Thursday, August 27, 2009

The Bird(ie)s!

In case anyone was wondering, I played some of the best golf of my life on Sunday. At least on the back nine.

I'm normally a "bogey golfer", which basically means that over the course of 18 holes, I'll shoot at, or around 18 over par, or, averaging a bogey each hole. On a normal par-72, that means I'd shoot a 90 on most occasions.

I rarely shoot much better than that.

There was one afternoon many years ago at Nettle Creek in Morris -- while playing fast to avoid a looming thunderstorm -- that I blazed the course and shot a 79, my best round ever. Sadly, I was playing alone, and since I've rarely even approached breaking 80 before or since, let's just say it would have been a lot better if there was someone around to corroborate my story.

I had no intention of having a really good day this past Sunday, mainly because I'd never played this course before, and I've only played one other round this year.

After double bogeying the 2nd hole -- even after using a mulligan on my tee shot that went in the drink -- I certainly wasn't thinking about shooting a low score.

And, for the first nine holes, I certainly didn't shoot a low score. I sloshed my way to a very mediocre (for me) 47.

Being a bogey golfer, 90 is my "par" score. If I break 90, I had a good day. So, my goal for the back nine was to shoot 42 and save my round.

I got off to a good start with a par on 10, and then, I got all Y.E. Yang on everyone.

Birdie on 10, birdie on 12, and a birdie on 18!

Three birdies in one day! I go three years without three birdies sometimes.

Even my dad -- roughly a 40-handicapper -- got in on the act. He hit a marvelous tee shot on the par-3 16th to about six feet, and drained the putt.

You have to understand my dad doesn't rack up too many birdies. With a bad back and various shoulder and hand injuries, let's just say he isn't very Daly-esque off the tee.

In fact, the tee shot on the par-3 16th...was with his driver.

Still, his birdie was a highlight of the day for him, and for me and my brother as well.

As for my final nine holes, I finished with a 37 (one over for the back nine) and a total of 84.

Take that, Tiger.

Wait. Take that Y.E.!

And, this time, I had witnesses.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Time To Tee It Up

What a beautiful day for golf. It's going to be sunny and 75 degrees today, and I'm ready to hit the links.

Today I'll be playing in a foursome that will include my dad, and my brother at a course up north a bit. This outing was arranged by my bro, Rick, as a sort of replacement outing that his workplace isn't having this year.

Rick's goal wasn't to complete mimic what his company would have done, but simply create a day for some family and friends to have a group "outing" at a nice, relatively nearby course.

In all, there will be 16 of us -- four foursomes -- teeing it up in the 11:00 hour today, and it should be a lot of fun.

It'll be nice to just have a day with no work involved whatsoever. The last week or two has been a bit dizzying for me, and that's partly why the blog posts haven't been as plentiful (as promised).

In addition to doing my early-week air shifts in Plano, I was also training with Schramm during the end of the week so I'd know the ins and outs of working the 'CSJ morning show, which I had to do the last two Saturdays, and this past Friday.

All of which left me little time to work on my other bajillion tasks (production, booking the sports show, working on websites, updating our imaging, and trying to remember each day which building I'm driving to).

Plus, all of this was going on during the last few days of Megan's summer vacation, so when I did get home each day, we tried to spend as much time outside as possible, or going places that she enjoys, to make the most of her last few days before school resumes (Monday).

By the time the night would roll around, I was pooped. Blogging was not a high priority at that point.

I know, excuses, excuses.

But, trust me. I'll get some time back soon, and there are some funny stories to tell -- like the one from last night when I was faced with a very messy situation in the Ed Debevic's parking lot -- that I will get to.

First things first. Where did I put that box of naked lady tees?

Thursday, August 13, 2009

A One, A Two, A Three Rivers Fest

A gentle reminder: I'll be broadcasting from the Channahon Three Rivers Festival Friday night from 6p-8p for the WJDK 2-for-1 carnival ride night.

Make our sponsors happy please, and get your sticker at their location before you arrive.

Of course, I'll bring a few stickers with me in case you don't have one when you get in. But, please, get them from the sponsors if you can.

Bleacher Bum

After my statement in a previous post that if the Phillies took two out of three from the Cubs, I'd buy the first round of Old Styles for everyone.

Well, looks like the first round of Old Styles is on me.

And, it still may be on Shane Victorino.

I'm sure you've heard about, or seen the footage of Vic getting doused with beer Wednesday night while making a catch in the Phils' 12-5 rout at Wrigley. Pretty good concentration to be able to catch the ball while the beer -- and cup -- poured down on him.

And, in typical Cubs fashion, security swooped in and kicked out THE WRONG GUY.



So, I'll be more than happy to pick up the tab, although don't be surprised if I back out of the deal, since the post said I'd buy if the Phils took two out of three. Since they swept, that could be a deal breaker.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Just When I Think I'm Out...

...they pull me back in.

I'll be subbing for Schramm on 'CSJ this Saturday morning, and again next Friday and Saturday, August 21st and 22nd.

That is all.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Phils Hit Wrigley Phield

One other thing I noticed the other night in between beverages, was that I've hardly written at all this year about my beloved Phillies.

Last season, I wrote extensively about their ride to a championship. And, it wasn't as if I only started writing once they inched toward the title. There were plenty of lows to document -- as was the case in my blog entries from 2006 and 2007.

Maybe the success from a year ago has made me more complacent. Don't get me wrong, I'm still following each game -- although, I'm still avoiding results until the next morning. It's easier on the stress level -- But the urge to complain and congratulate on a daily basis on here hasn't been there. Yet.

As of this writing, the Phils -- after dropping three costly games to Florida this weekend, while Atlanta was sweeping a series in L.A. -- have a four game lead in the NL East.

Now they come to Wrigley for three. Oy. I still live in fear of a Phils/Cubs playoff series. Nothing would frost my rear end more than having the Cubs eliminate my Phillies in a playoff series. Each and every pitch would be excruciatingly nerve-wracking for me, potentially even more so than in their previous World Series appearances.

The reason, besides my hatred for the Cubs, is because I live in (near) Chicago. SO, of course, if they were to defeat my team over the course of a week or two, that's all I would hear about on every newscast, on every sports page, from everybody I would talk to, etc.

I'd be better off leaving town for a couple of weeks and closing myself off from the rest of the world.

Of course, the flipside -- a Phillies win over the Cubs in the playoffs -- would be a slice of heaven that I cannot begin to describe.

The only thing comparable would be the day earlier this decade when Donovan McNabb brought the Eagles to Soldier Field in an NFC playoff game and helped Philly knock off the Bears. I was watching that game with many members of my wife's side of the family, plus all of their Bear fan friends.

When the final whistle sounded, I walked into an empty bedroom and jumped up and down for a good 30 seconds.

Ooh well, hopefully a Cubs/Phils playoff series never happens. It's bad enough they're playing the next three days at Wrigley. Unless the Phils take two of three of course.

If they do, I'll even buy the first round of Old Styles.

Saturday, August 08, 2009

Eating At Reggie's

As I begin to drink my third cranberry and vodka of the evening -- hey, it's Saturday night (no early wake-up tomorrow), and the kids are asleep -- it dawned on me that I haven't updated you on a teensy weensy bit of radio info...

I'm back on the air.

Well, it's not exactly what you think, but, I am indeed back on the air, some of the time at least.

This whole last month or so, it feels like, to borrow a Seinfeld reference -- surprise, right? -- that I'm now "eating at Reggie's," the diner that the gang would occasionally visit when not going to Monk's. It's the place George ate at when his worlds collided in "The Pool Guy" episode. I kind of feel like George did at the end of that episode.

As you know, I am no longer doing mornings at WJDK. I was given that news in early June, and did my last show on June 30th. It seems that my radio talents -- vast, and deep as they are -- are needed elsewhere.

There are many projects and happenings going on within our family of stations that require an expert. Someone that can jump right in and take control, steering those projects straight to completion. Someone that can lead the charge, and get the job done with accuracy and promptness.

That person wasn't available, so they've recruited me.

And, that's pretty much it. There are things that need attention at our group of stations, and I'm the guy they want to handle them. But, to tackle these things, it required me dedicating most of my time away from on-air work, and focusing on off-air projects.

The main thing is...I'm still employed. I still work in Morris -- some of the time. I still do sports, production, and the Saturday morning sports powerhouse, Spotlight On Sports.

But, half the time, I'm eating at Reggie's. I'm working at our mother ship station in Plano, doing some on-air work (mornings on Mondays and Tuesdays), and working other projects on Thursdays.

Has it been an adjustment? You betcha. It's not easy to go from doing something that you've enjoyed for 13 years, and completely shifting gears away from what you know and love doing.

On the other hand, this is a challenge for me. Something that may end up being a bit of a kick in the rear that infuses some extra energy into my daily grind. Do I miss doing mornings on WJDK? Absolutely. And, from the emails, calls and messages I've received, it seems that you miss the show, too. I really appreciate the feedback.

But, I'm now faced with the next chapter in my professional life. Time to roll with the punches, and grab a menu at Reggie's.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

B(l)ogged Down

I realize I haven't exactly been a blogging savant lately.

In fact, I've kind of taken an unofficial break from the blog to try to get my head straight.

As you may know, things have been turned a bit upside down in my world, professionally, and, frankly, my mind has not been on blogging a whole lot. Strange, in a way, because this is a time when I could certainly draw from plenty of happenings in the past month or so, and entertain you with details of what's been going on.

But, considering everything that's gone on over the last few weeks, I just needed a bit of a break. There are plenty of non-work things I can fill you in on, including our trip to the Jackhammers game -- that lasted four hours on a night that I had a quick turnaround for work the next day.

Or, the day that I got lost trying to get to Megan's bridging ceremony...in my own hometown, only to have the day turn into a positive because of what I found on my way home (after giving up on trying to find my family).

Those stories, and more are coming, and considering the chance to speak my mind on the air has diminished considerably -- but not completely, more on that in a future post -- my desire to get on here and pound out a great deal of blog posts IS there, but it's just taking a little longer to get the juices flowing, while I get myself situated with my new situation.

Hope you understand, and, thanks for continuing to visit this thing.

If you have suggestions on what you'd like to see or read on here, leave a comment.

With temps expected to hit the mid 90's this weekend, hopefully that will give me even more of an excuse to stay in the AC and crank out some new stuff for you, and begin a more regular ritual of getting fresh posts to you so you can continue to quench your Wireless Mike thirst, or something like that.