Riding the Long Island Expressway July 29, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Media, News, Personal, Photography, Travel, TV, Video, Weather.add a comment
I went to Hoboken last Saturday for my friends’ daughter’s first birthday party. On the drive with my parents to and from the Madison Bar and Grill, I took plenty of pictures. In fact, I shot more on the drive than at the party: 115 out of 224.
In this post, we’ll focus on pics taken on Interstate 495, the L.I.E. (Long Island Expressway).
Westbound, starting with Exit 37:
Exit 36:
Exit 33:
Exit 32:
Exit 31:
Exit 28:
Exit 27:
A tow truck got in the way for the next few exits. I resumed at Exit 20:
Exit 19:
Exit 18:
Exit 17W:
Exit 16:
Exit 15, the last westbound exit:
Eastbound starts immediately after the tolls with Exit 13:
Exit 14:
Exit 17:
Exit 19:
Exit 21:
Exit 22:
Exit 24:
Exit 25:
There was a bow below the rear view mirror in the way in the upper left. So, I rubber stamped it out in Adobe Photoshop 7.
Exit 26:
Exit 27:
Exit 29:
Exit 30:
Exit 31S:
Traffic advisory sign:
Exit 32:
Exit 33:
Exit 34:
Exit 35:
Exit 36:
Exit 37:
Exit 38:
Exit 39:
Exit 40W:
Exit 40E:
Exit 41S:
Exit 41N:
Exit 42:
Exit 43:
A closer look:
Before HOV lanes were added, the Exit 43 ramp was here:
The original ramp can be seen in a video from WLIG-TV (now WLNY) after Hurricane Gloria hit Long Island on September 27, 1985. This is a vidcap (h/t Mike Erickson):
Video:
The vidcap was taken at the 1:03 mark.
Exit 44S:
That was our exit. From there, it wasn’t long before we got home. I spent several hours the next day editing all 224 pictures. The party pics were easy to edit because I used the flash and didn’t have to fix the color or smudge out license plates.
Trust Us with Your Life; UPDATE: Canceled!; UPDATE 2: Not officially canceled.; UPDATE 3: I give up. July 12, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Comedy, Media, Music, Personal, Sports, TV.1 comment so far
8/1 UPDATE: Trust Us with Your Life has been canceled.
8/2 UPDATE: Or has it? More on these updates at the bottom of the post.
2/19/13 UPDATE: I give up. I’ll assume it’s canceled.
4/1/13 UPDATE: Whose Line is it Anyway? reboots this summer!
If you like improvisational comedy, you’ll love the new ABC series Trust Us with Your Life. It was developed by Dan Patterson, one of the people behind Whose Line is it Anyway? It’s hosted by Fred Willard and stars improv veterans Wayne Brady, Jonathan Mangum, and Colin Mochrie. The first two episodes have also starred Greg Proops and Craig Cackowski.
The stars of the show create scenes based on stories recounted by each episode’s guest, which have included (and will include) Serena Williams, Jack and Kelly Osbourne, Mark Cuban, Ricky Gervais, and Florence Henderson (a guest in a latter season of Whose Line). There are improv games to go along with the scenes. If you’ve seen previous Drew Carey’s* previous improv series or tours, this sample of games played may sound familiar:
- Glee Club It! (like Showstopping Number)
- Putting Words in My Mouth (like Dubbing)
- Rap It! (like Kick It!)
- Dramatic Episode (like First Date and New Choice)
- Styles
As a hardcore fan of improv comedy, I laughed hard at most of the scenes.
Unfortunately, post-Whose Line improv series have not lasted long:
- Drew Carey’s Green Screen Show was canceled on the WB after only a handful of episodes. The rest of the recorded episodes were run a year later on Comedy Central.
- Drew Carey’s Improv-A-Ganza ran five nights a week for eight weeks, but did poorly on GSN. It was not renewed. But thanks to the five-night-a-week run, it is the longest-running post-Whose Line series.
I’m hoping Trust Us with Your Life breaks that trend and becomes a huge hit. Why watch serial sitcoms, dramas, and reality shows when you can laugh uncontrollably for 30 to 60 minutes a week with no conflict? Thank you, Dan Patterson, for giving us TUSWYL. I love it!
*-Due to Drew’s contract with CBS, he is not allowed to appear on TUSWYL since it’s on a competing network.
8/1 UPDATE: Nope, the trend was not bucked. Trust Us with Your Life has been canceled. Another post-Whose Line improv series has failed.
Blame this on Fred Willard’s incident all you want, but this is really about a majority of American viewers not looking kindly on improv comedy. The fact that Whose Line is it Anyway? lasted so long amazes me when you consider that its offspring cannot achieve the same staying power.
There are only two cable networks I can imagine the TUWYL re-emerging and perhaps achieving success: Comedy Central or BBC America. But that won’t happen, either.
All involved with the show – in addition to Green Screen and Improv-a-Ganza- should be applauded for trying. Among improv fans like myself, these are hits, but there aren’t enough fans like us to make a difference. It’s a reality we must accept.
8/2 UPDATE: I didn’t catch this until around 11:50 last night, but the TUYWL Facebook page said this about the show’s fate at 10:15 Tuesday night:
I would like to clarify something. “Trust Us With Your Life” has NOT been officially cancelled as of right now. The last two episodes were pulled from the schedule due to competing with ratings for the Olympics. The last two episodes may (or may not) be scheduled at a later time. If you would love to at least see the final two episodes of the season, feel free to write to ABC directly (in other words, not on here) and vocalize this. Thanks, all.
Notice the post says “the final two episodes of the season,” and not the series. I’d like to think they’re right; that Trust Us with Your Life is still alive and merely on hiatus. If so, it would fly in the face of those reveling in its demise because of who the host is.
2/19/13 UPDATE: I give up. I think I can safely say that Trust Us with Your Life was indeed canceled and is never coming back. And while Fred Willard continues to have guest shots on TV series, the performers he moderated, so to speak, haven’t been seen on TV since; at least not to my knowledge.
So, once again, a post-Whose Line improv series bites the dust. Maybe if Nick Cannon was the host, as he was on Wild ‘n Out, Trust Us with Your Life would still be on the air.
4/1/13 UPDATE: Whose Line is it Anyway?reboots this summer!
Derecho flashback July 1, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Baseball, Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Radio, Sports, Weather.add a comment
Friday’s derecho that plowed through the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic took me back fourteen years to a derecho that impacted Long Island.
“Derecho” is a Spanish term that has many translations, including “straight.” The “straight” translation gives the long-lasting weather event its name because of the straight-line winds it produces.
The derecho I remember hit in the mid-afternoon of September 7, 1998; Labor Day. But I didn’t even know of that term, or the swath of damage it caused, until last winter while reading up on major storms that have hit Long Island.
Outside of looking at the radar on The Weather Channel and hearing the thunder, I was oblivious of the derecho’s effects. I was in the basement of my friend Joey’s house, a few blocks southwest of my home in Wantagh. The basement was basically his apartment. It had a bedroom, entertainment center (where we were at the time), and bathroom. I sat at a table while he sat on the couch. I flipped back and forth from The Weather Channel and ESPN, the latter of which was carrying a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. Mark McGwire hit his 61st home run of that season in that game.
Despite the strong winds and lightning, the power never went out at Joey’s house. My house wasn’t so lucky. We did lose power. Considering what I learned recently, I can understand why and why it was out for so long. Power was not restored until around 4AM, about half a day after the derecho hit.
YouTube user Eltiempo10 has video of a Weather Channel Local Forecast at 2:58 PM:
The forecast begins at 0:38, following a station promo featuring Mike Bono, who is now at YNN. (Click here for my December 2005 interview with him.) The JFK “Current Conditions” observation at the top of the forecast is from before the derecho. At 0:50, you’ll notice the temperature went down 11 degrees and the wind speed was 51 MPH! Much of the last 90-seconds is the 90-minute radar loop. The music excerpt used is “Secrets” by Brazilian jazz guitarist Torcuato Mariano, from his 1995 album Last Look.
Where I was: Johan Santana’s no-hitter June 1, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Baseball, Hockey, Internet, Media, News, Personal, Radio, TV.add a comment
(Updated with additional links.)
It’s been a whirlwind 56 minutes as I type. Here goes:
For stress reasons, I typically don’t watch or listen to Mets games until three hours after it starts. If I didn’t check ESPN.com at 9:42 PM EDT to see the name of the winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals held last night – it was Snigdha Nandipati – I would not have known Johan Santana was three outs away from pitching a no-hitter. But I did.
I left my bedroom, and from the top of the stairs in the top floor hallway, I told my parents down in the den to put on SNY because Santana was close to achieving that no-hitter. This may be too much information, but while SNY was (and still is) recording on the DVR in my room, I listened to the last three outs on WFAN from the bathroom on the shower radio in there.
Mets lead radio play-by-play announcer Howie Rose was as loud as he was 18 years and five nights ago at Madison Square Garden, calling Stephane Matteau’s Eastern Conference Finals-clinching goal in double overtime for the Rangers against the Devils.
I don’t think any Mets fan, including Howie, thought tonight would ever happen. It took 8,020 games in 51 seasons for the first no-hitter in Mets history to occur. What a night.
An excerpt of the game recap from Steven Miller at MLB.com:
It took 50 years, but the New York Mets and Johan Santana finally have their no-hitter.
The 33-year-old Santana held the Cardinals hitless in an 8-0 victory Friday in front of 27,069 at Citi Field, who witnessed the first no-hitter in franchise history. The left-hander walked five as his pitch count climbed to 134, but manager Terry Collins could not pull his starter, who Collins said he would limit to about 110 pitches before the game.
“Wow — amazing,” Santana said after the game. “Coming into this season, I was just hoping to come back and stay healthy and help this team. And now I’m in this situation in the greatest city in baseball. I’m very happy, and I’m happy for [the fans], finally — the first one.
“It was a crazy night, trying to command my fastball, moving all over the plate. But I was able to locate it, command it and get some quick outs and get out of there.”
When asked how he felt after throwing the final pitch, Santana could hardly contain his excitement.
“That’s the greatest feeling ever,” Santana said, just as he received a celebratory pie to the face.
WFAN audio/SNY video via Deadspin
New York Daily News:
Anthony McCarron: Johan Santana tosses first no-hitter in NY Mets history during 8-0 victory against St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field
Mike Lupica: On Johan Santana’s magical night at Citi Field, NY Mets fans finally see a no-hitter
Newsday (subscription required):
Roderick Boone: Johan Santana pitches Mets’ first no-hitter
ESPN New York:
Andrew Marchand: Johan Santana tosses no-hitter
WFAN/Associated Press/1010 WINS:
UNBELIEVABLE: Santana Throws First No-Hitter In Mets History
Steve Somers of WFAN (who now sounds years younger thanks to dental surgery last Monday):
Show Open
Interview with Mets catcher Josh Thole
Interview with Ron Darling, former Mets pitcher and current analyst for Mets games on SNY
6/6 UPDATE: Monday night’s Show Open and interview with Jerry Seinfeld
8/18 UPDATE: In recent days, Steve Somers’ speech has returned nearly to what it was before his surgery. He no longer sounds like he ingested helium.
Unfortunately, Johan hasn’t been the same pitcher since the no-hitter.
Shilts at Houndstooth Pub recap 2 May 14, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Hockey, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Sports, Travel, TV, Weather.add a comment
Previous Shilts recap: June 2011
Two nights ago, for the second Saturday in a row, I saw saxophonist Paul “Shilts” Weimar perform. Last week, Shilts was part of keyboardist Jay Rowe’s tenth annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars benefit concert. This time, he played solo at the Houndstooth Pub, a few blocks north of Penn Station. It was a busy night in that area. In addition to Shilts, there was the Bolder & Fresher Tour (Bill O’Reilly and Dennis Miller) show at the Town Hall six blocks north (and two east) of Houndstooth, and Game 7 of the NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Semifinals was taking place at Madison Square Garden. The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals alternated wins and losses in the first six games and the winner would face the New Jersey Devils in the conference final beginning two nights later. Both floors of Houndstooth had TVs tuned to the NBC Sports Network where Rangers and Caps fans alike that could get into MSG watched.
Before we get to Shilts’ performance, I have a few pictures to share from my train ride in to Penn on the LIRR.
Forest Hills station:
BQE (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway):
A view of Manhattan from Long Island City:
I thought one of those buildings was One World Trade Center, but that’s to the south, and I was in a north-facing seat.
Long Island City rail yard:
Not only was this a concert, but it was also a release party for Shilts’ upcoming album, All Grown Up. Copies were available, but sold out fast, just as tickets for the show did.
I got a premium seating ticket back in March and ended up right next to the stage!
Shilts was joined by Abdul Zuhri on guitar:
Ken Stacks Richardson on keyboards:
Thomas Gooding on bass:
And Eric Brown on drums:
SET LIST
SET 1
1. See What Happens
2. Lambeth Strut
3. Good Evans
4. Seeing Things Clearly
5. Sugar
6. Look What’s Happened
SET 2
(NOTE: I left between sets, but saw the set list printout from my seat. If I made any mistakes, let me know in the comment thread.)
7. All Grown Up
8. 2 Pesos For Bud
9. Soul Eyes
10. Eyes Down
11. Blues
12. Back On The Hudson
Neal Newman, audio engineer, assisted by his son Dale (not pictured):
Eric Brown’s “Sugar” drum solo:
I left between sets, but not before getting my copy of All Grown Up signed by Shilts and grabbing a picture with him:
Cheers to Shilts, Abdul, Ken, Thomas, and Eric for another great show.
I’ll conclude this recap on the topic of the Rangers.
Just as I approached 34th Street, I heard wild cheers coming from the top floor of Lucy’s Cantina Royale. The Rangers had held on to beat the Capitals 2-1 and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Devils.
Here are the happy Rangers fans leaving Madison Square Garden to head home:
Game 1 of the EC Finals is tonight.
5/25, 11:17 PM UPDATE: Unfortunately for Rangers fans, like myself, the Rangers lost to the Devils in six games. They took a 2-1 series lead and then lost three straight. The Devils will face the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Finals.
2012 WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony April 29, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Media, Music, Photography, Radio.add a comment
Later Hall of Fame ceremony recaps: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020-21, 2022, 2023
Thursday night, I was at the Tilles Center Atrium at LIU Post for the first ever WCWP Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The inaugural inductees were Art Beltrone, Hank Neimark, Dr. Herb Coston, and Prof. Virgil Jackson Lee. The latter two were inducted posthumously.
You can see the rest of my pictures from this fantastic night in my public Facebook photo album. Enjoy!
10/17 UPDATE: On Saturday, at Homecoming, the WCWP’s 2013 Hall of Fame class will be announced. That has inspired me to post pictures from the 2012 induction ceremony to this post rather than refer you to Facebook.
Desserts, coffee, milk, and tea were served:
Pete Bellotti, Mike Phillips, Jeff Kroll, Phil Lebowitz:
The view from where I placed my camcorder:
(Too bad I had an incompatible memory card.)
Pete Bellotti and Tracy Burgess:
The plaques:
Roger Luce was the host:
Dr. Paul Forestell, LIU Post Provost:
Noel Zahler, Dean of Post’s School of Visual and Performing Arts:
Dan Cox, the WCWP Station Manager, read a statement from a relative of the late Prof. Virgil Jackson Lee:
Twice during the ceremony, Tracy Burgess interviewed a WCWP alum. First up was Bernie Bernard:
Bernie got a round of applause:
Hank Neimark was introduced by two friends. First, Jay Elzweig…
And then Jon Korkes:
Bill Mozer introduced Art Beltrone:
Then, Roger concluded the ceremony:
I didn’t want to create photo confusion between the professional photographer and myself. So, after this one, the remaining pictures are candid shots:
It was quite a night at Tilles. Congratulations to the inaugural inductees to the WCWP Hall of Fame.
Irene retired April 13, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Animation, Media, News, Personal, TV, Weather.add a comment
Irene was just below hurricane status when it made landfall on Long Island and points north last August 28, but that name has been retired from the Atlantic storm name cycle for 2017 and on. From NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration) (edited):
Irene has been retired from the official list of Atlantic Basin tropical storm names by the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) hurricane committee because of the fatalities and damage it caused in August 2011 and will be replaced by Irma.
…
[Irene made] landfall in North Carolina on Aug. 27 as a Category 1 hurricane … [and] made another landfall the next day as a tropical storm very near Atlantic City, New Jersey. The center moved over Coney Island and Manhattan, New York, the same day.
…
Irene caused widespread damage across a large portion of the eastern United States as it moved north-northeastward, bringing significant effects from the mid-Atlantic through New England. The most severe impact of Irene was catastrophic inland flooding in New Jersey, Massachusetts and Vermont.
…
Including flood losses, damage in the United States [from Irene] is estimated to be $15.8 billion.
You can read about my Irene experience here. There are still marks on windows where I put masking tape up as a precaution. Until the end of December, I was convinced it was a category 1 hurricane rather than a tropical storm when it made landfall. With less than two months to go until the 2012 hurricane season begins, I hope that any tropical systems that hit Long Island are merely depressions or extratropical remnants.
A side note: When I read that Irma would be the “I” replacement in 2017, I immediately thought of a character from the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series. Irma Langinstein (portrayed vocally by Jennifer Darling) was a secretary at Channel 6 and a friend of reporter April O’Neil (Renae Jacobs).
Will Donato & Elan Trotman at Houndstooth recap March 12, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Basketball, Hockey, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Sports, Travel, TV, Video.add a comment
Saturday night, to coin a borrow a previously used term, was saxtacular! Saxophonists Will Donato and Elan Trotman performed at Houndstooth Pub, a few blocks north of Penn Station. It was the first time I’d seen Will in concert, but the second for Elan, who I saw last April with Brian Simpson.
But before taking the LIRR to Penn Station and walking those few blocks to Houndstooth, something noteworthy occurred in my neighborhood and another thing in my family. It was my mother Lisa’s birthday. My presents to her were two scratch-off lottery tickets, she won $2 with each, and a Chicago CD. As for the noteworthy neighborhood event, a curbside tree by my neighbor’s house was taken down by a crew from what I assume was the Town of Hempstead. They also removed a tree a block north and west away on Thursday.
Here are two before vidcaps. This one is from February 5, 1995:
And from November 11, 2011:
The next three are after pictures that I took before going to Wantagh’s LIRR station:
I suppose the next step is to redo the sidewalk.
With that business out of the way, on to the show at Houndstooth.
Backing Will and Elan up were Jay Rowe on keyboards:
Kenny Harris on bass:
And Chris Marshak, brother of guitarist Matt Marshak, on drums:
I was on hand for the first set. Elan went first. Here’s what he played:
Elan Trotman:
1. Lil’ Too Late
2. 100 Degrees
3. Heaven in Your Eyes
4. Last Dance
Jay’s second solo on “Heaven in Your Eyes”:
Elan made way for Will Donato:
Will Donato:
5. New Life
6. I’ll Be Around
7. Jaywalking
8. Always You
9. Funkability
Guitarist JJ Sansaverino joined the band for Will’s portion of the set, seen here during his “New Life” solo:
Will went into the audience multiple times:
“Jaywalking” began with a bass solo by Kenny Harris:
And he had a simple “it’s you” vocal on “Always You”:
That song also had a wild guitar solo by JJ:
Back into the audience during “Funkability”:
He even went behind the bar!:
After “Funkability,” the set was complete.
And what a wild set it was! Elan was exciting and Will was lively! I can only imagine how much wilder the second set must have been. Before I left, I got to meet Elan and Will in person for the first time. Elan told me he liked my Brian Simpson show recap and I thanked him for the compliment.
On the way back to Penn Station, I remembered that the championship game for the Big East Tournament was taking place that night at Madison Square Garden. Before walking into Penn, I took a picture of the tournament’s banner:
In the championship game, the Louisville Cardinals defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats 50-44. About twelve hours later on the same basketball court, the Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers squared off. Unfortunately, the Sixers won. After the game, the court was taken apart and the hockey rink was set up as the Rangers faced the Islanders a few hours later. The Rangers won 4-3 on a Marion Gaborik goal with six seconds left in overtime.
Back on Saturday night, the 10:45 Babylon-bound train was a few minutes late, but I made it back to Wantagh on time.
Thanks to Will, Elan, Jay, Kenny, Chris, JJ, Steve Butler, and Ed Tankus for another great night at Houndstooth.
11:47 PM UPDATE: After posting this recap and linking to it on Facebook, Elan had this to say:
Nice job – yet again. Really nice work.
Thank you again, Elan. I’m very glad you liked it.
I also got this from Will:
Mike I really enjoyed your amazing blog. The photos really captured the night and I am honored to be reviewed with such passion and care!
Thank you, too, Will.
My thoughts on Super Bowl XLVI champion New York Giants February 19, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Commentary, Football, Internet, Media, News, Personal, Radio, Sports, TV, Video.add a comment
(Starting with the Giants’ first win against the Cowboys, I link to highlights from Dial Global Sports‘ coverage of each win.)
Two weeks have passed since the New York Giants of the National Football League won Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. So, I thought I’d take this time to share my thoughts on their win and their season.
I became a Giants fan in the early ’90s, but didn’t make an effort to watch the games until the 1997 season. I was too young to appreciate the Giants’ Super Bowl championship seasons of ’86 and ’90 and only saw it through retrospective clips and documentaries. I thought 2000 would be the year I would see them win a Super Bowl, which was held in Tampa that year. My dad and I were in the area the week of Super Bowl XXXV. We saw some NFL and media personalities at the Innisbrook Resort, where my grandparents lived, and went to the NFL Experience outside of Raymond James Stadium two days before the game. We watched the game back at Innisbrook, but it was very depressing. It left such a bad taste in my mouth I couldn’t watch highlights until after the 2007 season. Why? The Giants did the improbable, beating the undefeated New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XLII. I was finally old enough to see my Giants win a Super Bowl and appreciate it.
In the seasons after ’07, the Giants would get off to a hot start and then slack off in the second half. They symbolized that in one game, a collapse in a December 2010 game against the Eagles. It was devastating. They still could have made the playoffs by winning their last game of that season two weeks later, but the Packers had to lose. They didn’t, and Redskins fans made that known as they chanted for the Giants and visiting Giants’ fans: “Green Bay won! Green Bay won!” And the Pack went on to win Super Bowl XLV, but I was proud of them because they knocked out the Eagles in the Wild Card round.
The 2011 season started on a down note, a loss to the Redskins in the same venue where eight months earlier, the G-Men learned they had been eliminated from playoff contention. But then, three wins a row. After a loss to the Seahawks, they won three more. The first of those games, against the Bills, was a result I had to keep under wraps as the game was in progress. I was at the baptism (and post-baptism party) of a friend’s daughter and the brother-in-law was a Bills fan that DVR’d the game. The third of those games was a very satisfying win in New England against the Patriots. Unfortunately, past history repeated itself after that. The Giants lost four in a row to fall to 6-6. In the middle of that losing streak, I wrote the following status update on Facebook:
This second half collapse will cost [head coach] Tom Coughlin his job on January 2.
After the third loss in a row, a blowout loss to the Saints, I wrote:
If the Giants finish 8-8 or 9-7, I’ll be amazed. 6-10 seems likeliest.
Despite the losing streak, at 6-6, the Cowboys were not far behind at 7-5. The two teams played each other the following week at Cowboys Stadium. The Giants came from behind to win that game and led the NFC East on a tiebreaker. (Dial Global highlights.) But then they lost to the Redskins a second time, which led me to write this update:
Today was dream-killing day for the Giants and Jets [who lost to the Eagles while the Bengals won their game].
The Giants’ next game, the second-to-last of the regular season, was a “road” game against the Jets at MetLife Stadium. The Giants usually beat the Jets in their regular season match-ups every four years, but I couldn’t see a Rex Ryan-coached Jets squad lose to the G-Men. So, thirteen hours before the game…
My prediction: The Jets will beat the Giants and the Cowboys will beat the Eagles a few hours later.
The opposite happened: the Giants trailed early, but stormed ahead and won 29-14. (Dial Global highlights.) The Eagles nearly shut out the Cowboys and won 20-7. The stage was set for a winner-take-all season finale between the Giants and the ‘Boys at MetLife Stadium. The result:
The Giants beat the Cowboys 31-14, win the NFC East, and will face Atlanta next week. [Dial Global highlights.]
The Falcons blew out the Buccaneers in their last game of the regular season, so I expected the same against the Giants. Instead, it was a Giants win 24-2. An intentional grounding safety was the only Falcons score. (Dial Global highlights.)
There was no way the Giants could beat the 15-1 Packers at Lambeau Field, but they did 37-20. (Dial Global highlights.)
Then, history repeated itself again in the NFC Championship in these ways:
- 1991 (’90 season): Giants beat 49ers 15-13 at Candlestick Park on Matt Bahr field goal; Steve DeOssie was the snapper; Jack Buck called the game for CBS Radio (now Dial Global)
- 2008 (’07 season): Giants beat Packers 23-20 at Lambeau Field on Lawrence Tynes field goal
- 2008 (’07 season): Patriots are the Giants’ opponent in Super Bowl
Joe Buck called this year’s NFC Championship for FOX TV. Before the game-winning kick by Tynes in overtime, Buck listed the snapper (Zak DeOssie), holder, and kicker. The kick was good. The Giants won 20-17 and were off to Super Bowl XLVI, a rematch with the Patriots. (Dial Global highlights.)
The next two weeks were tough because I feared a revenge-fueled blowout by the Pats, which came to me in a dream, sort of:
[1/27, 11:23 PM]: I had a dream last night that I hope isn’t an omen. The Giants were playing somebody–I don’t remember who– and got blown out.
Four hours before Super Bowl XLVI:
My pessimistic Super Bowl XLVI prediction: Patriots 45, Giants 10. I would love to not only get the outcome wrong, but the team that wins wrong. In other words, I want the Giants to win.
I didn’t watch the game live until 9:30, when there were about four minutes left in regulation. (Dial Global highlights.) The Patriots led 17-15, but only for a few more minutes. Ahmad Bradshaw’s accidental touchdown put the Giants ahead 21-17. I breathed deeply and my extremities grew numb as I watched the Pats’ final drive. Then, at 9:53, seconds after Tom Brady’s incomplete Hail Mary pass, I swiveled my desk chair to the left and typed:
Oh, baby! They did it! The New York Giants win Super Bowl XLVI! My hands are numb from anxiety.
I was both relieved and excited. About $80 later, I was the proud owner (through online purchases) of the championship cap, locker room t-shirt, parade t-shirt, and DVD. There was also the matter the following day of getting the Monday newspapers, which I posed with in the guest bedroom:
Tuesday was the day of the Tickertape Parade along the Canyon of Heroes and the Victory Rally at MetLife Stadium:
- Day Of Celebration Puts Cap On Giants’ Incredible Title Run
- NYC Honors Super Bowl Champion Giants With Ticker-Tape Parade
- NJ Celebrates Giants Super Bowl Win At MetLife Stadium
The Super Bowl XLVI DVD doesn’t come out until March 6. I’ve watched the following to hold me over while I wait:
- The Complete History of the New York Giants
- America’s Game: Super Bowl XXI
- America’s Game: Super Bowl XXV
- Super Bowl XLII DVD
There you have it: the Giants’ 2011-12 championship season as I saw it. Thank you for reading. To paraphrase the team’s playoff catchphrase, I’m all out.
MikeChimeri.com 
Read the manual! May 1, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Commentary, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Technology, Video.1 comment so far
As I noted in my previous post, I was at WCWP’s first annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony Thursday night at LIU Post.
What I didn’t tell you was I brought my recently purchased JVC Everio GZ-HM320 HD camcorder to record the ceremony, which lasted about an hour, in addition to candid chatter before and afterward.
Unfortunately, I didn’t read the camcorder’s manual when I bought it in October. After a few successful, short test recordings in October and November, I didn’t use it until Thursday night. I was able to get two minutes of chatter and the first nine minutes of the ceremony, but then, the memory card stopped working. Everything recorded after LIU Post Provost Dr. Paul Forestell talked about when he first met WCWP station manager Dan Cox was corrupted and could not be viewed or recovered. At least I had the pictures I shot on my digital camera.
My first reaction the following day when I learned of the file corruption was to look for a better camcorder with internal memory of at least 32 GB (gigabytes). But tonight, it finally dawned on me that it wasn’t the camcorder that was the problem. It was the memory card: a Kingston Class 4 SDHC 32 GB card. Before I considered buying a SanDisk card of the same class and size, I looked at my camcorder’s manual.
In the middle of page 9, it said “operations are confirmed on … Panasonic, TOSHIBA, SanDisk [and] ATP” cards. For video, “Class 4 or higher compatible SDHC card (4 GB to 32 GB).” And then, the money quote: “Using cards other than those specified above may result in recording failure or data loss.” Bingo!
So, I went ahead and bought that SanDisk card to replace the Kingston. If I get uninterrupted video for more than ten minutes the next I record an event like the WCWP Hall of Fame ceremony, I’ll know I made the right decision. And I’ll save a ton of money.
The moral is simple: Read the manual!
5/3 UPDATE: The SanDisk card arrived this afternoon. Putting it in did the trick! My camcorder successfully recorded about an hour and a half of video while I went to and from Sunrise Mall (Westfield Sunrise) in East Massapequa. There was no corruption; all files (3.89 GB at a time) played and could be scrolled through in Windows Media Player.
I also tested my Tascam DR-03 audio recorder while I was out. It recorded the same length of time as the camcorder successfully with a SanDisk 16 GB microSDHC card.