What a Game!

In 1993 the Los Angeles Kings went to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first (and only) time in their history. Even though they lost to the Montreal Canadiens in 5 games, it was a magical season. Especially for me because that was the season that I became a hockey fan.

However, somewhere between college, The Great One's retirement and a hockey strike, I stopped watching the game. I stopped that is, until the Winter Olympics started 2 weeks ago. Between Curling, Short Track Speed Skating and Hockey, I've logged a lot of ice time these past 14 days. It's been great...especially the hockey.

So today for the Gold Medal game between Canada and the U.S. I went to Nick's at the Pier to watch it with some friends. The place was packed, the game was on nearly every screen and people were into it big time. When Zach Parise tied it at 2 with 24.4 secs left in regulation, the place erupted.

All of a sudden I had more then just a few friends, everyone in the bar was my new best buddy, and I theirs. High fives, hugs, shots, USA chants...it was a great moment. That's the moment I'm going to remember when I think about the 2010 Gold Medal game, because that's the moment that united a bar full of random strangers, most of whom probably weren't even hockey fans.

And people wonder why sports are so popular.

The San Diego Starlettes

*Authors Note: Due to circumstances beyond my control (more on that later) I was unable to post a picture of the day photo yesterday...so you get two entries today.

You know how smart people with glasses always say things like, "It's not the destination...it's the journey"? Well there's a reason they always say things like that...they're smart.

Taking any and all religious undertones and dogma out of it, life's destination is death. So you better believe it's all about the journey, because once you reach the destination "Wally's World" is closed.

So in the interest of the journey, I did something I had never done before this weekend, I went to a Roller Derby Bout...and it was awesome!!! First things first, you'll notice it's called a bout and not a match. There's a good reason for that...these girls take a beating. The last time I went roller skating I couldn't sit down for a week afterwards because my tail bone was so sore...and I only fell down a couple of times. These girls were getting knocked to the ground left and right. Tough chicks for sure.

Clever ones too for that matter, the names they come up with are hilarious. Juno EscareMe, Marcy Slayground, Wonder Whoop'em, Michelle Otrama, The Real Slim Sk8dy. It's everything you would imagine it to be, plus 50%

Like I said it was awesome.

Working for the Weekend

Let me just make something clear right from the start...I have a great job! It's a dream job in fact. I get paid to talk about sports, go to games and meet athletes...in my hometown no less. So we are clear, right? I love my job.

Now that we have that out of the way...work is brutal sometimes isn't it?

I have a hunch that every job feels like that now and then. For whatever reason, my job felt like that this week. But you know what they say, if life hands you a lemon, make some beer...and that's exactly what Big John and I did at the end of this week.

Really though it's not even about the beer (though that didn't hurt), it's more about blowing off some steam and just shooting the breeze with good people. It's theraputic.

How do you think Happy Hour got invented.

My New Backyard

My Wife and I have lived in our house for 2 and half years now, and while we have done a pretty nice job decorating the inside...the backyard is a disaster. The sad part is, that's one of the first things I wanted to get done...but shit happens.

We moved into our place in August of '07 and were engaged that Nov. So with a wedding in the mix, the backyard would have to wait. No problem...I'll get to it next summer.

Next summer the economy went in the tank and my wife was laid off...probably not the best time to tackle the project.

Well it's 2010 and our adjustable rate mortgage is one more year closer to adjusting, so I figured it was time to get on with it...and that's exactly what Megan and I are doing. We've hired a landscape architect to make sense of our myriad of ideas and give us a solid foundation for finally doing something with an extremely under-utilized piece of our property.

I'm happy to report that we met with Tracey (that's the landscape architect) today and she showed us a couple of different plans for the backyard. After some mixing and matching, we feel like we have a really kick-ass space just waiting to be developed.

Now the only question is...whose parents own a lumber yard and/or nursery?

$187.32

Is that a good price for new tires? You betcha!

Is that a good price for a new tire (as in singular)...not even close. Believe it or not my first quote was for $240...from Discount Tires. Discount my ass. I mean, it's not like I drive a Lexus or something...it's a Mazda 3. The chick car of the new millennium.

So why the hell are my stock tires so "F"ing expensive? The explanation, because they are low profile tires. Low profile? Not with a price tag like that.

But what are you going to do? It's not like I can rock the Schwinn tire for the rest of the year. I don't want to sound cheap, it's just that seems a bit excessive for one tire. It's not like I'm on the Tokyo Drift racing team or something.

So what's the lesson...you tell me. I guess it's, "Don't run over a nail." That and nobody likes a cheap-skate.

Trio

So this is Megan Kennedy, Trio to you and I.

You know her as the inspiration for my blog, I know her as one of the most caring, selfless, friendly, and most fun people I know. Trio is one of those people whose energy is contagious. She is always down for any adventure, be it a happy hour or a theme party or volunteering with kids.

Today was her birthday so we all met at the PB Ale House for some happy hour beers and food. Seeing as it was her special day, there were cards and gifts exchanged, but none of the gifts better then this bottle of Cougar Pinot Grigio.

It just goes to show that taste, aroma, and grape consistency can only take you so far in the world of wine, what you really need is a fun label and a cool name.

Check and check.

Well That Sucked

I'm 33 years old which means I've been driving for 17 years now. In that time I've had to change a flat about 4 flat tires. It's not my favorite thing to do but it really isn't that bad...more of an inconvenience then anything.

Well today was my 5th tire change and it was by far the most disappointing. Not because I missed my chiropractic appointment or because I had to have some stranger explain to me where my car jack should be positioned under the car (he informed me that his wife has the same car so he knew what he was talking about...great I drive a chick car), no the reason it was so disappointing was because of the spare I had.

My old car had a full sized spare tire. My new one has a Schwinn.

Talk about embarrassing, no wonder it's considered a chick car. My spare tire looks like it comes from the Barbie Corvette. Things only got worse when I had to drive it back to work on the freeway doing a cool 51 MPH. I had old ladies flipping me off and I'm pretty sure one truck drive took a picture so he all his buddies could laugh at me the next time they got together to drink broken glass.

Good thing I'm married, because nobody wants to date a guy with a little wheel. Believe me, size matters sometimes.

Ummmm...is there something you're not telling me?

Times are tough and people's job security seems anything but secure this days. The unemployment rate in this country is more then 10%, and for those of us that have jobs there is the constant realization that we might be next.

There doesn't seem to be any industry immune to this recession and broadcasting is right up there with everything else. I mean if Conan O'Brien can lose his job...I can lose my job. So it's only human nature in times like these to look for signs from your employer that you are doing a good job...that they are happy with your performance and want to keep you around.

Sometimes those signs are literally a sign, like the 10ft high one in our office (a portion of which is seen above). Is it just me or is there something fishy about this picture? Either they're worried the mob is after me or it might be time to update that resume.

Anybody know how to write a cover letter?

What's the Big Secret?

It seems like people always wants to know what the secret is to everything. The secret of success, the secret of life, the secret of a really good spaghetti sauce. In my limited experience, more often then not the secret to most things turns out to be pretty simple...and usually there is a lot more then just one secret.

So with that said, what's the secret to a long and happy marriage?

Easy, girls night out and drinks with the boys. Don't get me wrong, trust, open communication, a willingness to compromise...they're all important to a long and fruitful marriage, but equally important in my mind is getting out with your friends.

I'm lucky enough to still live in a town with a number of my high school buddies and yesterday a few of us decided to get together and have a beer. Three married guys and a couple of dads doesn't exactly equate to the second coming of "The Hangover"...but even without Tyson's Tiger and a baby named Carlos, we had a blast.

It was only a couple of hours and it was only a couple of drinks but that's all you need. We didn't even do anything cool. We talked about taxes, business and backyard projects, but that's the point. Just getting a little guy time (or a little girl time) goes a long way.

As for the spaghetti sauce...very thinly sliced garlic.

Happy Birthday Pop!

Today was my Dad's birthday so I took him out to lunch at a classy little establishment called "Lil' Piggy's". Hey nothing but the best on your 71st birthday, right?

Actually, in the interest of full disclosure, I took him out to lunch but I didn't pay for it. Not because I didn't want to, but because I didn't have to. How's that you ask? A little something called the Weisbarth Cruse.

I first learned about the Weisbarth Curse when my Dad sat me down before my freshmen year of high school. I thought I was getting the birds and the bees talk but instead my Dad explained to me that now that I was a man, girls were going to start to find me irresistible. You could maybe argue that the Weisbarth Curse skips a generation...maybe, but there is no denying it's existence.

The proof came this afternoon when the very cute, 30-something manager of Lil' Piggy's came up to my Dad, gave him a big hug and informed us that lunch was on her.

I mean come on, look at us. We didn't get that lunch based on anything we did...it had to be the Curse.

The Dean of American Sportscasters

My wife Megan used to have a job that got us invited to all kinds of different "it" parties. Though I've never actually had "it", I always enjoyed getting a sneak peek into the world of cool.

The thing about those parties though, is that unless you happen to see another "visitor" at whatever shindig you happen to be attending...it's going to be a long night. It's kind of like visiting someone else's college. It looks really cool and everyone is having a blast, but at the end of the day you don't know any of these people and you end up spending your time in the corner next to the weird guy who doesn't "believe " in deodorant.

Well tonight Megan's old boss invited us to Pacific Magazine's 3-year anniversary party and one of the guests of honor was Cookie "Chainsaw" Randolph...a "visitor". I first met Chainsaw a few years ago at a Padres game, but I feel like I have known him for a lot longer then that after having listened to him on the radio for the past decade.

I have to imagine that's a weird thing for radio personalities, having total strangers feel so connected to you and your life. Chainsaw is the best though, very gracious, very real, and totally personable. I don't think it's a stretch to say I have a man-crush on him.

Oh man...I've said too much.

The Grass is Always Greener

I went surfing this morning for the first time since before Christmas, which means this was my first session of 2010. Since that was the case I all of a sudden put all this undo pressure on myself to "find the best waves ever". That's retarded.

First of all, I was in Coronado. No chance I'm going to "find the best waves ever" there.

Second of all, what the hell would I do with the best wave ever? Probably surf it very mediocre...like all the other waves I surf.

Regardless, that was my quest this morning, and let me tell you that is a very dangerous quest. Not dangerous like a class 5 hurricane...think more along the lines of dangerous like AC Slater. Harmless dangerous is what I'm talking about.

In fact the only danger I faced was the danger of never actually getting in the water. See the problem is I kept thinking it would be better at a different break. I checked Outlet, "G" Street, Center, Pit, Shipwrecks, back to "G" Street before finally settling on North proper.

That got me thinking, does everybody think the grass is greener? I mean I'm sure every American does, but what about the rest of the world? Then again, I get pretty tired when I surf and sometimes I have really random thoughts. Maybe this is one of those times.

Chores

When I was younger and I had a day off, I made the most of it. I was at the beach, or playing with friends or doing something in the park...anything but chores. Now when I have a day off (like today) I end up doing chores.

Don't get me wrong, I slept in, had a late lunch, read a book at my sisters coffee cart...but I also did chores. Here's the scary part, I actually kind of liked it. I mean it wasn't like anybody was telling me to do the chores, I just decided it was time I finally rake all those leaves up from last fall. Then, since I was already dirty, I got the mower out.

It felt good to get that stuff done. See I'm what doctors refer to as a "procrastinator". I don't know why, I just am...always have been. It's a terrible feeling having something hang over your head like that (like a term paper or something) but man does it feel good to get it done.

Kind of like Spring Break, but instead of wet T-shirt contests and buckets of beer at The Office...I have a clean backyard.

Stop and Smell the Roses

Turns out it's not just the title of Ringo Starr's 1981 album...it's pretty good advice as well.

See I was born in Florida but have lived in San Diego since 1979, so I have become accustomed to perfect year round weather and great sunsets. In fact it's pretty easy to take that kind of stuff for granted...but you shouldn't. At least not all the time.

Today, I took Ringo's advice and watched the sunset over Mission Bay with my wife. I know it's not exactly an earth shattering revelation, but it was awesome and it didn't cost a thing.

What is Art?

I know it's a very subjective question, but what is art? Does a corduroy bike qualify? My Mom is an artist so I should probably have an answer to the question, but (and I can totally hear Mom saying this) I think I've already answered it just by the fact that I am writing about it here.

Does a corduroy bike qualify as art? It does if it provokes thought and discussion. Funny thing is, that was the second corduroy bike I saw this weekend in San Francisco. The other one was an aggressive mustard corduroy...think 1978 Padres.

That's another cool thing about SF, there are a lot of artists up there...and not just the corduroy bike kind. Actors, dancers, street performers, painters, tattoo artist, and hair stylists to name a few. I'm not a fan of all of them and I don't understand half the stuff they do, but I respect the idea of creating something.

***Spoiler Alert: I'm about to get profound***

On some level I think we are all artists, everyone of us, because we are all trying to create SOMETHING.

Anything. Even a really comfortable bike.

Mrs. Know-It-All...in a Good Way.

One of the best things about coming up to San Francisco for my wife and I is the chance to see some old friends. Jaymee and Jeff Eidel certainly fit that description. To give you an idea, I presided over their wedding. That's right, Friar John made the pronouncements.

The Eidel's moved up to SF a few years ago when Jaymee got a job at Comcast Sports Bay Area. During that time she's learned everything there is to know about the city's sports teams...and maybe more importantly, the restaurants.

Megan and I had one of the better meals we've had in a long time tonight, thanks to Jaymee's recommendation, and afterwards we met up with her and Jeff at another great spot. 39 floors above the city at a spot appropriately named "The View".

Eat Your Heart out Gallagher

I remember seeing Gallagher and the Sledge-o-matic thing he does on TV as a kid. Something about a grown man hitting food with a giant hammer that appealed to me as a youngster...though I never had any aspirations of actually attending a show. Still don't, but I may have found the 2010 equivalent.

Point Break Live!

It's a live, interactive action play based on the Keanu Reeves classic "Point Break". Water, fake blood, suntan lotion and a couple other substances that I can't name here, go flying into the crowd on a regular basis. The coolest part is that each night the starring role of "Johnny Utah" is hand picked from the crowd, by the crowd.

Any guesses who played Johnny Utah last night?



This is the video of me auditioning for the role against a guy everyone called baghead. Needless to say my moxy carried me over the top. That and the sweet ninja role.

Tailgating with the Boys

Sometimes I go through a day and there really isn't anything novel for me to take a picture of. That I guess, is the challenge of a "picture a day" blog. It's my cross and I will bare it.

That brings us to today's photo. I realize it looks a little bit like last Sunday's, but what can I say, it was either this of a picture of me packing for San Francisco.

Quite frankly, I don't want you guys looking at my underwear.

Pizza Party

You know what the best part of Under-10 soccer was...the end of the year pizza party at Pizza Garden. Don't get me wrong, the "Coronado Strikers" were a good team and we won plenty of games, but there was just something about that year-ender at Pizza Garden that was magical.

Maybe it was the arcade style "Kung Fu" game and "Donkey Kong"? Maybe it was getting to watch one of our games on the big screen TV? Even though it looked like a prequel to "The Blair Witch Project", there was something very cool about seeing yourself on TV when you were only 9 yrs old. Maybe it was the pizza and the bottomless pitchers of Coke on every table?

Most likely it was all of the above.

Unfortunately the only part of that equation we had tonight at Channel 4 was the pizza. Good news is, that turned out to be enough.

To the Victor go the Spoils

Jenny Cavnar and I go to the same chiropractor. Actually to be totally accurate, we go to the same chiropractors, they're a husband and wife team. One day before our show we were both at the chiropractors and Dr. Ron (he's the husband half of the duo) challenged us to use the word conundrum as many times as we could later that night on the air.

Pretty cool.

Then to make it interesting he said he would buy the winner an hour massage at the office.

Very cool.

The ground rules were simple. You had to say conundrum at least 5 times to qualify, whoever had the most after that was your winner. Dr. Ron would watch the show that night on Channel 4 and keep the official tally.

So who won? You tell me, doesn't that look like the face of a guy who just got an hour massage?

A Gentlemen's Card

Funny story. A few weeks ago I got my new bank card in the mail, so once I activated it, I cut up the old one and threw it away.

Here's the funny part...I cut up the wrong card. Just hilarious I know. Well the only thing I could do at that point was go online and order a new card, pretty mundane right?

Wrong.

Turns out Wells Fargo lets you customize your check card with your own picture. Brilliant! The only question now was which ridiculous picture would I choose? Like I ever had a say in the matter, this one jumped out at me right from the start and refused to be overtaken.

For those of you keeping score at home, this pic is from my buddy Greg's birthday. The theme that night was "Facial Hair Formal".

Man I love mustaches!!!

Uncle John: King of the Kids

My wife and I don't have kids yet...but a lot of our friends do. That means things like Super Bowl parties have a little different look these days. Case in point...today's picture of the day, and believe me when I tell you, this picture represents just a small fraction of the kids that were in attendance this afternoon.

The thing is, kids are a lot rowdier then you would think. At least a lot rowdier then I thought. To be clear, they're rowdy in a different way then say college kids are. None of these little boogers did a keg stand...whoever told you that is a liar! I just mean they've got a lot of energy for such little people.

That's where Uncle John comes in. Since I don't have kids, I don't mind entertaining them for a little bit. In fact, I really like, but the key is that "little bit" part. That's the secret to being Uncle John...get the kids all riled up and then go home.

Perfect.

6-1 3-6 6-0

Between Christmas, New Years, work and torrential rain...the Saturday morning tennis crew hasn't been logging a lot of time on the court lately. It even rained today, but we got out there early enough to miss the heavy stuff.

Good thing too, because I won 2 out of 3 sets including a 6-0 shellacking in the third...not that we were keeping score.

Picture Day

Remember picture day at school? It always seemed like such a hassle to me. You had to get all dressed up in your Sunday best (which meant recess was shot) and then pose in all these weird and terribly awkward positions. There is nothing comfortable about sitting sideways, turning your shoulders and tilting your chin at some off angle. Then they want you to look natural. Yeah right.

Turns out it doesn't get any easier when you're older. We took our Channel 4 head shots today and I swear I couldn't feel anymore awkward then I did. Nothing against the photographer, she did a great job, I'm just a total retard when it comes to posing.

Why can't I just stand there and smile? Instead I feel like I'm doing yoga moves and trying to "look natural".

Luckily for everyone involved I was able to fight through it. I don't like to throw the word hero around a lot...but you get my drift.

The Sports Jinx

This is a picture of Big John, the all-everything at Channel 4. Think of him like Morgan Freeman's character in Shawshank Redemption...he's the guy that makes things happen. Without him Channel 4 would come to a grinding halt because he has got his hands into everything. Apparently that includes the basketball gods as well.

At around 3PM today he turned to Producer Ed and said...and I quote, "Hey Ed, you better produce us up a quick game tonight."

The game he was speaking of was tonight's USD men's basketball game, and the ramifications of his statement were dire. The sentence wasn't even completely out of his mouth and you could already hear the uniform groan of the entire Channel 4 sports team.

The reason...Big John had just jinxed us.

We were all looking forward to getting on the air earlier then usual tonight because Postgame was coming up right after the game. But now there was no way it was going to be a quick game...not with the jinx. And what do you know, the basketball game went to overtime!

I don't know how it works, it just does. The sports jinx is a real thing!

TV's Dirty Little Secret

I'm sure it doesn't come as a huge surprise that people on TV and in the movies (yes, even guys) wear make-up. Brad Pitt, Dan Patrick, John Wayne...all make-up wearers. We all understand it...but nobody talks about it.

It's kind of like steroids and baseball in the mid-90's. Everyone knew what was going on but they all looked the other way. Well consider me the Jose Canseco of the entertainment business because I'm blowing the whistle and I'm naming names (Steve Quis).

Of course with "man make-up" you don't get big and strong and feel like you can complete Herculean physical tasks...you feel like women.

Now who wants to watch "The Notebook"?

I'll have the veggie burger...with bacon

Those were the exact words my buddy Teevan uttered today at lunch...he added cheese too.

Amazing, right?

In fact it made such an impression in the kitchen that the manager Kyle (that's him on the right) came all the way out to the table just to see it for himself.

I did a little research and this is what I came up with.

Calories in a cheese burger: 320

Calories in a veggie burger: 140
Calories in 2 strips of bacon: 100
Calories in a slice of American Cheese: 110

I'll let you do the math. Like I said, AMAZING!

Thanks Laz

Jim Laslavic played 10 seasons in the NFL for the Lions, Chargers and Packers...and then spent the next 20 years as a sportscaster in San Diego. 12 years ago I interned for him at NBC 7/39...tonight I interviewed him on my show for the very first time.

Pretty cool.

Laz (as everybody calls him) has always been a great mentor to me and I can never thank him enough for giving me a shot in the first place.

Doesn't mean I can't try though...thanks Laz!

Health Weis

My little sister Debra writes a blog called Health Weis (catchy, I know) and it's all about eating healthy food that taste great. Her message is you don't have to sacrifice enjoyment just because you're eating food that's good for you.

As it turns out...she's right.

Thankfully my wife Megan believes in the same thing and we have been eating some amazing meals lately, that just so happen to be good for you too.

Last night she made her brother and I shredded chicken tacos on corn tortillas with a bunch of good veggies. Simple and delicious...a good combination.