B.) nobody can believe that you're arrogant enough to put it on paper and pay for postage.

The Dallas Cowboys--From Tony Romo to the defensive line, let's begin playing like it counts..because it does.

WFAN's Mike Francesa--It's not because he's an arrogant know-it-all, it's his picks. For instance, take his expert "analysis" of this weekend's games. First, there's "no way" that San Diego beats Tampa Bay. They did. Then looking like "they're done," Washington jumps up and nicks Philadelphia. Again, it's not like he's allowed to be incorrect but the near certainty in which he says it.

Bernie Madoff--This bastard deserves a big pair of size 14s upside the head. The NY swindler who put Cbrales Ponzi in the news again was clearly wrong in bilking $50 billion from wealthy clients and foundations. However, call me a prick but weren't some of these well-heeled clients guilty too...of greed? Story after story detailed clients who wanted to believe's Madoff's steady gains of 8%-12% regardless of market performance? I'm no Gordon Gekko, but doesn't that fly in the face of the stock market? The fact that joining Madoff's exclusive club had an air of exclusivity to it for the privilidged is what got me. Granted I never had a fortune to lose but some of these people will have to learn the wonder that is shopping at Costco...

Lastly, the other day I went to CVS to pick up Sudafed. Long story short: the girl behind the counter demands identification because some ahole druggies out there use the ingredients in Sudafed to make homemade Meth. And, that "the government monitors how much you buy in week or month." Reluctantly, I hand over my ID but not before I make a big scene. To quote Bob Grant..."It's sick outn there and getting sicker."

Get Your Free Dr. Pepper

2008-11-24T16:43:00.000-08:00

Did you guys see this?

LOS ANGELES – Dr Pepper is making good on its promise of free soda now that the release of Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" is a reality.

The soft-drink maker said in March that it would give a free soda to everyone in America if the album dropped in 2008. "Chinese Democracy," infamously delayed since recording began in 1994, goes on sale Sunday.

"We never thought this day would come," Tony Jacobs, Dr Pepper's vice president of marketing, said in a statement. "But now that it's here, all we can say is: The Dr Pepper's on us."

Beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m., coupons for a free 20-ounce soda will be available for 24 hours on Dr Pepper's Web site. They'll be honored until Feb. 28.

What I Learned Friday

2008-11-21T09:45:00.000-08:00

A summary of the week that was.....

Mike Mussina retired this week. He can go into my Hall of Fame anytime. Two things about Mussina: Moose relieved in Game 7 2003 and held the Red Sox at bay in the middle innings and made the Yankee comeback possible. He was also the starter and winner in the Jeter “flip” game in 2001 where the Yankees, down 0-2, came back and beat Oakland three straight in the ALDS.

Speaking of Mussina, WFAN’s Mike Francesa said that “nobody” retires off of a 20-win season. It’s not that Francesa isn’t allowed to be wrong, that can happen to anyone. It’s the ironclad, written-in-stone, can’t happen, won’t happen way in which he says it.

Gas is down below $2 at my Costco. So why was it costing me twice that this summer? Was it a supply and demand issue? Did people stop driving and I missed it? Greedy bastards.

I have a lot for which to be thankful. Trading Marion Barber for oft-injured Willie Parker in my fantasy football league does not qualify as one of them. As a fantasy owner, I’m as imperious as Steinbrenner.

So my 401k is down 40%. Why do I care? It’s not like I need the money tomorrow. But if you’re within five years of retirement, I feel for you.

I used to cover the marketing space as a reporter when Robert Nardelli ran Home Depot before he was thrown out. Now Nardelli’s in the big boy seat at Chrysler. Don’t stand next to him in a rainstorm.

Speaking of Ford….Michigan representative John Dingell (D) before losing the House Energy and Commerce chair this week, was a big proponent of bailing out the auto industry. Wel-intentioned, right? How many of you know that Dingell’s wife is a Ford exec? Memo to Dingell: Leave your ID badge with the security guard.

1960 Series Loss Revisited…..48 years later

2008-11-20T09:48:00.000-08:00

By Tom Gucciardo

Editor’s note: Yankee fans of a more recent age recall the stunning 2001 World Series loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 7. With Mariano Rivera on the mound, Yankee fans were stunned to lose. But before 2001, there was 1960. That was when another small-market team miraculously beat the big bad New York Yankees in 7 games.

Before the Internet, talk-radio, and World Series night games, Tom Gucciardo looks back at history and gives us his unvarnished view of what really happened. You’ll note how much has changed but also how little has changed. Enjoy.

History reflects on Casey Stengal as a great manager. He was a schmuck. And I’ll tell you why:

Whitey (Ford) was hurt that year. Instead of his usual 16-17 wins, he had maybe 11 or 12. His ERA was around 3.33. Another Yankee pitcher, Art Ditmar, stepped in and did well. He won more games than Whitey and pitched to a better ERA in the regular season.

But now it’s the World Series. Remember this is time before the multiple playoffs rounds you have now.

Anyone with any common sense regarding World Series play will tell you that starter of Game 1 would pitch Game 4 and Game 7 if necessary. Who better than Whitey?

Unbelievably, Casey gives the ball to Ditmar believing he was better suited to start Game 1 and Game 5.
What happened? Ditmar, in his two recorded starts got a total of 5 outs, and was charged with both losses. And how did Whitey do? Pitched two shutouts in Game 2 and Game 6.

The see-saw Series came down to a Game 7 in Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field. The Pirates jumped to an early 4–1 lead in Game 7, only to give up four runs in the sixth inning. The Yankees then added two more, making the score 7–4 by the eighth.

Destiny interfered when Yankee shortstop Tony Kubek was going to turn a double play when bobby schantz threw a ground ball pitch to hal smith. The ball hits Kubek in the throat erasing the double play. The Pirates go on to tie the score in the eighth and then go ahead 9-8. (Good trivia question....who replaced Kubek at short?)

The ninth inning was a classic. I'm sitting in my tenth period English class painfully trying not to expose my transistor radio.

One out, Mickey Mantle gets on. Roger Maris hits a Line-drive laser that Pirates infielder Rocky Bridges snares. Double play! World series over......wrong! Some how, Mantle dives back into first safely ahead of the throw. The most heads up play I've ever listened to. This is where it gets blurry? Somehow the Yanks tie it at 9. Who drove in Mantle?

The next thing I know is that Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski hits a home run off of Ralph Terry's hanging curve ball (which he was in love with all season by the way).

“OH SHIT!”

I had trouble explaining to my English teacher, Jack Munna, why I blurted it out.

Game over. World Series over. I couldn’t believe it. Did that just happen?

The Pirates were grossly outmatched against the Yankees, who had won their tenth pennant in twelve years. The Bronx Bombers outscored the Pirates 55–27 in this Series, outhit them 91–60, outbatted them .338 to .256, hit 10 home runs to Pittsburgh's four, three of which came as I was sitting in school that day.

My brother always told me that my mind was a repository of useless bullshit.

Stengel was summarily fired at the Series.

Tom Gucciardo, a lifelong Yankee and football Giants fan, lives in Staten Island, NY. This is his first piece for TDD.

Memo to Brian Cashman...

2008-11-19T16:44:00.000-08:00

AJ Burnett? Have we not learned our lesson from Pavano, Carl?

Maybe it's New York media hype or maybe its window dressing, but the offer to AJ Burnett better be fictitious. The idea is to get better starting pitching, correct? It won't happen with AJ, who's missed significant time with arm troubles in two of the previous three seasons. Don't be fooled by the amount of innings logged (221)last year or the strikeouts (231).

Burnett can't trusted. Besides, Brian, you should have learned your lesson signing pitchers to big money after their career year. See Wright, Jared and Pavano, Carl.

Besides isn't it suspicious that the Big 3 (Burnett, Pavano, Beckett) Florida Marlin pitchers spent siginificant amount of time of the DL during their careers? I'm sure it's just a coincidence however.

Better throw the checkbook at CC because if you comeback in Spring Training with only Burnett and Derek Lowe to show for it, I think it might be time for Stick to drive the big boy bus.

But what do I know...I'm just a blogger/
7:55 pm --The NY Rangers have just given up another shorthanded goal, their league leading 7th...WTF?

King Henrik Masks Ranger ills

2008-11-18T12:27:00.000-08:00

The Rangers are rolling. With last night’s 2-1 shootout victory, the Rangers improved to 14-5-2. Only the most jaded and cynical could find fault about their start. But we Ranger fans, like fans of the Jets and Red Sox, constantly fret about it all coming apart in an instant. It’s in our DNA.

Truth is despite the gaudy record, many of the nightly frustrations and gaffes committed on 33rd and 7th are masked by Henrik Lundqvist’s brilliant goaltending. The King is the front-runner for the Vezina, at least in the early season.

The season’s still young. So there’s plenty of time to fix these problems:

Specialty Teams:
At 15.4 %, can the Rangers decline the next power play? It’s been awful. In fact, not since Sergei Zubov, have the Rangers had a good guy at the point. Michael Roscival has been bad. Despite having a cannon of a shot, the guy won’t shoot. Can you imagine? That’s like saying…the guy’s got billions but he won’t spend. Rosi’s blunders have gotten so bad that the Garden faithful has embraced his as this year’s Marek Malik or Tom Poti. Not good.

And the team also leads the league in shorthanded goals, the last two gift-wrapped by you-know-who. To be fair, the Rangers kill off 91% of power plays against, good enough for second in the league. It didn’t cost them against the Bruins last Saturday but it will later on. Count on it. This is the Rangers we’re talking.

Lack of Scoring
To date, the Rangers are scoring less than your average college freshman. And they better start because you can’t win every game 2-1 or 3-2. The record also masks missing Jaromir Jagr or Brendan Shanahan as but Dawes, Callahan, and Dubinsky have not consistently produced.

60 Minutes of Hockey
This is the coach Renney’s mantra: “Play 60 minutes of hockey” They don’t wake up until the third period. They scored 13 goals in the first, 17 in the second and 23 in the third. (Thank you Larry Brooks of the New York Post for the stat)

The Prucha Problem
Then there’s the mystery of Peter Prucha. What do you do with a guy two seasons removed from a 30-goal campaign? Surely you don’t want him. But you don’t want to send him packing somewhere else and have him be the latest version of Alexei Kovalev. Strangely, Prucha finds himself as hockey’s Stephon Marbury minus the attitude, hand-wringing and back pages. Rather, he finds himself a healthy scratch.

Otherwise, I'm fired up by what I see. Too early to begin printing Finals tickets?

An Update on Anne's Cad....

2008-11-14T13:40:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I'm fascinated with this con specifically--probably because it involves Anne Hathaway...Thanks AP

(AP)Italian con man Raffaello Follieri, who went from dating actress Anne Hathaway to serving a prison term for fraud, isn't enjoying the "unspeakably unsanitary" conditions at a federal jail in Brooklyn.

Follieri's lawyer sent a letter to a judge this week complaining about the facility.
"Mr. Follieri reports that he is in a windowless dormitory with approximately 120 other men," the letter said. "He says that he cannot eat because the food appears to be spoiled and that the toilet and shower facilities are unspeakably unsanitary. e.g., there is excrement in the shower and rats are roaming freely in the area. He says the stench is intolerable."

The lawyer, Flora Edwards, said things are so bad, it has made Follieri ill. So far he has had a fever, blood in his urine, intestinal problems and shortness of breath.
Edwards asked the judge to have the 30-year-old transferred back to the federal jail in Manhattan where he was previously held.

The judge asked the government to look into Follieri's complaints.

Follieri was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison in October. He pleaded guilty to cheating investors out of millions of dollars by falsely claiming he had Vatican connections that enabled him to buy church property at a discount.
The proceeds supported a playboy lifestyle that included a $37,000-a-month Manhattan apartment and lavish vacations with Hathaway. The couple dated for four years.

On Language or 5 Minutes You'll Never Get Back

2008-11-14T13:39:00.000-08:00

I am a New York Times Sunday subscriber. And as such, I look forward to reading the Times’ Sunday Magazine. However, reading William Safire’s column “On Language” is lost on me. Don’t get me wrong: I want to love it. As a writer, why wouldn’t I like taking a deeper dive into the wonderful word of words? I should like it.

A word or phrase is presented and Safire expounds on its origin, usage, and perhaps how it fits in today’s lexicon. Here’s how it opened last Sunday:

“Sometimes a phrase is around so much that it hardly gets noticed. Lexicographic research shrugs it off as either as “nonce term” –here today, gone tomorrow—or something that’s been around so long that it needs no explanation.”

So it is with let’s do this. You’ve heard it a thousand times when someone asks hopelessly, What should we do, your reply goes “let’s do this! And you show the way.

Ah, but what happens to the phrase’s meaning when the emphasis shifts to let’s do this?” The gentle instructive changes to the strong imperative; it is a whole new ballgame.”

See what I mean? We don’t go forward; instead we go backward into the phrase.

The truth of the matter is that I find it tedious, cold and distant. Ironically, those three words might also describe Safires’ former boss, Richard Nixon. Worst of all, you, nor I, will ever get this time back by doing this.

What I Learned Friday

2008-11-13T19:22:00.000-08:00

I get it about Barack. I do. But when I start seeing Clinton rejects such as Rahm Emanuel surface, I begin to get the feeling that my definition of change is vastly different from Messiah's. Some things are not his fault. Like the hayride the media went on with him throughout the election. And you had to figure that the comparisons with the 1960s Kennedys were inevitable. Comparisons of his two girls with John-John peeking through the desk. C'mon now. The family does not yet occupy 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and I'm already sick of them.

If there's a god in heaven, the Jets lose this lead in the fourth quarter. It's 24-21after having been 24-6. I like Bob Papa on the NFL Network--a huge upgrade over Bryant Gumbel.

Newsflash: Former Guns N Roses front man Axel Rose has finished "The Chinese Democracy." At $13 million, the New York Times once called it, "the most expensive recording never made." At any rate, the disc hits the store during the Thanksgiving week.

Not a day after the Matt Holliday trade, Brian Cashman redeems himself. Yankees get Nick Swisher from the White Sox for Wilson Betemit and a minor league pitcher. Good move. I like the versatile Swisher who can play outfield and first base.

Homework assignment: Go to Youtube And punch up the 2003 Smarty Jones/Birdstone duel in the Belmont Stakes. If Tom Durkin's call of Birdstone running down Smarty Jones in the home stretch doesn't grab you by the throat, you aren't living. "The whip is out on Smarty Jones!"

Take a listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4Z49x11smk

Monday Media Drive By On Francesa

2008-11-10T17:45:00.000-08:00

Once again, Raismann is all over it. Check out this item in the NY Daily News:
Sports Pope LOLOLOL.

We never asked CBS Radio suits to provide us with October Arbitron ratings for Mike (Sports Pope) Francesa's WFAN show, but for some reason they did.

It wouldn't be because the ratings (in the men 25-54 demographic) showed Francesa was second in the market (3 p.m. to 7 p.m.) compared to third in October 2007, and third in the market (1 p.m.-6:30 p.m.) compared to fifth in October '07, would it?

Of course it would. You think CBS Radio, FAN's parent company, would go out of its way to provide the numbers if Francesa's ratings tanked and he did not do better than he and Chris (Mad Dog) Russo did in October 2007? This is nothing more than a spin job attempting to show Francesa is doing better minus Russo.

Nice try, guys. Run this jive up someone else's flagpole.

It's Election Time...

2008-11-04T15:37:00.000-08:00

I'll be refreshing this all night....

Early on, it doesn't look good for ol' McCain. Barack's supporters are already lining up in Chicago's Grant Park...

7:01 Katie Couric's CBS in her voiceover "As America stands on a path with destiny" (At this moment I screamed, "Shut up, Katie")

7:02 Bob Schieffer. CBS, "President Bush did not campaign with a single Republican candidate. It's like he stayed inside."

7:03 Jeff Greenfield, CBS, "McCain isn't sailing into a wind tonight he's sailing into a gale."

7:12 Pat Buchanan, MSNBC, "This could be a transformational election like Reagan in 1980."

Early on the electoral chyron read McCain 13 Obama 3.

8:00 MSNBC just gave PA, NJ, MD, and MA to Obama

8:02 the electoral chyron now reads Obama 103 to McCain 34. The Super Bowl-like route is on.

8:03 Chris Mathews, MSNBC, "McCain's path has crashed. There is no scenario in which McCain can win without Pennsylvania....

8:31 MSNBC's Chris MAthews on Elizabeth Dole's senate loss "This might be the first politician to lose for not talking enough."

Musings:

How did Katie get that job, really. MSNBC Olbermann and that snarky-ass attitude HAS to go. Hey Brit Hume--better get another cup of coffee, you're going to be up a while longer. David Gregory is really bucking for Russert's seat with those bannker's stripes...On his afternoon show, WFAN's Mike Francesa, always a political junkie, praised Obama has running a brilliant campaign, maybe the best ever. Thanks for cutting through the clutter, Mike.

What I'll miss about the election...

2008-11-03T18:57:00.000-08:00

Normally I view politics much the way I view The Kentucky Derby or the Final Four. That is even when I barely know the names of those competing I always have a rooting interest--even though I pick it up in the days or hours before the event.

But this year's election (which actually began in Jan. 2007) was a spectator sport all of it's own. For one, you heard about something election nearly every night. I'll miss that. Here's what else I'll miss:

Obama's overly-pronouncing words such "Taliban" to come across as more erudite. Someone should tell him that it's not pronounced "Tolly-bon" and "Paki-ston"

Tom Brokaw, during the Presidential debate, scolding the candidates to stay on the clock.

The New York Times' sourcing of two stories which was surprisingly thin. Although the Times says otherwise....

I'll miss Fox News coverage if only for the thoughts of one Charles Krauthammer. Steady as a metronome, the guy is as entertaining as a real estate closing.

Coming up tomorrow...blogging election coverage...live.

What I Learned Friday on Saturday

2008-11-01T17:01:00.000-07:00

Some tunes hold up over time. Shotgun by Junior Walker and the All-Stars is but one.

I wouldn't want to be in the room with Hillary Clinton on Election night. Remember at the beginning of this election cycle? The nomination was Hillary's to lose. Few seem to remember that.

Sir Topham Hat was knighted. Who knew?

He may be the manager of the year but Rays manager Joe Maddon had an awful 2.5 innings in the Game 5 clincher

Brian Cashman's record on acquiring free agent pitchers is spottier than the leopards in the Bronx Zoo.

Everyone's predicting a Giant ass-whipping tomorrow. Watch the Cowboys.

The NY Rangers are off to their best 13-game start in their long history. Dare I say it? Start printing the Finals tickets

NBC News and Tim Russert's Kid

2008-10-30T16:24:00.001-07:00

I know people will disagree with me here: But what kind of journalistic credentials does Luke Russert have to be a correspondent? Don't get me wrong. I feel for the kid losing his father. Really. And if my dad, were say, Steve Kroft, I'd want to follow in his footsteps too. Absolutely. Can't fault young Russert there.

One, however, can fault NBC News. Would it kill them to send the kid for a year to the local NBC affiliate in Harftford? Go cover a car wreck at 2 am...see how he does. At least then he'll have some credibility other than being Tim Russert's kid.

Anyone else see through this obvious ratings ploy? Yes, it's been done 1,000 times in television and other walks of life. One's surname has a lot to do with one's lot in life. I just hope--like a promising rookie pitcher rushed up to the majors--they don't ruin the kid.

Luke..To whom much is given, much is expected. We'll be watching.

A Word From The Messiah...

2008-10-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

Anyone watch the Messiah, er, Barack Obama's infomercial last night? While it wasn't as tedious and tortured as Ross Perot's pie charts (Remember those back in 1992?), it was over-the-top and overly dramatic.

A few things struck me as odd right away. That office Obama was sitting in...with the wood paneling in front of the window..was this a makeshift Oval Office? And Obama was sporting a flag pin--something he was against. Is this what we can expect from our leader-to-be? I know. It's all an effort to make Obama appear Presidential. Silly. My question: who bought it last night?

Perhaps the best part about the informercial: He changed his stance on his tax mantra: Remember it was always "if you make less than $250,000 your taxes would not be raised one dime? --That's what we heard all through the campaign. Last night, however, he said those people making less than $200,000 would be taxed. Anyone catch that sleight of hand?

Personally I liked ABCs strategy: They didn't take his money and instead aired the forgettable Pushing Daisies--That'll make for an interesting trivia question as the years unfold. Which makes me wonder why FOX decided to air it? Aren't they for the conversatives or is that just FOX News?

For me, the one cool aspect of the infomercial involved came in the 27th minute...The infomerical was suddenly a live shot of the Messiah addressing the masses in Florida. Maybe that's what passes for genius these days. Sad really.

Tuesday Musings...

2008-10-28T17:25:00.000-07:00

A week left before the election and it feels like McCain's chances are slipping away. Perhaps the best thing to come out of the election is that people are on to Keith Olbermann and his biased brand of politics. I've said it before, McCain is reminding me a lot of Bob Dole these days. Both decent people. Sometimes though you don't get to play the big stage...that's life.

I've read in Bob Raissman's NY Daily News column that the ESPN main baseball team of John Miller and Joe Morgan are on the verge of splitting up. Show of hands? Who's going to shed a tear? Morgan is as unlikeable as he was a great ballplayer. Give some up-and-comer a chance, I say. But ESPN, being ESPN, will screw it up somehow. John Miller's as solid as they come but again, let's change it up. I'm sure there are many voices who've paid their dues toiling in the minors can use that chance.

And for those wisenheimers who will ask how Tuesday musing are different from What I Learned Friday. My repy? Don't worry about it.

World Series Monday Night

2008-10-27T18:04:00.000-07:00

Is there anything worse than watching another team clinch the World Series? Where is my Yankees? I'm a baseball fan at heart, yes. But this year's champs, the Phils, seem beatable to me. Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton are their number 3 and 4 starters! THIS is the best team? This is the best MLB has to offer?

It's already 2-0 in the second and Tampa Bay pitcher Scott Kazmir is not long for this game. I can't take this team seriiously. I have to watch because there's not going to be baseball until April. I can see why the Phillies would be popular--they've got some characters on this team.

Screw it. Islanders/Rangers are on. This game has produced more drama in two periods than the W.S. has in five games. God I love the NHL. I could watch Monday Night Football but I need a huge, almost ungodly output from TE Bo Scaife to win my fantasy matchup. Edge Rangers.

Amen!

2008-10-27T05:16:00.000-07:00

From the great Phil Mushnik's New York Post column

This happens all the time with ESPN. Go get 'em Phil!

Seen throughout ESPN's Saturday programming: "ESPN's Chris Mortensen confirms CBS Sports.com report that NFL voids Rams interim coach Jim Haslett's contract ... " and "ESPN's Mortensen confirms with NFL and union sources that the number of pending cases in violation of steroids policy is eight."

After years of such transparent chest-pounding, does ESPN still not realize that intelligent viewers - those who can read - find such forced and disingenuous self-promotion laughable?

"ESPN's Chris Mortensen confirms that no matter what the story, big or small, right or wrong, and no matter who breaks it, ESPN will give itself credit."

In December, ESPN credited itself for the scoop that LSU football coach Les Miles would bolt for Michigan, then credited itself for the scoop that Miles is staying put.

If ESPN's goal is to condition viewers to disbelieve any report in which ESPN gives itself credit - even scoops that are truly all its own work - mission long ago accomplished. Grow up, already.

What I learned Friday

2008-10-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

Pay the extra few bucks and get Triple-A plus, when it's 3:53 am and you're stuck on the Merrit with a flat tire, you'll be glad you did. Never, however, buy the goddamn insurance the tire place tries to sell you.

The Yankees are talking about getting Mike Cameron to play center field next season. Cameron, who struck out 140-plus times in 400 at bats, couldn't crack my fantasy team. Makes me yearn for one Bernie Williams.

JFK Airport has to be one of the most godforsaken places on the planet. The best thing about my trip to Vancouver? Getting customs (back in the U.S.) overwith in Vancouver. Not much of a traveler despite being married to a true globetrotter.

Call me crazy but the morning team of Boomer and Carton is the most entetaining listen these days at WFAN.

Mike Francesa begged Ron Darling to sit in with him at the Mohegan Sun remote this afternoon. Just by being in his proximity, Francesa could make Osama Bin Laden likeable by comparison.

A money manager friend of mine once tld me "the only time you want the stock market doing well is the day you take it out. Makes sense, especially these days.

The way I feel about John McCain these days is reminiscent of how I felt at the end of the baseball season when I knew the Yankees wouldn't be making the big boy playoffs.

Some Thoughts on the ALCS Broadcast

2008-10-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

Call me crazy but did anyone else have difficulty finding the ALCS on TBS? I couldn't easily find it on my cable system. And since I'm traveling finding the blasted TBS became more frustrating. Why does baseball do this? For a few extra bucks?

Which leads to me the broadcast team of Chip Carey, Ron Darling and Buck MArtinez....perhaps the oddest broadcast team in recent memory. Here's a question...if his last name is Del Franco and not Carey, does Chip work this series? He's a hard listen...like he's trying to force it. He overtalks like the broadcasting version of Jesse Jackson. Instead of saying "it's 10:00" Carey actually said "the hour has reached 10, tonight in St. Petersburg." Are we kidding?

Creating a storyline before onev occurs. Take for example, his questioning of whether Matt Garza was on a pitch count....Darling, thankfully, set Carey straight. "He's a got 150 days to rest." When Manager Joe MAddon took Garza out in the 7th, Carey, Darling and Martinez did not mention it. Which was strange.

What I Learned Friday

2008-10-17T13:15:00.000-07:00

The weeks are flying by. Here's a sampling of some of things that made me take pause...

The Red Sox are still alive this morning after last night's comeback win. Suddenly the Sox have life in the series. Reminds me of The Godfather's "Six shots and he's still alive." quote...

Can the Dallas Cowboys just go out and play football? You get the feeling that this year's team, which hasn't won anything, fancies itself like '93 Cowboys, the defending Super Bowl Champion. That team had epic wins and losses. In fact, remember the commercial wherein Cowboys players are pictured walking along a desert road. Suddenly along comes coach Jimmy Johnson crusing up in a convertible caddy and asks, "Where you going?" To which Emmit replies, "The Super Bowl." Good stuff...

SNL Thursdays seemed like a good idea on NBC. I mean, what else are they going to put on? I won't be able to get last night's episode off my mind or my shoe. Yes it was that bad.

Obama v. McCain seems over already no? Call me crazy but I see a lot of Bob Dole in John McCain...Both are/were aging Senators who had been war heroes with famously bad tempers. Alas, if McCain suffers Dole's fate, both will have gotten "stomped on like a naked fat kid at Altamonte." (Thanks to Dennis Miller for the line...It refers to the Rolling Stones concert at Altamonte wherein the Stones hired the Hell's Angels for security and all hell broke loose. Can anyone name for me the name of the kid who died?)

Gasoline fell below $3.00 in CT and I was grateful to be paying $2.99 a gallon. In fact, I happily stood in line at Costco to give them my money. How effed up is that? That's where we've gotten too.

Did I miss something? Is WFAN's Mike Francesa trying out Benigno and Roberts to be his sit-in partner? Awful. This week, made for some uncomfortable stretches. The fact that Evan Roberts went for long stretches witout saying a word was eery. It was like in grade school where you'd call up your buddy's girlfriend and make her talk about your friend--with him listening silently. Too much of a tangent?

I take full responsibility for the Rangers losing to Buffalo the other night. I had written a glowing post off of their 5-0 start--the team's best since the mid eighties. I didn't publish the post because I thought I might tempt the hockey gods. And I was right. The result? The first Rangers loss. Blame me. I suck.

Some thoughts on SNL Thursdays...

2008-10-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure I caught a representative sampling of the SNL Thursday edition, perhaps Tina Fey's Sarah Palin was not on it. Whatever the case, last night's episode sucked. Don't get me wrong: I wanted to love it. It airs right after The Office so I'm already pre-programmed to laugh. Last night, the jokes were plentiful as reliable Tampa Rays relievers.

The opening skit revolved around the previous night's Obama McCain debate from Hofstra. SNL's McCain was passable getting off a few "Joe the Plumber" lines (BTW, I'm already sick of Joe from Ohio) but that was about it. The skit went on twice as long as needed--often an SNL pitfall.

Weekend Update's Seth Myers has the Jimmy Fallon role. And Myers flubbed so many lines it was painful. Maybe it's live television. But he seemed a bit nervous if that's possible. Amy Poehler, on the other hand, was strong on her lines, particularly in the segment, "Stuff we liked."

She, however, was not enough to save this steaming pile of dung purporting itself to be political comedy.

Francesa Strikes Again....

2008-10-14T17:00:00.001-07:00

I wonder if Mike Francesa actually believes the stuff he says. On Monday afternoon's show, Francesa reported that NBC's John Madden will not be broadcasting the next week's Sunday Night NFL game--thus ending a streak of 450-plus consecutive broadcasts. The Almighty then launched into this self-serving plug by telling the audience of his own dopey 450-plus streak streak of doing the NFL Now. Funny thing though...John Madden travels to the game site each week while Francesa does the NFL Now in a studio...Idiot.

He really misses Russo. The more Mike shows his personality the more I loathe him. Although he'll never be in the same class as Olbermann, Keith.

What I learned Friday 10/10/08

2008-10-10T11:55:00.001-07:00

What I learned Friday....

(The weeks sure go by quick no?)

Let sleeping children sleep...always.

Sarah Palin equals comedy gold. Speaking of which, I keep on waiting for the Republicans to pull a rabbit out of their a--es no? It's getting late in the game, no? Perhaps next week?

Unless you need the money yesterday, don't touch your 401k money. In fact, some might argue it's a great buying opportunity.

You know you're in bad financial straits when your newborn son has more cash on hand than you do.

Be nice to the people on the way up because you're sure to need them on the way down.

Pitching, pitching, and more pitching. That's what the baseball teams still playing have. I'm a little worried because I keep seeing Cashman's mug all over the airwaves. Shouldn't he be in that office making something happen?

The NY Rangers begin their home opener tonight. There's nothing better than opening night at MSG. In fact, the TV side is not bad either. Joe Michelletti is growing on me.

Is it me or do the rest of you have a hard time judging NHL defensemen on TV?

Sports Illustrated's Hockey Preview

2008-10-08T16:32:00.000-07:00

Boy was I disappointed to see the NHL preview in the most recent issue of SI.
What the hell? Surely the NHL deserves more than a few spreads devoting a skinny column to each team. Why bother covering the sport if you're going to do the obligatory "Sidney Crosby Saves the NHL" but Detroit has the best team nonsense. it drives me crazy.

I love the National Hockey League. It's the coolest game going. Its players are world class athletes and among the toughest. Where else would you see a fourth-line center barely miss a shift after getting two teeth knocked out. Despite the hits, fights, and saves, hockey remains fourth among team sports and well behind that of NASCAR.

Sure the NHL has had its detractors. It's never been wildly popular. Don Imus used to say that there were only 17,000 hockey fans in the tri-state area and those fans went to every Devil, Islander and Ranger game. In fact, the I-Man forbade Mike Breen to even give the previous night's scores.

Who's to blame? Commissioner Gary Bettman. If only for the fact that I never forgot the way he mangled the Rangers Stanley Cup presentation in 1994. "Mark Messier, come get the Stanley Cup" ...and that goofy grin. Everytime I see the replay, I want to vomit. Sure Bettman gets a ton of credit for delivering "cost-certainty" to the game by strong-arming the players, but I'd sure risk a two-minute boarding penalty to get the dude in the corner. Perhaps Chris Chelios was right after all. The NHL needs a good PR team. Come to think of it...don't we all?

The Mystique of the Potvin Chant

2008-10-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

By Paul Miller

Like many Rangers fans, last March I was very relieved when I learned that a deal had fallen through to bull-doze Madison Square Garden and build a new cookie-cutter arena a block over to replace the enormous Farley Post Office on 8th Ave. Instead, MSG will soon be renovated for the first time since the early ’90s. That’s probably a good thing as long as Junior Dolan does a better job with his toy than a then-young George Steinbrenner did with his treasure, the soon-to-be Late Yankee Stadium, back in the early/mid-70s.

I doubt that the nearly 30-years-running “Potvin Sucks!” chant would have disappeared in a new MSG. But it’s sure to continue indefinitely inside the charming, hockey puck-shaped monstrosity of a structure between 7th and 8th avenues…ah, can’t beat it…that’ll remain intact — refreshed and rejuvenated, but intact.

It’s easy to take for granted how the “Potvin Sucks” chant started if you’ve been a fan as long as I have (40 years). But I’m guessing that a good many wonder just why and how a good 30%-50% of fans will seemingly out of nowhere scream it out in the middle of a game. In fact, when the Daily Del Franco asked me to write this little ode, I was like “whatever for?” He reminded me there’s really nothing like the “Potvin” chant in sports.

First, a little background on the vulgar chant for those of you unclear or too young. It began not long after Islanders defensive legend Denis Potvin checked Rangers' star center Ulf Nilsson on Feb. 25, 1979, and broke his ankle. Nilsson missed the remainder of that season and although he returned for the playoffs, he only got into two games from the four series the Rangers played that year.

The incident is a reminder of an ugly moment. Rangers fans and players who were there that night have always contended it was a dirty hit (though I believe it went unpenalized); Islanders faithful claimed Nilsson got his skate caught on a chip in the ice that led to his taking an awkward fall following what they contended was a clean hit. (And the ice at MSG has, historically, been pretty awful, what with all the events that take place on top of it.)

But at the same time, it reminds all Rangers faithful of one of the team’s greatest moments: Less than three months later, they knocked off the heavily favored Islanders in the semi-final playoff series 4 games to 2, before eventually falling to the Canadiens, 4-1 in the Stanley Cup finals.

As for the chant itself, it gets started (and the crowd gets its cue) this way: First, it comes during a period of time during games when the action has slowed. A goal hasn’t been scored in awhile; the two teams are more or less wallowing around between the blue lines. Some of the less interested head for the snack bars for over-priced hot dogs and $4 Cokes. Then some fan usually starts it by whistling a famous college fight song, of which the name escapes me. I don’t know how anyone’s able to whistle loud enough for 18,200 people to hear it, but somehow somebody does. Then after the last three notes are blown, everybody shouts “Potvin Sucks!” And with rare exception, it’s quite loud — especially if the Rangers are leading at the time.

This isn’t only a Where else, but New York? sort of thing. It’s a Who else, but Rangers fans? thing as well. And it underscores the unforgettable experience of watching a Rangers game at MSG. I can’t make the judgment that it’s louder than anywhere else, because I’ve only seen hockey in about a half-dozen other NHL arenas. But the thing you do hear many Ranger players talk about regarding a home game is the knowledgeable fans. There’s no doubt we do know our game, our team, our arena and so on better than just about any other team’s fans. The noises we fans shout out have greater meaning than those shouted by other fans in other arenas and stadiums. If we boo, it’s for good reason, and not just for the hell of it.

Sure, there are plenty of slimy, beer-guzzling assholes in attendance at most games. But they know what they’re talking about when it comes to Rangers hockey. And even if they spill beer on my head, that’s a special thing to be a part of.

Paul Miller has lived and died with the New York Rangers more times than he cares to remember. This is his first piece for TDD.

What I learned Friday...

2008-10-03T11:02:00.001-07:00

The Flubs, I mean Cubs, will drive you crazy. Incidentally the ball hit by Manny has yet to come down. Manny's the MVP. Period. Heard Dick Stockton call some of these games. Good to hear him again. Nuts and bolts broadcaster. Solid.

Of the Palin and Biden debate. "Can I call you Joe?" What the heck was that Sarah? (And thank god she wore something other than a red suit) Like her or hate her, the fact that Palin couldn't name one Supreme Court ruling in that Couric interview was embarrasing.

For my next Fantasy politcal moderator draft, I'm taking Jim Lehrer over Gwen Ifill with my top pick. I wonder..Is Charlie Gibson is a keeper?

Anyone see that Brian Cashman press conference this week? The dude seemed angry. Maybe the baby Steinys are putting the screws to him behind the scenes.

Watch Amy Reulbach sitting in this week on Today. That's it. Nothing else. Just watch.

In a puff piece profile regarding Anne Hathaway, one of the glamour rags hardly mentioned Anne's jailed boyfriend...that Follieri fellow. Bad job. Even for a slick celebrity rag? BTW, the fact that everyone is hyping Rachel Gets Married means it has to suck. Be nice to see Anne on Oscar night, however.

Saw Jonathan Coachman, formerly of the WWE, doing ESPN News this morning. He does highlights with the same flair that he did WWE. Do I like him? I dunno..I'm still wrestling with it.

(Get it? Wrestling? Nobody gets me)

Seacrest Out.

2008-09 NY Rangers Outlook

2008-10-01T11:14:00.000-07:00

2008-09 NY Rangers Outlook
By Joe DeAngelis

The New York Rangers have just concluded pre-season training camp at their state-of-the-art MSG Training Center facility in Tarrytown, NY preparing to embark on another grueling NHL campaign.

The Blueshirts will feature several prominent changes in personal, most notably in the leadership department. Gone are Jaromir Jagr, Sean Avery, Martin Straka and Fedor Tyutin, and enter Markus Naslund, Nikolai Zherdev, Patrick Rissmiller, and Wade Redden.

Wade Redden, if not the Rangers most attractive acquisition is clearly the front offices’ most responsible addition. Redden gives the team a much needed offensive presence on the blueline and veteran stability in the defensive zone, something the Rangers seriously lacked since the departure of Brain Leetch.

Team general manager Glen Sather apparently felt the time is right for the Rangers to part ways with their most expensive scoring talent in the aging Jaromir Jagr. Sather offset this significant loss with the signing of upbeat free agents LW Markus Naslund, from Vancouver and RW Nikolai Zherdev from Columbus, both been known to light the lamp regularly.

Perhaps the largest loss the Rangers suffered this off-season was losing LW Sean Avery to Dallas. His feistyness, and uncanny ability to take an opponent off his game, will surely be missed, just ask Martin Brodeur. Despite losing the antagonistic flair of Avery, the Rangers retain plenty of muscle that includes forwards Blair Betts, Coulton Orr and the newly acqured Aaron Voros.

The 2008-09 Rangers will only be as good as their goaltender Henrik Lunqvist. “Hank” is the backbone of his team, and although he is not the perfect goalie, he is more than capable of getting the job done. With apologies to Guy Hebert, it’s safe to say that Lundqvist is the Rangers finest goaltender since Mike Richter. The Swedish puck-stopper is close to becoming the standard of excellence at his position.

PRUCHA ? PRUCHA ? HAS ANYBODY SEEN PETR PRUCHA ? Will somebody please put in an order of one bounce-back year for Petr Prucha.

I anxiously await to see if the corps of youth the Rangers farmed will finally pay major dividends. Will sophomore Brandon Dubinsky continue to grow into the goal scorer the team believes he could become ? Can 6’ 05” Marc Staal make fans forget that the Rangers need a big defenseman ? Will Ryan Callahan find that fire that once propelled him in the 2006 playoffs ? I know I’m really reaching here but will 6’ 04” RW Huge Jessiman ever make varsity ?

In the years prior to the NHL salary cap era, the Rangers were heavily mocked by the hockey community for “buying” talent with their fat wallets hoping to forge success on the laurels of legendary players past. The names of Dionne, Lafleur, Gretzky and Lindros remind us all too well that buying one’s glorified history does not translate into immediate success, which brings us to Brendan Shanahan. Perhaps it’s best for Shanahan to say home this year.

I like the direction the current Rangers are going. Losing a primadonna like Jagr and an aging Brendan Shanahan along with their hefty salaries, will allow the team to acquire more gritty players who aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and go to work, for it’s this type of player (see Adam Graves) that champions are made of.

Today I launch my campaign to bring back Bobby Granger commercials, and can somebody properly explain icing to my wife , I just don’t have the words.

This is Joe DeAngelis' first piece for the TDD. An unabashed Ranger fan, Joe lives in New Jersey with his wife and two children.

What I've Learned....(Monday edition)

2008-09-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

Okay:

I took a break from diaper-duty to weigh in on some pressing news, breaking and otherwise:

I've yet to see any media outlet really explain the financial credit mess intelligently. For some unexplicable reason, the media outlets are focusing on how Obama/McCain will deal with it. Important yes, but let's see some expertise in explaining this mess to Ma and Pa on Main Street.

Memo to the New York Times: Before we run another anti McCain story on the front page can we get some sources or perhaps better not run the story?

Score one for Katie Couric. Took more than a year but she finally made news for more than perkiness with that Sarah Palin interview. (I notice how she stopped saying "Hi everybody" when opening the newscast)

Nobody gives a rat's behind about Daddy's-to-be in the Operating Room. Either you stay on that stool or you count the ring lights when you drop. It's your choice.

Does it make me a bad person to be thinking about a Marion Barber/Julius Jones/Felix Jones lineup combo during he operation?

When having a surgery it's crucial to stay ahead of the pain with medication.

It's no long Willie Randolph's fault. Say hello to Bobby Valentine..Your next NY Mets manager. What a joke to have the Shea celebration after the Mets collapse. Celebration? More like a funeral.

Any reason why the Yankees started winning when all the pressure was off?

More later. I hear the baby....

Me The Next Few Days....

2008-09-17T14:30:00.001-07:00

Editor's Note:

I will be off the next few days attending to all of the little Del Francos. I'll be back next week with full commentary. If my wife's C-section is anything like the first, tomorrow should be fraught with emotion, anxiety and all the rest. I hope I don't fall off the stool during the surgery because I'm told that's exactly where they'll leave me--on the floor counting the ring lights! I'm a stone-cold coward at the hospital.

Until next week.....

Mets Folding?

2008-09-17T07:34:00.000-07:00

If there's a god in heaven, the NY Mets mirror what they did last year and pull a collapse! I have to admit I'm a spoiled Yankee fan. Watching a second consecutive collapse would make me happy--if only to hear the callers on WFAN. As of this morning, they are .5 games back of the Phillies.

Willie Randolph can't be blamed now!

C'Mon now. Losing to the Nationals and Odalis Perez 1-0? --The noose is tightening.

My son, Benjamin, is on my lap. And now I've got to look after what's really important...

A Note to the Kids...

2008-09-16T07:13:00.000-07:00

It wasn't as bad as Leon Lett in the Super Bowl but Eagles rookie DeSean Jackson probably cemented himself in Monday Night Football history last night.

Here's what happened: Jackson, having in hauled a 64-yard bomb from Eagles QB Donovan McNabb, was so pleased with himself he couldn't wait to start celebrating in the end zone. Only before the ball broke the goal line, Jackson discarded the ball at the 1-yard line. No touchdown, ball dead at the 1. Because Jackson's bonehead move cost me six points in my Fantasy league, I let a yell surpassed only by Woltz after he discovered the horse's head in his bed. Good thing I didn't wake my son.

Gotta love the electronic age: ESPN went into the video vault and showed footage of a college game where Jackson dove into the endzone in celebration at the 5-yard line but again landed on the 1-yard line.

I guess it's too much to ask to score and hand the ball to the ref? Instead, we have to roll around in our individuality to mark the achievement. I will pass over in silence Jackson's celebratory dance. At this point it would just be piling on.

The Media Interview: Chris "Maddog" Russo

2008-09-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

Last week, I got a lucky break. I rode home on the Metro-North train with the Maddog. Yup, Chris Russo.

I say lucky because I happened to sit down on the only vacated seat on the crowded afternoon train car. I sensed it might be Russo. So I asked him, "Are you Chris?"
To which he responded: "How you doing, buddy?" It was him. Jackpot!

I then said, "You might want to get up and move your seat now because I have so many questions for you."

He smiled and put down his newspaper. For the next 45 minutes he could not have been more kind, thoughtful and giving of his responses. From the obscure bordering on the obsessed, Russo answered every question I threw at him. Russo had just finished putting the finishing touches on his new Sirius XM radio show which premieres today. What follows is some of the exchange on the train...

On that last WFAN appearance, what was it like calling in..."The station didn't want Mike to have me on. That was all Mike. When you leave, they want you gone. But I had a lot of emotion when I called in."

On that Newsday story which broke over the Summer..."Mike gave it them. He's a Long Island guy. Long Island newspaper. Makes sense."

Settle it for me...did you and Mike like the callers on WFAN? "Mike hated the callers but I like them," he says, "they add to the show."

On doing David Letterman..."Two spots, nine minutes. (Letterman) is a big sports fan."(Surprisingly, Russo's done more 30 Letterman appearances since 1990)Funny thing about Letterman, I feel like I barely know him despite the number of times I've been on."

I hear Letterman's an enigma. "That's a good word for him," Russo says.

On his Howard Stern appearance..."I did an hour with Howard. I can't tell you enough what a nice guy he was. You know, I get to curse on satellite...and Howard made me curse."

Following his departure from WFAN, Russo talked about how surprised he was by all of the media coverage and well-wishers. "(Giants coach Tom) Coughlin wrote me a nice letter. I heard from Brian Cashman...Bob Costas. "Funny thing about Costas," he says. "We all loved his Olympic coverage, his hosting...but one newspaper guy in Alaska, a mentally retarded guy, wrote something negative and Costas called him," Russo says. "That's Bob," Russo says gesturing as if making a point. "He's got his tentacles out all over."

On his boss Mel Karmazin..."I guess I'm one of his guys," he says. (Karmazin used to be Russo's boss over at then WFAN parent, Infinity) "I tell you what made me feel good. I took a call on my show from a guy in San Diego who's never heard of me and was just about to give up his satellite radio. He said 'Chris, I've never heard of you but I listened to your show and I liked what I heard. So I'm keeping my subscription.'" he says. "Hopefully Mel was listening to that call."

What I Learned Friday 9/12/08

2008-09-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

And this is the week that was....As a reminder, send me what you've learned at mark.delfranco@gmail.com

The details coming out of the Raffaelo Follieri (AKA Anne Hathaway's ex) case ) are mind-blowing. To give you an idea of the scope of the con the feds nabbed watches, jewelry gifts, and other items from his $37,000 a month Manhattan penthouse. There was no way this was going to last. It does prove one thing: If you act the part, dress nice, (It helps to be Italian and claimto have ties to the Vatican) you can get a movie star chick like Anne Hathaway. Man! What few account for? What happens when you get caught? That's what few con men consider. This case is going to make a great movie--too bad Hathaway will never take the role.

That Newsday story that broke over the Summer detailing the breakup of the Mike and the Maddog Show? It was given to columnist Neil Best by Mike Francesa...

Speaking of Mike, he'll move his simulcast radio show off of YES and onto the MSG network after YES contract expires....

There's worse ways to spend a Thursday morning than sipping coffee in Bryant Park watching the scenery during Fashion Week.

That politicians do not belong in the City during 9/11. It's tantamount to grandstanding and the traffic tie-ups are maddening! Stay the hell away!

Sometimes you have to lose the battle to win the war.

Just because it's your name doesn't mean you own the product (see Johnson, Chad or Cinco, Ocho)

Finally....The Truth About Oil Prices?

2008-09-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

Allow me to take a break from the important issues of our day, such as Tom Brady's ankle injury. Who saw this report from AP? Maybe once Obama and McCain finish calling each other names in November, perhaps somebody can put a junior staffer on this...These are issues that need "change"--not who called whom what. (if that makes sense)

(AP) Speculation by large investors — and not supply and demand for oil — were a primary reason for the surge in oil prices during the first half of the year and the more recent price declines, an independent study concluded Wednesday.

The report by Masters Capital Management said investors poured $60 billion into oil futures markets during the first five months of the year as oil prices soared from $95 a barrel in January to $145 a barrel by July.

Since then, these investors have withdrawn $39 billion from those markets as prices have retreated dramatically, the report said. Oil traded at about $102 a barrel Wednesday on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

"We have clear evidence the fund flow pushed prices up and the fund flow pushed prices down," said Michael Masters of Masters Capital Management, calling the amount of money moving into oil futures markets by large institutional investors in the early part of the year "way off the scale."

Masters said its analysis shows investors "began a massive stampede for the exits" on July 15 and that this caused the price decline.

"These large financial players have become the primary source of the dramatic and damaging volatility seen in oil prices," concluded the report.

The report was released Wednesday by House and Senate sponsors of bills to put additional curbs on oil market speculation and comes in advance of a report on oil market speculation expected possibly this week by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission. The commission regulates commodity markets--END Story.

Of course, there's two sides to the story. Officials are calling the report flawed. In other news, the sun came up today.

Did you guys catch this?

2008-09-09T08:58:00.000-07:00

Busy week, but did you guys catch this?

MSNBC has relieved Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews of election hosting duties. It seems the suits at NBC finally watched the circus going on at their cable outlet. How else could you explain why NBC allowed the bias to creep into both convention telecasts? Somehow, Keith got the news/commentary thing separated. During a brief moment on camera, Brokaw looked a tad embarassed.

Anybody catch the infomercial on the CBS Halftime show Sunday? OMG. I tuned in expecting to hear the latest on Tom Brady's injury...instead I got Randy Moss in a kitchen plugging something called CBS Scene--a new theme restaurant. Wow. How did we get here? I expected more from CBS--the network of Murrow. I expect this stuff from FOX.

Now that the Aaron Rodgers saga is over...Can we go back to our lives? My word. With ESPN leading the back, naturally. While we're on the topic..what have they done with MNF anyway? It's barely recognizable. Why do I get the suspicion that if they got a Porsche, the producers would trick it into a ride with "he got jacked up" emblazoned on each side?

Still having a hard time getting used to Mike without the Maddog. Here's a little nitpick: Is the name of the show "Miked Up?" Or is it "Francesa on the Fan?" Both are used interchangeably. And let me say this: That opening jingle will never be confused with radio gold. Can we get Chernoff to go back into the studio and rework? It's old Mike and the Maddog jingle with minor modifcations "He's going at it as hard as he can, it's Mike Francesa on the Fan" That's akin to showing up to a party with the new girlfriend; only she looks exactly like the old girlfriend. Creepy.

The Yankees now sit in fourth place in the division after a 12-1 pasting at the hands of the Angels. But yesterday, the baby boss said Girardi will return next year. Unreal.

How great would it be if Torre's Dodgers made the playoffs and the Yankees didn't? Could happen.

Having His Say: Mets Fans Rejoice at Yankee Ineptitude

2008-09-09T07:41:00.000-07:00

Why are Mets fans taking so much glee from the disappointing Yankees season? One Mets fan lists his reasons...

Yankee fans are so used to winning they become so cocky. It's the sense of entitlement that the post-season belongs to them. Ever go to a game at the Stadium and the Yanks are losing? The fans still cheer because they expect a comeback. Worse, every offseason, my Yankee fan friend tells me the latest free agent stud they are pursuing because, as we all know, money's no object: They were getting Beltran, Guererro, and how great it was going to be when Nomar comes to play second with Jeter and A-Rod. Last year they were getting Santana. This year my friend tells me, oh don’t worry about it the Yankees will be getting Sabathia next year. That’s what I mean about expectation. They just expect the Yankees to get these players and expect them to make and win the World Series every year.

So it’s a tremendous pleasure to see them sulking and now how they say “oh I’m so tired of them this year, they suck.” Yankee fans have no idea how to handle this type of situation, it’s foreign to them. Maybe it’s not the fans fault since their team has been so great for so long. They are so used to getting all the great players, and not really because of the money they spend but it was because the players always wanted to play for the Yankees and not the Mets. Thanks to Curt Schilling, not only has he just about single handedly removed the “Curse of the Bambino” but he made it chic to turn the Yankees down to play for them.

Now that the Yankees season is just about over, I haven’t watched a Mets game in a week and they played 3 major games against the Phillies this weekend. I can walk down the street and talk to any Yankee fan and know that as I am talking to them I am laughing inside because they are not making the playoffs for the first time since 1993. They are squirming. What’s even funnier is that it’s going to be so hard for the Yankees to get back to the playoffs next year and beyond now that Tampa is better and even the Blue Jays have so much better pitching. At this moment, the Yankees are maybe the 7th or 8th best team in the American League--not to mention fourth in their division.

Getting back to the Mets, I understand that they have not been in the World Series since 2000, but they have a great core of players. Wright and Reyes along with Santana will keep them on top or close to the top for a long time. It’s up to GM Omar Minaya to fill in the pieces correctly. As long as they are going in the right direction, I’m happy.

Let me just finish by saying what all Mets fans are thinking: Win or lose, the season has already been a success knowing that the Yankees will not make the playoffs.

This is the second piece from Wayne Davis, who's glad he didn't get stuck with Tom Brady in his fantasy draft