Saturday, July 31, 2010

Survey Results Part 2

In my blog titled “Survey Results Are In” I promised to reveal the answers that were submitted to survey question number 9. As I wrote on Thursday, the replies were so creative that I had to devote an entire blog to them. You people really outdid yourselves! To be honest, the question, “What subject would you like me to blog about next?” was somewhat self-serving. Not only were some answers amusing, but also several of them did indeed spark ideas for future blogs. Again I thank you all.

Here are the responses:

Gary – “Just why is it that you so dislike the Cubs?” A fair question Gary and it just might merit a future blog. I will give you a bit of a tease; it started on December 6, 1973 and went downhill from there.

Mary Beth – “Since I'm dieting and you're Italian and there was bound to be some amazing food around your house when you were growing up, how about blogging about the best thing you ever ate!” I don’t know about an entire blog but I would be willing to post some of the recipes from a little book that the Vagnoni family put together.


Mike – “The one and only Pro Speaking Inc on Busch Blvd.” Mike is referring to Professionally Speaking, a telemarketing company that I worked at briefly. Hmmm, that might just open a whole series of blogs.

Patty 4-Names – “Food” Please see my response to Mary Beth.

Bev – “Me” Maybe if you are a good girl, I just might do one for your Birthday in October. Maybe I can write about our adventures in the wonderful word of Pogo.

Greg – “Inception the movie” Unfortunately, I don't go to many movies these days. I guess I will have to leave that to Greg and his fine blog, Depth of Processing: Movies.

Jayne – “Creationism” Um, a bit too esoteric for this writer. Sorry Jayne.

Randy – “Arno” That is a definite possibility, Randy. As you read on you will see that Arno and the other characters from my days at Koos Inc. are quite popular.

Auntie Janet – “Something about the family.” perhaps I could kill two birds with one stone when I write about the Vagnoni family recipes for Mary Beth and Patty 4-Names.

Jamie – “The plight of the middle-aged female in a youth obsessed society.” Okay Jamie, I let you slide when you spewed your hatred for game shows and the Three Stooges, but now you are just being sardonic.

Sharon C. – “Anything But Survivor.” Sheesh, another hater. All I can say is that Sharon had better stay away from my blog Wednesday nights starting on September 15th.

Michael – “People that embarrass themselves on facebook.” Michael, I am talking about my blog, not a novel! Besides, I don’t think that I am ready to write my autobiography quite yet.


Judi – “Ha ha ha, you know the answer…Koos Inc.” Stay tuned Judi, you and Randy just might be getting your wish sooner than you think.

Pat – “Wisconsin Badger Football” Believe it or not, this one might be tough for me, but for that reason alone I might have to give it a shot this fall.

Sharon B. – “Frivolous Lawsuits” I don’t know Sharon, this might be a bit too controversial for me. Having seen way too many episodes of Judge Judy, The People’s Court and Judge Joe Brown, I know better than to get involved with any messy legal entanglements.

Both Mom and Debbie could not come up with anything in particular that they wanted me to write about. So I had better not hear any complaints from either of them…

Perhaps the most charming reply came from Julie when she said, “Whatever your heart tells you to blog about.” So that’s what I am going to do. But you will have to wait until Wednesday to see just what my heart told me to blog about. Something tells me that Randy and Judi will be pleased. Until then…from the booth.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Survey Results Are In

There has been quite an outpouring of replies to my Survey Says… blog that I posted on Monday. I received feedback in the comments section, via email, on facebook and even over the phone. While some answers were what I had expected, there were many that were rather surprising. Some of the respondents (Jamie and Michael immediately come to mind) were just too clever for their own good. Thanks to all of you that responded, it is appreciated.

Here are the answers:

1. What is your favorite topping on a pizza?

Sausage – 7
Extra Cheese – 3
Ham and Pineapple – 2
Mushrooms – 2
Pineapple and Sausage
Pepperoni
Anchovies
Onions
Canadian Bacon and Black Olives
BBQ Chicken

Sausage was the overwhelming choice. The pineapple on pizza thing has always made me cringe. But, to each their own.

2. If you could only listen to only one album the rest of your life, what would it be?

The White Album – The Beatles
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars – David Bowie
Lynyrd Skynyrd Greatest Hits
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles
Luther Vandross – All The Hits
Susan Boyle – I Dreamed A Dream
Take That – Greatest Hits
Purple Rain – Prince
Tom Waits – Orphans: Bawlers
Cat Stevens – Teaser And The Firecat
Any Old Beatles Album
Anything by Pavarotti
Supertramp – Even In The Quietest Moments
Call To Prayer
Help! – The Beatles
The End –Black Eyed Peas
Rush – 2112
Live at the Isle of Wight Festival – The Who
Big Chill Soundtrack

Quite an eclectic selection of music with the Beatles having a strong representation.

3. What is your favorite game show, past or present?

Match Game – 4
Family Feud – 2
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (Regis Version) – 2
Hollywood Squares (Old Version) – 2
Press Your Luck
Password
Deal Or No Deal
Wheel Of Fortune
The Price Is Right
What’s My Line?
Jeopardy

Match Game was a popular choice. What surprised me was Jamie’s reply stating “I hate game shows!” Jamie, Jamie, Jamie…

4. Which of the Three Stooges was your favorite?

Moe – 3
Larry – 3
Curly – 6
Shemp – 2
None! – 5

I figured that Curly would come out on top here. I also fully expected that there would be a strong outcry from some of the ladies who obviously didn’t understand the genius of the Stooges. What I didn’t expect was more venom from our friend Jamie! This time she responded with “I hate the Stooges more than game shows.”

5. What is your favorite food item cooked on the grill?

Brats – 3
Steak – 3
Hamburgers – 2
Sausage – 2
Chicken
Hot Italian Sausage
Hot Dogs
BBQ Ribs
Corn Dipped In Butter
Ribeye Steak
Steak Shish Kabob
95% Ground Sirloin Hamburgers
Chicken Wings

Quite a nice range of tasty delights, don’t you think. I would have no problem finding something I liked at this cookout!

6. If you could only watch one complete TV series the rest of your life, what would it be?

Twin Peaks – 2
Seinfeld – 2
The King of Queens
Good Eats
That 70’s Show
Gavin and Stacy (UK)
Maverick (James Garner)
Battlestar Galactica
The Bill (UK)
Keeping Up Appearances
All In The Family
Anything From The Agatha Christie
Northern Exposure
The Sopranos
Grey’s Anatomy
Sports Night
The Wire

Another interesting collection of responses. However I do have to come clean about something. Remember I told you in the original blog that there were no right or wrong answers? I lied. The only correct answer to this question is The Wire.

7. Pepsi or Coke?

Pepsi – 8
Coke – 10
Don’t Do Caffeine!

Pretty close voting with “the real thing” just edging out “the choice of a new generation”. Evidently not enough people said “Pepsi please.”

8. What is your favorite spectator sport?

Football - 6
Baseball – 4
Hockey – 2
None – 2
Rugby
Politics
Gymnastics
Basketball
Reading Paul’s Blogs

Julie’s “Politics” answer gets a gold star for creativity. Judi’s “Reading Paul’s Blogs” reply gets 2 gold stars for sucking up. Nice jobs ladies.

9. What subject would you like me to blog about next?

More creative answers here! So much so, I am going to devote an entire blog to them. You can look for that blog this weekend.

10. What was the first concert that you ever went to?

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Bay City Rollers
Monkees
Stevie Wonder
Music Man
Paul Young
Metallica
Johnny Cash
Monkees w' Mom (1967), Bread @ Carthage College w' friends in 1972
1977 Eagles Hotel California Tour
In Detroit, a Motown Jam to Benefit St. Jude Hospital (Temptations, etc.)
Dave Clark Five in December of 1965
The Beatles
Cheap Trick with Steve Dahl Opening
Freddie Fender and Dolly Parton
KISS
No frickin’ idea!!
Never been to a concert, I’m a play person.
Someone I've forgotten at Summerfest. I don't do concerts…

What a lineup of musical talent! Wow! Very impressive indeed. There were also a couple of rather impressive comments that went along with the answers. Mary Beth must have been a bit embarrassed to admitting that the Bay City Rollers were her first concert because here is how she submitted it: “Okay, don't laugh…but it was the Bay City Rollers. Seriously…stop laughing. I mean it…STOP LAUGHING!!”

Not to be outdone was Michael. His reply looked like this: “Dave Clark Five in December of 1965…I recall it was the same day that Gayle Sayers scored 6 TDs…I needed to be cheered up because even though I was a Chicago city kid I have always HATED the Chicago Bears…still do, by the way.”

Michael, you gain more respect from me every day! Seriously, thanks again to everyone for taking the time to answer these questions. I am truly grateful. Make sure you come back this weekend for part two when I reveal the witty answers to question number 9. Until then…from the booth.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Survey Says…

Back on July 1st I wrote a blog titled “Could Somebody Please Tell Me…” In that blog I asked 14 hard-hitting questions that needed answering. The response was tremendous. Okay, it wasn’t tremendous, but it was much more than I had expected. Based on the success of that blog, I have decided to do something similar this week. Don’t worry; there will be no hard-hitting questions this time.

Because of my love for the game show genre I have decided to do a survey much like the ones on Family Feud or Card Sharks. There are 10 questions that have no right or wrong answers, just your opinion. However, you will be graded on neatness…

1. What is your favorite topping on a pizza?

2. If you could only listen to only one album the rest of your life, what would it be?

3. What is your favorite game show, past or present?

4. Which of the Three Stooges was your favorite?

5. What is your favorite food item cooked on the grill?

6. If you could only watch one complete TV series the rest of your life, what would it be?

7. Pepsi or Coke?

8. What is your favorite spectator sport?

9. What subject would you like me to blog about next?

10. What was the first concert that you ever went to?

There you have it. Now whenever you have a spare moment, please do your best to answer all 10 questions. I promise you that it will be painless. Honest. Please send your responses to me via facebook, my email (vag57@wi.rr.com) or in the comment section of this blog.

That’s it until next time when I will hopefully have a slew of replies to write about. Until then…from the booth.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Is Black Really Slimming?

They say that black is a slimming color. Being a man of considerable girth, I certainly hope so. Because if current rumors about Prince Fielder being traded come to fruition I may be sporting a brand new black Chicago White Sox t-shirt.

Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel reported today that Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweeted today that the White Sox "are trying to accelerate" talks with the Brewers for Fielder.

On Tuesday, Haudricourt reported that he had been told by folks on the Chicago end that the Sox indeed have interest in Fielder. And that the Brewers had not one but two scouts watch young Chicago pitcher Daniel Hudson beat the Mariners on Monday night.

In the same article ESPN's Buster Olney says the Sox are reluctant to include former first-rounder Gordon Beckham, a second baseman/third baseman, in the deal. So it is obvious that there is discussion going on regarding trading my favorite Brewer.

Evidently all that is left is for the aggressive Chicago GM Kenny Williams to put together a package that is attractive enough to make the Brewers' Doug Melvin pull the trigger before the July 31 trading deadline.

That’s just wonderful. The last time I was this upset about a player being traded was in December 6, 1973 when Randy Hundley was traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Minnesota Twins for George Mitterwald. At that time Hundley was my favorite baseball player.

If Fielder is traded to the White Sox, I will become a fan of the Sox. I know, I know, I thought you were a Brewer fan. I am a Brewer fan, but I am also a Prince Fielder fan. Should this transaction take place I will now have an American League team to pull for while I root for Milwaukee in the National League.

I will miss the Prince playing for the Brewers, I really will. If they have to move him because they can’t afford him, I guess the Southside is the best possible place he could end up. I will still be able to follow him on both TV and the radio.


I wonder how Hawk Harrelson would have described this celebration?

It’s a dirty shame that it has to happen, however, the way baseball is currently set-up; no small market team will ever succeed. Not when Alex Rodriguez makes only $5 million less than the entire San Diego Padre team. It's just reality, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. Hopefully black really is a slimming color. Until next time…from the booth.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

All Star Feedback

Evidently the softball All Star teams that I came up with yesterday caught the eye of a few people. And, as I fully expected, there were some opposing points of views. It started out last night innocently enough with a comment from Gary “The Wizard” Peterson in facebook. If you recall, I named The Wizard to my Kenosha All Star team as its pitcher. Here’s what Wiz had to say:

“Danny Wade was the BEST hitter this town ever saw. He has to be the team somewhere. There were many others that people could argue about - Deloria, Keating, Lange, Mario, Van Tine, Cable, Zeith, etc. And sorry to the others that I didn’t mention!!! Kenosha was the hot spot of softball around the world. We were blessed to have so many good players!”

Pretty tame stuff, right? It was until Lance Hoff decided to put his two cents in this morning. Here’s what Lance thought about my choice of pitchers: “Come on the WIZ at pitcher??????? He was over the hill when he started playing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

I replied that all I know is that he could work the crowd. When he pitched for the Kenosha Kings at Simmons field he was worth the price of admission!

To which Lance commented: “No kidding, HE STILL CAN!!!!! He was like Billy Martin (a head case!!!!!!!!!!!!!)”

As could be expected, The Wizard did not take kindly to this and quickly responded with: “A LOT of talent in this body Crawler. I was one of two to play on two World Championship teams. Plus I was a pro drinker and girl chaser. SO BITE ME BABY!”

Before you could bat an eye, Lance had this retort: “Love it !!!!!!!!!!!! Too funny! You are the best, you still got it and you never lost a step, even at the age of 75!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The Wizard ended the verbal battle with this classic remark: "I'm only 74 BJ breath! I am the “BOSS of the TOSS” Like it or not, learn to like it! That's the bottom line, ‘cause the "WIZ" told you so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

After the battle of the exclamation marks had ceased, cooler heads prevailed. Ronnie Benhoff made this point: “The Wizard and Rocky T were two very tough pitchers to face. Of course, that is coming from the #1 RF in the land!”

A few moments later the mysterious Coach B offered his opinion on Kenosha pitchers by saying: “Like him or hate him, Rocky revolutionized the position...with all due respect to Mr. Wizard.”

Benhoff finished with: “Not sure about "revolutionized" Coach. I believe that Steve Nelson was actually just as good as Rocky but Rocky always had better D behind him.”

That was pretty much it for the facebook commentary but I did receive a very interesting email from my friend Pat Hegewald regarding the All Star blog. He was kind enough to come up with an All Star team of softball players that played in the county. I believe John “Cool Papa” Schwarz referred to them as “West Enders”. Anyways, here is Heg’s County All Stars:

The best pitcher in the county ever was Billy Hill, pitcher of the Monkees. Solid hitter but untouchable in balls and strikes and defense up the middle, 10-man of course. He was the total party leader of the bunch. Two other greats were Mitch Vahenik of Charlie Browns and Tommy DeBravender from Old Settlers Inn. Dan Steffens was probably the best hitter ever to play in Kenosha County and I really mean that.

P - Billy Hill, Monkees
1B - Dan Steffens, Hi-Liter
2B - Boney Elverman, B&D's
SS - One of the redheaded twins from The Worms (not sure of his name)
3B - Rick Kafer, Hi-Liter
LF - George Von Ogden, Palm Gardens
LC - Gene Heckel, B&D's
RC - Dan Ulenhanke, Charlie Browns
RF - Larry “Milkman” Lawler, Joe Black’s
C - Jim Steffens, Lazzaroni Builders
DH - Joe Krisic, Joe Black’s

Heg’s lineup ended with “and some dude named Tarzan.” Too good.

Man, I love softball! I could talk about this stuff all day. I want to thank The Wizard, Lance, Ronnie, Coach B and Hegs for their contributions. You guys made this a lot of fun.

From the rumor mill: Word on the street is that Madeline Llanas is upset that she was left off of the All Llanas team in my book, “Some Kenosha Softball”. I just hope she doesn’t show up at the book signing on Saturday sporting a 32” Easton bat to discuss it! Until next time…from the booth.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

My All Star Team

Tonight is All Star night for major league baseball and I have decided to name the teams for my All Star game. However they won’t be made up of baseball players. These teams will consist of the greatest softball players that I have ever seen play. This isn't scientific or anything, just my opinion. But please keep in mind that I saw approximately 32 games a week between managing the 400 Club and announcing at historic Finney’s West. I guess that gives me a little credibility.

Obviously there has to be two teams, so I have decided to name a Kenosha All Star team and an Out of Town All Star team. The game would be played at Finney’s West when it was in it’s infancy…a pristine ballpark, complete with phones to the booth in the dugouts.

First the Out of Towners. This team is made up of players from outside Kenosha – primarily Racine, Milwaukee and northern Illinois.

P – Ron Funderbird
C – Mike Much
1B – Ron Danoski
2B – John Foster
3B – Ira Williams
SS – Derek Gallagher
OF – Arlis Jones
OF – Phil Higgins
OF – Louis Armstrong
OF – Rocky Witzman
DH – Ken Parker
Manager – Bob “The Guru” Dahl

Now for their opposition, the Kenosha All Stars.

C – Bill Johnson
P – Gary “The Wizard” Peterson
1B – Gene Willems
2B – Dick Laba
3B – Jim “Downtown” Brown
SS – Bruce “Hollywood” Meyers
OF – Rich Baumgarten
OF – Gene Heckel
OF – Mark Hackbarth
OF – Jack Zimmerman
DH – Bill “Mountain” Griffiths
Manager – Paul “Puddles” Vagnoni

There you have it, my All Star teams. I know there will be many dissenting opinions, but hey, these are my selections. That’s why I get to manage the Kenosha Stars. If you feel so inclined, leave your picks in the comment section or on facebook. Until next time…from the booth.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Answers

Last week I put out a call for answers to fourteen hard-hitting questions. I was pleasantly surprised at the response that I received. I expected to get a few random answers to a couple of the questions. What I got was many answers! Some of you even answered all fourteen. I was overwhelmed by the response. So without further ado, here are the answers:


1. Could somebody please tell me why some people have a problem with athletes making millions of dollars and don’t seem to mind that entertainers earn similar amounts doing what they do?

• I don't mind the athletes earning high salaries…their shelf lives are much shorter than Hollywood types have…it's all supply and demand anyhow. – Michael

• . Actors and athletes both make too much money. But if I had to choose one of them I'd let the actors earn the money and give the athletes less. At least the actors can read when they get out of college. Well, most of them...maybe. – Mary

• Athletes AND actors make way too much money, but so do the franchises and movie studios. – Peter

• They both make way, way too more than me. That is the problem. – Greg

2. Could somebody please tell me why the Three Stooges were so misunderstood?

• My buddy and I once made a crank phone call (hell, we were adults with kids at the time so we had to be in our late 20s…so….circa 1978) to Larry Fine…anyhow, Larry was in some kind of Actor's Home for the disabled…long story…we told him he won "The Golden Age of Comedy Award" and we chatted a few minutes. He died waiting for the two first-class airlines tickets (he had to travel with a caretaker) and the $10,000 honorarium check we promised him. – Michael

• The Three Stooges. In my lifetime I've come to believe that you have to be male to get the Three Stooges. – Mary

• I think there are two schools of comedy: physical and conceptual, and they rarely meet ...although there are demented people who appreciate both (me). – Peter

• The Three Stooges are not about understanding. - Greg

3. Could somebody please tell me why the British don’t acknowledge the letter Z?

• I can tell you that Z is a bonafide letter in the Latin alphabet and it was known as zed first. We Americans actually changed it to "zee". Not sure why. Probably just doing our own thing. – Olive

• The English also eat Spotted Dick and Kidney Pie! Don’t try to understand it! – Mary

• I would say that some of the younger English people are starting to spell realisation with a 'z' or 'zee' as is said in some parts and Pizza is Pizza nothing else here in the UK! – Sue from the UK

• Pizza! – Bev, also from the UK

• As I recall (and you too) several characters evolved out of the original Roman-Anglo alphabet... I believe F/S was one of those as well. – Peter


4. Could somebody please tell me why baseball managers and coaches wear full uniforms?

• When I had season tickets to the BULLS back in 1970-71 one of the peripheral points of interest was seeing how stylish each head coach would be…it was right after the hippie movement and a lot of the coaches were trying to look "hip"…pretty funny to see. – Michael

• Because baseball is dignified. Especially those Cubbies! – Mary

• Soccer coaches are dressed to the nines-veritable fashionistas! I also never got the whole baseball coach/manager thing. Remember guys like Lombardi and Landry! – Peter

5. While we are on the subject of sports, could somebody please tell me why Robin Yount was named to only three All-Star games during his illustrious 20 year Hall of Fame career?

• YOUNT…strictly "class"…I loved it when the great players only wore one uniform throughout their entire career. – Michael

• Maybe if he had played for the Cubbies.... hee hee hee, ain't I a stinker? – Mary

• He was from a small-market team. – Peter

6. Could somebody please tell me if there were ever any TV shows better than The Wire, The Sopranos or Northern Exposure?

• SOPRANOS…so great that I watch the A & E reruns every Sunday morning…hearing "freaking" and "forget" substituted for the usual "F" word roots isn't as effective…I use my imagination a little. – Michael

• Twin Peaks...I was a TP geek!

• I like a bunch ...Six feet under, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Firefly, Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies, Freaks and Geeks, My Boys, Trust Me...but them's just opinions. – Peter

• Twin Peaks, I agree. Also, The Prisoner -- remember that? – Greg


7. Could somebody please tell me why I cry every time I watch the movie Bang The Drum Slowly?

• It's a damn sad movie, that's why! – Mary

• Because its sad dude. Brian's Song too. – Peter


8. Could somebody please tell me why some people insist on pronouncing Italian – “Eye-talian”? You certainly don’t hear them saying “Gee-erman” or “Pee-olish”.

• Just try calling me Pee-olish...go ahead and try! – Mary

• When it comes to the “EYE-talian” pronunciation, many Americans are just not hooked on phonics. – Olive (Frustrated English teacher??)

• I think it’s from the diphthong to be honest. Down in the lower Midwest/high south they love to long-pronounce an initial vowel…EYE-ran and EYE-raq. My personal hates: china man, "oriental" yikes! – Peter 



9. Could somebody please tell me why people talking about professional wrestling feel it necessary to make it clear that they now it’s fake?

• Professional wrestling is fake???? What the.... man, no one told me that!!! – Mary

• No one wants to be a chump...even when that's the point...so they don't get it that they aren't supposed to. Huh? – Peter 



10. Could somebody please tell me why the only good radio shows on WGN are on after 11:00 pm?

• WGN…a dinosaur…the days of air personalities like Wally, Roy, Bobbie being "family members" are over…too much media competition out there now…and. people know how to get directions on the internet instead of calling a WGN deejay for it…although those calls were often thinly disguised maneuvers to get on the air so maybe Wally would give them a free dinner or pantyhose. – Michael

• Hmmm, I don't listen to radio so I'll have to take your word on this one. – Mary

• Internet radio. Broadcast TV and radio needs to 'up its game.' I now listen to HD or Internet radio most of the radio day that I am not listening to NPR shows like "This American Life" or "The Story." – Peter

11. Could somebody please tell me why so many chefs on reality cooking shows smoke cigarettes? You would think that it would mess up their palette.

• It does. But it also relieves the stress. And being a Top Chef is stressful! - Mary

• They are caffeine and nicotine junkies. Those that aren't have builds like me and/or alcohol habits. My food addiction is probably not a lot better though. – Peter

• I agree it is weird to see this season's Top Chef candidates smoking. Yes, it should screw up their taste buds; let's see if they get kicked out early. - Greg


12. Could somebody please tell me why someone with purple hair, a plethora of piercings and tattoos covering every inch of their exposed flesh would ask, “What are you looking at?”

• Oh come now, I'm sure at one time there some "look" or outfit you came up with that you thought looked super cool and you had the same reaction when someone looked at you! We all did that. It's being a teen. – Mary

• That's why they do it. It's the love/hate of attention seeking behavior. – Peter



13. Could somebody please tell me why most people from Illinois have such a problem with ketchup being put on a hot dog?

• People from Illinois annoy me…which is why I moved to Wisconsin…my business is still in Chicago (I'll still accept their money)…if Chicagoans think that the rest of the country admires and/or envies them...well, they'd be incorrect. – Michael


• Yeah...that's just plain weird. What's up with that? Ketchup goes with hot dogs!! Sheesh!!! – Mary

• Because it just ain't right unless you’re under 12. I likes my Maxwell street sa'sage as intended--wit' sweet yellow mustard, peppers and dem grilled onions. – Peter

• Good question. - Greg



14. And finally, could somebody please tell me why I liked Drew Carey on The Drew Carey Show, didn’t care for him as host of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and now enjoy him again on The Price Is Right?

• Drew Carey…loved him on his show…I have every season on DVD…his self-deprecation was quite endearing and the writing was fabulous. - Michael


• You're on your own with Drew. I can't stand him. Never could! - Mary

• He seemed out of his element on WLIA. It was yet another American cop of a British show, and they picked Carey because of his improv buddies and comedy background. - Peter

• Drew was better on "Whose Line" IMHO – Greg

There you have it – the answers! My thanks to Michael, Mary, Greg, Peter, Olive, Sue and Bev. Your contributions were greatly appreciated.

I really enjoyed the different opinions and I hope you did as well. It makes me want to do more opinion-oriented type blogs. Important, earth-shattering stuff like best pizza toppings, greatest musical acts, top all-time movie, etc. Until next time…from the booth.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Could Somebody Please Tell Me…

It’s Thursday night and it’s time to blog! No whining, no bitching and moaning about not knowing what to write about. Not tonight. No sir. Tonight I know exactly what I am going to write about. Tonight I am going to ask some hard-hitting questions. And I want answers! From you. Maybe you won’t be able to answer each and every one of them, but I would like you to answer the ones that you can. Please.

Could somebody please tell me why some people have a problem with athletes making millions of dollars and don’t seem to mind that entertainers earn similar amounts doing what they do? Even no talent bums like Kelly Ripa.

Could somebody please tell me why the Three Stooges were so misunderstood?

Could somebody please tell me why the British don’t acknowledge the letter Z? They spell realization – realisation. They even call it zed. Are we even really speaking English? I wonder how they spell pizza…

Could somebody please tell me why baseball managers and coaches wear full uniforms? In football the coaches typically wear team athletic apparel but they don’t wear helmets and shoulder pads. In basketball and hockey coaches wear suits and ties, yet baseball forces men in their sixties like Lou Piniella to wear snug form fitting uniforms. It just doesn’t make any sense.

While we are on the subject of sports, could somebody please tell me why Robin Yount was named to only three All-Star games during his illustrious 20 year Hall of Fame career? The Milwaukee Brewer star was selected as the American League MVP twice and the second time he didn’t even make the All-Star game! Pretty weird stuff.

Could somebody please tell me if there were ever any TV shows better than The Wire, The Sopranos or Northern Exposure? I’m not talking about sitcoms, so Leave It To Beaver doesn’t count.

Could somebody please tell me why I cry every time I watch the movie Bang The Drum Slowly? Keep in mind that I have seen it at least ten times.

Could somebody please tell me why some people insist on pronouncing Italian – “Eye-talian”? You certainly don’t hear them saying “Gee-erman” or “Pee-olish”.

Could somebody please tell me why people talking about professional wrestling feel it necessary to make it clear that they now it’s fake?

Could somebody please tell me why the only good radio shows on WGN are on after 11:00 pm? And no, Garry Meier isn’t cool anymore, even when he refers to the station as the “G”.

Could somebody please tell me why so many chefs on reality cooking shows smoke cigarettes? You would think that it would mess up their palette.

Could somebody please tell me why someone with purple hair, a plethora of piercings and tattoos covering every inch of their exposed flesh would ask, “What are you looking at?”

Could somebody please tell me why most people from Illinois have such a problem with ketchup being put on a hot dog?

And finally, could somebody please tell me why I liked Drew Carey on The Drew Carey Show, didn’t care for him as host of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and now enjoy him again on The Price Is Right? I just don’t get it.

There you have it, fourteen questions that I need answered. I would appreciate your responses as soon as possible so that I can discuss them in an upcoming blog. Thanks in advance! Until next time…from the booth.