Greetings from Oswego, NY

Andy's Back!

2009-01-28T11:40:00.002-05:00

Just when I thought that The Yankees were not going to have Andy Pettite this year, news has arrived that he has been signed to a new contract for 2009! Now the pitching rotation is complete!

Whoa there, not so fast on that TV conversion

2009-01-28T11:17:00.001-05:00

Now we hear that the switch to digital TV could be delayed, mainly because the government ran out of money to give people the $40 coupons to get their converter. Please see the following video for further explanation.....

is YOUR TV ready????

2008-12-22T19:30:00.003-05:00

Good Grief! you cannot turn on the TV these days without being bombarded with all these news people among others threatening you with no TV signal after 2/17/09 if you dont have the digital converter box. I think that the following video sums it up:

Happy viewing!

Canada comes to Oswego, Eh

2008-11-23T21:14:00.002-05:00

OK I don't normally do restaurant reviews in this column, but I did have the oppportunity to go to the new Tim Horton's in Oswego today. Tim Horton's is the Dunkin Donuts of Canada. You can't go down any street in Ontario without seeing one.

Hey, they serve their food in real dishes, and real coffee cups. No flimsy paper cups that when you pick them up, you burn your fingers like that other place. I like that, why waste paper. Also, they have friendly staff that don't try to rip you off at the register.

In addition to bagels, muffins and donuts, they offer soups and sandwiches. Check it out, all you hockey moms out there!

Yankees, see ya next year

2008-09-28T20:11:00.002-04:00

I write this as I watch the final game of the season. Sure the yanks have been on a hot streak lately, but it's too late. There will be no postseason in NY this year. Too many uncertainties are there for next year. Will Mussina retire? What about Pettite? Will the team want Giambi and Abreu back? Will they get CC Sabathia?

I am looking forward to the new stadium. The core players will be there - Jeter, A-Rod, Posada, Rivera. Maybe I will get there to see a game.

Until then, see ya in spring training!

SU football is "gross"; GRob must go.

2008-09-08T11:42:00.002-04:00

Not a huge football fan, but the Syracuse football team is always on the local news, and the news is usually bad. This weekend is the final straw, losing to a team called the Akron Zips...a game that the Orange should have won handily. instead, the SU defense decided to again not show up for the game.

Greg Robinson is 7 and 30 in the last three years and two games. Daryl Gross' experiment has gone horribly bad. Watching the game on TV, you could see all the empty seats. Hey, at least with Pasqualoni, the team at least won half of their games. This is better?? I don't think so.

Gross and Robinson have to go.

Holy Hailstones, Batman!

2008-08-11T11:57:00.001-04:00

We have had some bouts of crazy weather lately, it was capped off with a nice hailstorm. Here are some shots from my sister's house on the West Side:

Kiss My Bricks

2008-07-28T09:56:00.002-04:00

For those of you who had the unfortunate opportunity to see the Brickyard 400 yesterday, my apologies. If NASCAR knew there were going to be problems with the tires on FRIDAY, then they should have gotten some new tires in time for the Sunday Race. Somebody's going to have some 'splainin to do.

The only reason I was watching this was that the Ball game didn't start until 8:00 pm! Looks like I will be curtailing my nascar viewing - Pocono is next week, who cares! 4 hours of snoring? Forget it. I will wait til Bristol in a few weeks.

What now for the King of Beers?

2008-07-16T11:27:00.002-04:00

for as long as I can remember, my beer of choice has been Budweiser. Now that A-B has been purchased by a foreign company, I have feelings of uncertainty. What will happen to the breweries and the jobs? The nearest plant is a half-hour away in Baldwinsville, NY. I will stay loyal for as long as I can, but these people are messing with an American Icon...! I hope they do not change the brand to Stella Bud.

So Long, Bobby Murcer

2008-07-13T21:49:00.003-04:00

When I became a baseball fan in the early 1970s, I was orignally a Mets fan, but people I knew that were Yankee Fans would talk about their favorite player, Bobby Ray Murcer. What a great man, he will be missed. I will always remember those games when we was broadcasting with the Scooter. Some games they would forget about the game and talk about golf, but I wouldn't trade that for anything! Rest in peace, Bobby!

Good Eats in NYC

2008-07-09T11:53:00.003-04:00

In Manhattan recently - found a great place to eat with a great name, because it's my name!

Check it out at the corner of 8th Ave. and 44th St.

CRAP

2008-07-08T11:49:00.002-04:00

last week my worst fear came true - Erik Cole was traded to some western Canadian team - in the western conference! I guess I can forget about seeing him on TV for a while. My hope is that since he is in the last year of his contract, he will sign up again with the Hurricanes next year.......

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-16T11:55:00.002-04:00

Yes it certainly was, Dale Jr won, the Yankees also won and swept the series at Houston. Can't get any better!

Spitzer's Latest Trick

2008-03-14T15:49:00.002-04:00

Watch as the former Governor tries to swallow his face with his lower lip.....

What's that Smell?

2008-03-14T15:33:00.002-04:00

Spitzer Shame

2008-03-13T11:34:00.005-04:00

As "Client-9" goes looking for Wife-2, this guy should be ashamed that he could not practice what he preaches.........................!

This is not a good example of stimulating the local economy!

Ballplayers and Old Senators

2007-12-18T09:09:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I read the list of names on the Mitchell Report that was released last week. I guess I was not surprised to see some of the names, including Roger Clemens. What bothers me is that this investigation is using statements from a handful of lowlifes, including Jose Canseco, and the two trainers, McNamee, and Radomski who are only talking to save their own a$$ from a long prison sentence. I don't fault Mitchell here, he did his job the best he could, and he understands a lot of this happened a long time ago before the league started testing for these substances.

I guess Clemens will not return to the Yankees. I do give credit to Andy Pettite for admitting what he had done, and explaining that it was a mistake.

Calendar Creep

2007-12-03T14:51:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays to all. Yes it's that time again, when the months start to blur together. Usually this starts around Halloween. The first big shopping day is Veteran's Day, and Thanksgiving is just a big commercial for the Black Friday sales ("Sorry Mom, I can't come to dinner, I am already in line at Best Buy!").

Once again, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" aired on NOVEMBER 27, 5 days after Thanksgiving! But it's OK, I guess because it's on again tonight (December 3).

Ever notice that the people who wait in line all night to get to the 4am sales on Black Friday are not buying gifts, but stuff for themselves?

Other Stuff

Ha ha - That fathead selfish jerk Barry Bonds got indicted for perjury and obstruction. You DON'T mess with the Federal Government - now I believe that he is finished in Baseball. We'll see a real player break the HR record in a few years - That's Alex Rodriguez.....

The Cheatin Weasel won the Nextel Cup again. The last five weeks of the NASCAR season were a real yawner. all they talked about was Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Blah blah blah.......

More idiots in Sports

2007-08-23T12:59:00.000-04:00

Michael Vick said he would plead guilty to dogfighting charges. Even though he may only go to jail for 18 months, his career is finished. The NFL should ban this bonehead for life.

Enough Said.

756*

2007-08-08T13:54:00.000-04:00

Ok, so Barry Bonds hit no. 756 last night. Can we get on with life now? Sure we cannot dispute that he indeed hit 756 baseballs over the fence in fair territory. We can dispute his character, however. While Henry Aaron was an ambassador to the sport of baseball, Bonds is a selfish jerk.

If Babe Ruth played in today's era, he likely would have hit over 1,000 home runs. If Barry Bonds retires tomorrow, I would not care.

Master of the Obvious

2007-06-27T09:34:00.000-04:00

Today I received an email from an online greeting card company and here is what it said:

Hi scott, just a reminder that
Fourth of July is July 4th.

REALLY? I thought it was on October 32nd!

duh.

8 = 5?

2007-06-13T15:42:00.000-04:00

Well, today it happened, something many people probably never expected: Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced today that he will drive for Hendrick Motorsports next year, replacing Kyle Busch. What may put people off is that Jr. will be a teammate to Jeff Gordon and Cheatin' Weasel Jimmie Johnson.

Personally, I don't have a problem with this. If this means that Jr. has a better chance of winning more races and championships, then fine.

We need to see what the number will be, what the sponsor will be, etc. Will Kyle Busch end up in the 8 car? Will Martin Truex be in the 8? or will Jr. bring the Number to his new team?

Stay tuned.

Barry Bonds to break Home Run Record - Who Cares?

2007-05-21T13:53:00.000-04:00

Apparently nobody outside San Francisco does. Sure, ESPN will cut into programming every time he comes to the plate, and we'll watch him walk or strike out. But Barry Bonds is no Hank Aaron, or Babe Ruth, or Willie Mays, or Reggie Jackson, or Mickey Mantle. He is a selfish dork with a big head who likely cheated. Heck, the Commissioner of Baseball may not even be there when he breaks the record.

I remember the story done last year that said that if Babe Ruth had played today, with the smaller ball parks, he would have a total of about 1,100 career home runs.

Like I said, no one cares, cheater!

Injury to Insult pt. 2

2007-05-21T13:48:00.000-04:00

Well, it happened again.

During Saturday's game with the Mets, the Yankees' Pitcher Darrell Rasner was hit by a line drive on the second batter of the game. The Yanks had to finish the game with a bunch of releivers, including submarine baller Mike Myers. Maybe if Shrek had pitched a couple of innings, they would have had a chance.

C'mon down, Clemens! Hope he starts June 9, that's when I will be at the stadium......!

Injury to Insult

2007-05-02T11:48:00.000-04:00

A few days cannot go by without a Yankees player getting hurt. Last night Philip Hughes was on his way to a no-hitter in his second major league start, but in the top of the 7th with one out, he hurt his hamstring throwing a pitch. The season is barely a month old, and these pitchers have been hurt: Wang, Mussina, Pavano, Karstens, and now Hughes.

Johnny Damon is playing hurt. Jeter missed a couple games after being hit by a pitch.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that no one else goes down.

Roger Clemens is looking better every day...!

Waste of Beer

2007-04-30T15:16:00.000-04:00

You knew it would happen anyway.

Despite the pleas of their hero, Dale Earnhardt Jr, some knuckleheads decided that they would take out their anger caused by Jeff Gordon winning at Talladega, and chuck beer cans at Gordon's car as he passed the grandstands on the last winning lap. Now, I am an Earnhardt fan all the way, and I wanted the 8 car to finish at the top, too. But I would not be so stupid as to toss full beers over the fence and onto the track.

Too much booze and not enough brains in those grandstands that sunny Sunday Afternoon. Hey, go figure, this was Alabama............

Farewell to Benny Parsons

2007-01-17T09:13:00.000-05:00

Benny Parsons passed away yesterday. I have been a NASCAR fan for over 30 years, and My first memory was seeing Benny win the Daytona 500 in 1975. Benny also won the Championship in 1973. He was very well liked in the sport, and he will be missed.

Deserving Hall-of-Famers

2007-01-09T21:24:00.000-05:00

Today, it was announced that Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken earned enough votes to be elected to the Baseball Hall Of Fame. It is clear that these two are very deserving of the honor. What also stood out in the news of today was that Mark McGwire only got 23% of votes, far short of the 75% needed. This shows that the writers are not very forgiving of the players who used, or were suspected of using steriods. I think that the arrogance that McGwire showed in the congressional hearings cost him. I also believe that Rafael Palmiero will have the same problems when his turn comes.

What month is this?

2007-01-07T11:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, there's something missing here. it is January 7, and normally we are in hibernation mode because of the cold and snow. But now, the cold and snow are missing. Could global warming be taking hold? Not likely, since Denver got clobbered again. Probably it is the work of El Nino.

Around here, people are not swinging shovels, but are swinging golf clubs. People are outside walking. My neighbor across the street was raking leaves on New Year's Day. There is word that the apple trees could be blossoming too soon. Whatever it is, we have had it pretty good here.

Sure we're not out of the woods yet. We could have a big one hit in February or March. In the meantime, I think I have to go mow the lawn....

Oh, Chuck, where art thou?

2006-12-13T12:46:00.000-05:00

Hey, Happy Holidays to all! I bet you are getting pumped up to see "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on TV. It is my all-time favorite holiday special. What? you cannot find it in your TV listings? That is because it was already on - NOVEMBER 28! Yes kids, exactly one week after "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" was aired, ABC decided to get the holiday started early. Ol' Sparky is turning over in his grave as we speak.

Cheatin' Weasel Champion

2006-11-21T14:21:00.000-05:00

If you remember after the Daytona 500 about 9 montths ago, I referred to Jimmie Johnson as the "cheatin' weasel". This was because his crew chief had been caught making illegal modifications to his race car. Well now the cheatin weasel is the champ. Great. Someone who is as exciting as a loaf of white bread (store brand, even). Someone less exciting as Matt Kenseth, if you possibly could be.

All I have to say is: watch out for that 8 car next year!

Game On!

2006-10-05T14:06:00.000-04:00

After 108 days of Stanley Cup hangovers, it is time for Erik Cole and the Carolina Hurricanes to defend their title. The canes lost a shootout with the Sabres last night, but were still mighty impressive in all aspects. They killed off all nine penalties, and their new defenders show promise.

Erik did score a goal, and had a chance to win the game in the shootout, but The Sabres goalie Ryan Miller had other ideas.

Here's to another great season coming up!

Cup Comes to Oswego!

2006-08-30T14:30:00.000-04:00

IMG_1841
Originally uploaded by nypl8s.

On 8/11/06, Erik Cole brought the Stanly Cup to Oswego! It was quite a gathering, although he arrived 2 1/2 hours late, and wasn't able to sign autographs. I was able to take photos. Here is one of them.

Stanley Cup Coming to Oswego 8/11

2006-08-07T12:41:00.000-04:00

Erik Cole will be bringing the Stanley Cup home on Friday! The festivities will begin at 10am at Fort Ontario.

Good thing I have the day off...I'll be there!

MTV at 25!

2006-07-31T13:19:00.000-04:00

Well, nothing says I am not a kid anymore like that headline that I saw in the paper today: MTV@25... That's right MTV is 25 years old, and it is nothing like it was back then, although I can't say that for sure, because I haven't watched MTV for like 15 or 20 years. Do they show music videos anymore? In the first few years, I never had access to MTV, because it wasn't even on my cable system.

I think I first got it in 1983 or 84, when everyone was doing heavy breathing over Madonna, of all people. What were we thinking? "Like a Virgin"? "Thriller"? "Beat It"? "Eat it?" Yeah, MTV made Weird Al Yankovic a household name. I think that I stopped watching when they started "Yo, MTV Raps".

As MTV the way it was became ancient history, I went back to just listening to music, and everything was good.

But maybe I am still "Hot for Teacher"................

attention all Star Wars Fans!!!

2006-07-20T22:27:00.000-04:00

Are you a dyed-in-the-wool Star Wars freak? I'm not, but I have a very good friend, Bob Vitas, who I have known for a long time that is the author and publisher of The Completely Unofficial Star Wars Encyclopedia. It is found on-line at http://www.cuswe.org/ This site has just about everything you need to know about anything Star Wars. Check it out, and tell Bob what you think....

Bob is also a Carolina Hurricanes freak like me...............but he lives there in the Raleigh area....and has Season Tickets, Dang it!

Oswego's pride in Erik Cole

2006-07-20T21:42:00.000-04:00

The city has just put up the sign pictured at the corner of E First and Utica St. It is obvious that Oswego is very proud of him.

Gosek to Go

2006-07-20T15:24:00.000-04:00

The other day the Judge sentenced John Gosek to 37 months in Federal Prison. He has to report there on August 29. They gave him a deal on the sentencing, but what information did he give? Are there others in trouble? Time will tell. For now, the book is closed on this one. Let's move on....

Erik Cole Rocks!!

2006-07-14T13:24:00.000-04:00

Geez has it been 4 months since I posted?? Sorry to be away that long. Today's post is about the hometown hero, Erik Cole. We found out today that Erik is set to bring the Stanley Cup to Oswego on August 11. Erik will be in town that week also for his Golf Tournament to benefit the Oswego Public Library. Looking forward to being there to see the Cup!

What a fantastic story, with Erik coming back from injury to play in games 6 and 7 of the finals. The image of him hoisting the cup is one I will remember for a long time, even though I didn't get to see on TV, because NBC went off the air before he got to hold the trophy....!

It is clear that Erik loves hockey, and Loves the Carolina fans, he has recently signed a new contract that will keep him with the Canes.

(AFP/Getty Images/File)

Musical Finds

2006-02-27T15:31:00.000-05:00

You have to go to the following website:

www.wolfgangsvault.com

I saw the story about this on the CBS Sunday Morning show a week ago. Apparently the legendary music promoter, Bill Graham was a giant pack-rat, and he saved just about everything from his many concerts, including photographs, posters, tickets, and other souvenirs. Click on the "Radio" link, and you will hear concert performances by all sorts of different artists.

It's great! Check it out!

Here is the link the the story on the CBS website:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/19/sunday/main1330440.shtml

NASCAR Notes: California: Good thing no one has invented Smellivision

2006-02-27T15:15:00.000-05:00

The Fontana, California Auto Club 500 was turning out to be a real stinker for the first 400 miles or so - Greg Biffle, the big bug-eyed dummy was running away with this one. Several times his lead was over ten seconds, thanks to long green-flag runs. Bad rug-man Matt Kenseth won the race after Biffle dropped a valve and then dropped out of the race. Jimmie Johnson, the Cheatin' Weasel was second. Tony Stewart finished dead last after his engine blew up.

Dale Jr. finished 11th, which is pretty good for him, considering the problems this team has on these type of tracks. Michael Waltrip had engine problems from the start of the race, and rode around in last place all day, finishing 36th, 4 laps down. Martin Truex finished on the lead lap in 15th.

NASCAR Notes: Cheatin' Weasel wins the Daytona 500

2006-02-27T15:07:00.000-05:00

No good deed ever goes unpunished - or something like that. Jimmie Johnson, who I believe is an actual clone of his car owner, Jeff Gordon, won the Daytona 500 despite having no crew chief present. The whole car should have been confiscated after the blatant cheating that went on with this 48 team during qualifying. But no, NASCAR made a chicken-sh!t call and let them make the car legal and race.

Dale Jr. finished in the top 10, but would have finished higher had he remained in line instead of trying to pass. But this is Daytona. You cannot blame him for trying to win.

NASCAR Notes

2006-02-27T15:05:00.000-05:00

With the new NASCAR Season in progress, I will attempt to put in my 2 cents about the action on and off the track. So feel free to check back weekly.

Duck and Cover

2006-01-23T08:55:00.000-05:00

This television season, I have always looked forward to seeing "the West Wing". With all of the junk on TV today, it's good to have some intelligent shows once in a while. Of course that's probably why the show is being cancelled at the end of the season.

Last night's episode about the nuclear plant accident was 2 things, one, it was pretty entertaining, and two, it was horribly inaccurate in the technical details of what could go wrong. The people who produce the show, likely very liberal and anti-nuclear power, tried to scare people into thinking that this is something that could happen in real life.

The truth is, there are many more levels of backup systems in place to prevent the overheating of the reactor core.

So take the episode for what it was meant to be: an entertaining work of fiction!

New Sheriff in town

2005-11-09T20:03:00.000-05:00

The voters have spoken. In the common council, 4 republican incumbents, including the acting mayor, were thrown out with the trash. There will now be a 5-2 Democratic majority, and it is likely that Bateman will become council president and acting Mayor. Unless Dunsmoor goes back on his word. Dunsmoor said that if he lost the election, he would also step down as acting mayor.

It is also very likely that if Gosek and Ruggio had never gotten into trouble, voter turnout would have been low, and the council would not have changed much.

But reality is, only 2 of the current common council (Donahue and Bateman) will retain their seats.

It is time for Dave Hall, Jay Scanlon (who was really just a puppet of Bill Mercier), and Bill Dunsmoor to walk away from the mess they created.

What a deal

2005-10-26T15:24:00.000-04:00

Today I got to look at the document that showed the details of the Bob Farrell "resignation" deal. Looks to me that they also bought his silence, since part of the deal was that Bob could apply for and receive unemployment benefits with out the city's objection. Usually if you quit or get fired, you are not eligible for unemplyment.

here is an image of the document:

http://oswegonylion.com/moreextra2.html

Acting Boob

2005-10-26T15:17:00.000-04:00

Sounds like the acting mayor had a few too many on his Las Vegas Vacation. He thinks that he can be the mayor, the council president, onion farmhand, and the 7th ward alderman at the same time. Well, Willie, you need to decide what you want to be. Instead he is going to let his friend, acting supreme court judge John Elliott, decide for him.

Gimme a break!

Acting Mayor, Chief, who's next?

2005-10-21T10:28:00.000-04:00

I was correct in questioning the appointment of William Ruggio to be the police chief. He had barely a chance to mess up when his home got raided by the FBI and the State Police. Enough said about that!

Now it seems that the Acting Mayor has gone on Vacation in Las Vegas. While I see nothing wrong with a person going on vacation, the timing of this is very poor. Doesn't he realize that the election is less than 3 weeks away? If it were me, I would continue to hit the street campaigning. I guess he feels that re-election is in the bag. Another sign of arrogance on his part.

Government in Ruins?

2005-09-30T10:09:00.000-04:00

Ok, by now you have seen all of the news reports about John Gosek, Our now former mayor. Frankly I have had enough of the whole deal. Who knows who else is going to take a hit - Dunsmoor? Ruggio? Natoli? Why did Dunsmoor call in all of the cell phones? Is the FBI still doing wiretaps?

The other day there was a story in the Post-Standard linking John Ermini, the bank robber and child molester to the Gosek situation. Now the word is out that it was just a story, there is no link. It was just Ermini trying to lessen his jail time by trying to get the FBI to talk to him. Turns out the FBI was not interested in what he has to say. Ermini was the same guy who, a few years ago tried to tell us all that he was going to turn the closed Miller Brewery into a major movie studio. The local officials and the media treated him like a king, and you know what? it was a big lie. The sad part is, a lot of people believed him.

ALUMINUM RECYCLING DAY FOR HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

2005-09-16T10:37:00.000-04:00

An Aluminum Recycling Day benefiting Oswego County Habitat for Humanity is scheduled for Sept. 24 at the Wal-Mart parking lot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants may drop off their aluminum beverage cans and donate the proceeds to help local people achieve their dream of decent affordable housing, while preserving the environment for the next generation.

Please show your support on September 24! Thanks!

Habitat for Humanity needs your help

2005-09-13T20:09:00.000-04:00

www.habitat.org

Many people who lost their homes are folks who live in homes built in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. If you have yet to donate to the relief effort, or want to help more, please visit Habitat's website.

Chief Ruggio????

2005-09-02T19:55:00.000-04:00

Oh, come on now. What's up with that? Look, I am a republican, too, but I have a real problem with this. Not just because Bill Ruggio was fired as Oswego Police Chief in 1991, but it's because he is still associated with former police officer and current rent-to-own shark Bob Natoli. Sometimes I wonder what John Gosek is thinking, unless he is thinking that Natoli is going to give him a job after he is done as mayor of Oswego....Only recently has the Oswego Police Dept. gained respect from the community as a group of upstanding individuals. Let's hope that Mr. Ruggio keeps it that way.

Mayhem in the South

2005-09-02T19:18:00.000-04:00

what's up! I'll tell you what's up, my anger with what is going on down there in N'Orleans. That place will NEVER be like it was before. My question is, Why didnt the military get ready for this sooner? They should have gone there before the hurricane actually hit. They should have known that the levees were going to fail...Not very uplifiting to see a picture in the paper of a dead man sitting in a lawn chair. No wonder there is anarchy and chaos. People down there are pissed off! It's going to take a long time to get over this one.