Today is April 1st and as of right now (9:15am)....nobody has tried to play a joke on me yet. I've been had in the past though, and I've given out my share as well. Last year I had my son and nephew convinced for about a half-hour that I had decided to commit the cardinal sin in being a New York baseball fan. I told them I was switching from being a Mets fan to a Yankees fan. Of course that had to be a joke...(the biggest if you ask me).

Speaking of baseball April Fools Day pranks.....the all-time best had to be the April 1st edition of Sports Illustrated in 1985. George Plimpton broke the story of Hayden "Sidd" Finch, a young Buddhist, who could throw a baseball 168 MPH!!!!! Unhittable to even the greatest of all hitters. In fact, it was said at the time that his fastball make Nolan Ryan's fastball look like a little league change-up. Finch was seen on the cover of the issue with one shoe on, long tan pants, a Mets jersey, his hat on backwards, throwing a pitch in the snow!!! The very long, odd article spoke of Finch's unusual background and how the Mets found out about him and how they were trying to keep things very secretive. It detailed his pitching delivery which resembled a catapult. It was so well-written, it had to be true. It created such a buzz around the sportsworld that many Mets fans (like myself), were giddy. Many others said this had to be a hoax, nobody could throw a baseball at that speed. I, like others, just chalked it up to coincidence that the issue came out on April 1st.

The next issue on April 8th ended the speculation. Plimpton wrote that the Mets and Finch held a press conference down in Florida at spring training. Finch told the media he suddenly couldn't find the strike zone anymore and decided to ditch his major league dream and concentrate on playing the French horn in the Himalayas. He simply waved goodbye to the assembled reporters and disappeared.

The joke was on me.

I can't resist all the cliches....."Can't Buy Me Love", "The Long and Winding Road", "Things We Said Today", "We Can Work It Out" etc.....all songs written by Paul McCartney in the 1960's. Here in 2008, those words offer a different meaning to Sir Paul. The divorce settlement for he and his ex-wife Heather Mills has been handed down and the numbers are staggering. Mills gets 48 million dollars. Sounds like she won doesn't it? Wrong! She wanted about 100 million. The judge saw things differently. Reportedly McCartney's estate is worth about 1.6 billion dollars so that 48-million is a fraction of the former Beatle's fortune. However its more than he wanted to pay. Its widely been reported that McCartney offered 25-million to Mills to settle out of court.

Mills is appealing, but not against the judgement. She's appealing against the publication of all the sorted details of the settlement. Paul, on the other hand, is happy to have the public know exactly what was given and what was asked for. McCartney said only this upon leaving the courthouse, "All will be revealed." (Sounds like the title of a new hit song).

McCartney was also ordered to pay 70,000 dollars a year in child support for the couple's 4-year old daughter. Mills has been portrayed in a very negative light through the media since marrying the music icon. She has tried to improve her "approval-rating" but has been unable to do so. People can't help but think she married McCartney for all the wrong reasons. Paul met Mills shortly after his wife of 29 years, Linda, died of breast cancer in 1998. Mills looked like Linda did when Paul married her in 1969. Friends said that's where the similarities ceased. It was widely reported that one of Paul's daughters, Stella, did not get along at all with Mills. It was also reported that shortly before their marriage, Paul threw Mills' engagement ring out of a hotel window. Things just didn't seem right from the beginning. Of course, all the monetary details would've been a moot point if Paul asked for a pre-nuptial agreement, but that's just not Paul's way....(that would be John's way).

Now its all over for Paul and Heather.....lets just say he will now "Let It Be". (see....I told you I couldn't resist).

How can this be???? I've spent my entire life hating the Yankees and now I'm one of them!?!?! You see, I'm a life-long Mets fan, so its just natural for me to despise that other baseball team from New York. That being said, I was informed a few weeks ago that the name of my son's little league team was the Yankees. Suffice it to say, I was stunned by the news. (I know what you're thinking.....and I believe the word is...........let me see.......oh yeah....."immature"). I know, but I can't help it. Those who really know me wouldn't expect anything less.
Then I was asked to be a coach for the team. Yep....that's right....I'm a coach for the YANKEES!!!!!! So every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday for the next 2 months, I'll be wearing a Yankee shirt on a baseball field. We've played 4 games so far and I'm already breaking out in hives.

Right now, those of you who aren't big New York baseball fans, think I'm a crazy person. You just don't understand. I feel the need to explain. I became a Mets fan when I was 3 years old, just after they won the world series in 1969. My older brother was a Mets fan so I just followed in his footsteps. Then we recruited my little brother. By the mid-70's, we were all one big happy New York Mets family.
UNTIL......my older brother decided to stop liking the Mets and switch to the Yankees. I still haven't forgiven him for his lack of loyalty. Soon after, my little brother betrayed me as well. It made sense to them, the Yankees were on the rise and the Mets were going in the opposite direction.

I didn't understand their logic at all. I held firm and my love for the Mets grew even stronger. To this day, one of my proudest accomplishments is that I didn't give in to the peer pressure. Meantime, the Yankees won the world series in 1977 and 1978 and the Mets were horrible. I had to watch my brothers celebrate while my Mets lost over and over again. To make it even worse, because they outnumbered me, I had to watch the Met games on a black and white television in the basement while they watched the Yankee games on the color TV upstairs. When we moved from New York to Arizona in 1979, we all suffered because our beloved teams were across the country. I got the worst of it because the one major league game televised nationally each week was usually....you guessed it...a Yankee game.
Fast forward to 1986. The Yankees were horrible and.........MY METS WON THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!!!! I was a junior in college and I cried like a baby. My loyalty paid off and my love for the Mets grew even stronger, in fact, I've been living off that high for 22 years now. Which brings me back to my original point.......I'm now a Yankee. My family certainly gets a kick out of seeing me with that shirt on.

But you know what?!?! I'm certain that I'll have the last laugh when the little league Yankees win the championship and then later in the year, the Mets once again win the world series. Funny thing is, I don't know which team I'll be more proud of.

Hey wait a minute.....I may be maturing after all.

During last years major league baseball playoffs, seemingly every commercial break had a promotion for a new television series on TBS called "Frank TV". Even Frank himself got sick of the promos. The reason why TBS was promoting the show so heavily was they new what they had.....the sheer talent of Frank Caliendo. He puts Rich Little to shame. Caliendo is simply the best impressionist I've ever heard. He's starting to gain quite a following and its much deserved. His spot-on imitations include John Madden, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, George Bush, Charles Barkley, Bill Walton, Jim Rome, Jay Leno, Terry Bradshaw, Robin Williams, Jerry Seinfeld and David Letterman. Those are just a few of voices he does. Just go on "youtube" and watch any number of performances by Caliendo and you will be amazed.

He's gained a lot of attention through the sports media having spent a lot of time on the NFL pregame shows, but his impressions go far beyond just sports celebrities. The interesting thing about Frank is that he spends a lot of time here in the Valley. In fact, he came by the station a few years back and did many of his impressions in our sports office. I remember thinking back then that this guy was incredible and it was just a matter of time before he got really famous. Now he's getting there with his own show and his many performances on Letterman and Leno as well on the TNT NBA telecasts as well as his NFL appearances.

He's probably most famous for his John Madden imitation....in fact I think he's the first guy to ever "do" a Madden impersonation. As the story goes, John himself isn't a fan, apparently, he doesn't see the humor and talent. (He's the only one).
I just saw Caliendo on Letterman recently and to watch Dave watch him is something I'd pay to see!!!

If you don't know him yet....remember the name....but no doubt you'll just remember all the voices.

Actually its called "Big League Dreams" and its a baseball paradise that just recently opened up at the intersection of Power and Elliot in Gilbert. As I walked into the complex yesterday, it felt like I was walking into a major league spring training venue. It certainly had all the feel of Peoria Sports Complex or Kino Sports Complex. There are 8 fields in all and each one is a replica of a major league stadium. I felt like I was taking a tour of big league ballparks past and present. Yankee Stadium, Ebbets Field, Wrigley Field, Sportsman Park, The Polo Grounds, Fenway Park, Angels Stadium and of course Chase Field are all on display. Each stadium has blown-up photos of real fans seated in the bleachers, giving the feel of really playing in front of a packed house!!! The dugouts are sunken into the ground just like real major league dugouts. I couldn't get over the fact that when I was a kid I played ball at places called "Duck Pond" and "Croton Point" (which was right next to the town dump). Suffice it to say, kids today have it GREAT!!!!!!

All 8 fields were in use yesterday and I was shocked that each player on each field seemed so "comfortable" out there. Obviously, the tradition of these stadiums doesn't mean as much to 10 and 11 year olds as it does to somebody like me!!! I was in awe walking around. I wasn't only walking around though, there's a huge batting cage in the middle of the facility and I had to grab a bat and take some hacks.
Then it was time to get down to business. I was there with my girlfriend Jenn, who's son Brandon was playing in a tournament at "Yankee Stadium". So there Jenn and I sat, in the 4th row, right behind the on-deck circle on the first base side. I really felt like we were in the Bronx!

Anyway, Brandon's team, the Cyclones, was in a battle with a team called the Prowlers. The game went into extra innings and the Cyclones won it 11-10. By the way, Brandon got the win, pitching the final 3 innings. It was a fine ending to a very entertaining day for me. So if you're like me and you're a baseball lover, you have to take the drive out to Gilbert and check this place out. You'll be amazed!!!
(and if you are like me, you'll be very jealous of any kid that gets the chance to play at "Big League Dreams").

Every year the Super Bowl and all the hype that surrounds the game, just grows bigger and bigger. Personally, every year I marvel at how things have gotten out of control. Maybe "marvel" isn't the best word. "Flinch" might be better. I know the all-mighty dollar is behind everything but I believe the game itself has become too secondary. It seems we've lost track of what this really is. The NFL Championship game. The party's, concerts and pre-game festivities have overwhelmed the event itself. It's not only the Super Bowl. If you watch the NFL during the regular season, ESPN makes any given match-up a "Super Bowl" type game. There is too much analysis, too much coverage, too much hype. It dilutes the game, especially the Super Bowl.

Do we really need to draw attention to the fact that any celebrity or so-called celebrity is hosting a Super Bowl party? Do we really need a 45-minute halftime show? Do we really need concerts before and after the game? Do we really need 2 weeks to gear up for the game? As a former sportscaster, I know that there's only so much hype you can report on. After that, it gets to be almost comical.

Here's an idea.........treat the Super Bowl like a really big football game that has its share of surrounding excitement. Give the event a good solid pre-game show and halftime show with a big musical name and lets cap it right there. Let's not treat it like the biggest and greatest spectacle we've ever seen as a human race.

Just a thought.

We got a lot of rain here in the valley on Monday, and the high country got a bunch of snow, in fact many schools were closed in Flagstaff and other places up north.
Since Monday would've been the first day back to school from the holiday break, those lucky boys and girls got an extended vacation. I say "lucky" because I remember that feeling when I was a kid. Anybody who grew up in a cold climate would have to agree with me. "Snow Days" were one of the best things about winter!!!

Usually you find out about school closures by radio or TV reports. Where I grew up in New York, we usually found out by an early morning phone call. I remember those nights when the snow was really coming down, I used to lie in bed wishing and hoping the phone would ring when I got up. Sure enough, many times it did and let me tell you....when you're a kid, there's not much that matches that feeling. I mean think about it....no school and in its place, you sleigh ride and have snowball fights all day. Who wouldn't take that trade?!?!?!

Since my kids are growing up in the valley, they'll never have that feeling so I feel the need to rub that in to them as much as possible (especially my 11-year old son). After all, he almost never gets his little league games rained out, and I'm still scarred from all the rain-outs I had to endure when I was his age.

By the way, my son is very competitive.......I wonder where he learned that???

Since David Letterman is back on the air with his writers, I've been thinking about some of my favorite shows through the years. Letterman certainly belongs in that category, however for this blog, I'm going to focus on sitcoms, because they in themselves, are my favorite.

This conversation has to begin with "Seinfeld" because it is, without a doubt, the best television show ever, as far as I'm concerned. I knew I'd love the show because Jerry Seinfeld was always my favorite comedian, but I had no idea how much I would love it and how much the country would as well. My 2nd favorite all time situation comedy is "The Odd Couple". How I loved that show when I was a kid. Jack Klugman and Tony Randall were terrific together and though I haven't seen an episode in quite some time, I often still think about scenes and laugh. "All in the Family" is another one that I loved as a child. My parents and grandparents loved that show and even though I didn't get a lot of the jokes as a kid, it was funny to me nonetheless. "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" was another great one. I remember the writing on that program was so clever, I even recognized that as a youngster.

As you can tell, I like many "old" shows...I can't describe all of them but I can list a bunch.......
"Barney Miller"
"Family Ties"
"The Dick Van Dyke Show"
"The Jeffersons"
"Welcome Back Kotter"
"Happy Days"
"Coach"
"Sanford and Son"
"Cheers"
"MASH"
"Taxi"
"Get Smart"

There are more but this blog is getting too long as it is.

My new favorite show is "Curb Your Enthusiasm". (What a shock....it's Larry David's program and he's the co-creator of "Seinfeld")......so it all comes full circle for me.........."not that there's anything wrong with that!!!"

I know my sportscasting days are over, but its still in my blood and that is never going to change. So obviously now is the perfect time to take a look back at what happened this past year in the Valley sports scene.

First of all, almost exactly one year ago, the Fiesta Bowl gave us one of, if not the most exciting games in history when Boise State shocked the world and beat Oklahoma. It wasn't just that they won, it was HOW they won. Trick play after trick play, ending of course with that statue of liberty miracle. Right on the heels of that game, came the inaugural BCS championship game (also played in Glendale). Florida ran all over Ohio State to become national champions.

March Madness headlines centered on the ASU womens team. The Sun Devils made it all the way to the Elite 8.

Spring brought us the Phoenix Suns completing another fantastic regular season, only to have their hearts broken yet again in the playoffs. They lost to the Spurs in the Western Conference Semi-finals. The series was marred with controversy when NBA Commissioner David Stern suspended Amare Stoudemire for game 5.

Summer brought us the "boys of summer" and what a surprise the Diamondbacks turned out to be! They ended up making it all the way to the NLCS. They lost to the Rockies in that series but everyone in this state was very proud of what the team accomplished. That can also be said about the Phoenix Mercury. Diana Taurasi and company won the WNBA Championship. Congratulations certainly go out to them.

Autumn brought optimism for the Arizona Cardinals. A new head coach and a new attitude gave us a winning team.......for a while. The Cardinals again missed the playoffs but finished the season with a very respectable 8-8 record. Speaking of football and new coaches......Dennis Erickson and the ASU Sun Devils finished their season with a 10-2 record and for a short time, were in the national championship hunt. However, their season ended on a down note, losing in the Holiday Bowl to Texas.

Its been a great 2007, now lets all look forward to what 2008 brings!!!

It's a 15-foot, uncontested shot. You have a full 10 seconds to take it. Yet why do so many NBA teams not take full advantage of shooting free throws? Since the NBA season is starting to heat up, I thought I'd write about something that always amazes me in basketball. I think, especially in the NBA, teams should at least shoot 80 percent from the line. If you look at the statistics this season, you'll only find 2 teams that are shooting better than 80 percent right now.
Most teams are in the middle to low 70's and there are some that are even in the 60 percent range. That's unforgivable! Let me say this again.......ITS A 15-FOOT UNCONTESTED SHOT!!!!!

Steve Nash began this year 53 of 53 from the line and is currently shooting over 94 percent. He will most likely end his career having the best free throw percentage in league history. I'm not asking everyone to be like him, but making 8 out of every 10 you attempt should be commonplace if you're a pro basketball player.
I'll tell you how bad the free throw shooting has become around the league. In a game last week, the Houston Rockets were at one point, 1-16 from the line. I know 6-year olds that came make 5 of 16!!

It's well documented that Shaquille O'Neal has been one of the worst free throw shooters the NBA has ever seen. His career percentage right now is at 52 percent. The scary thing is that there seems to be more and more guys in the league following his lead from the line. My advice to those guys is simple.....instead of practicing dunks and pull-up 3's, take some time and shoot a few extra free throws.....you'll win more basketball games if you do.