ALL WE ARE SAYING.....

By Your Athletic Supporter, Jack Strap

If you're here for the George THOROUGHLY GOOD Concert, see that story below because here we're going to be talking about Education. As part of HHI's No Child Left Behind Initiative (NCLBI), we always remind Gary to take Cassi home and also work with her on her A-B-C's, 1-2-3's & today was a History lesson--The History of Rock & Roll. She was dressed appropriately with multi-Peace-signed shirt, so we taught her ALL WE ARE SAYING.....Is Give Peace a Chance which most people think was written by John Lennon. That's what is in the Rock & Roll History books, but she now knows that Mighty Kerr wrote ALL WE ARE SAYING..... & then Lennon found the napkin Kerr wrote it on at the 'Skellar. As George says "I know I'm full of crap, but I'm having a good time".

After another great decision by me (& me alone because when I decide alone, I prefer to be by myself) to play inside this week, Poletti & I together created these virtual franchises:
* ALL WE ARE SAYING = Swoop, Mighty, Quick Mike, Floor Burn Phil (good to have FBP back in action), Gary US Bonds, and Your Athletic Supporter
* Is Give Peace a Chance = X-Smoker Bob, Scholesinator, Pat's Steaks, DJ Jazzy, Iron Mike, and Diggetty Doug Bails
* Unlucky 13th Man = Roving Radon Rader (Triple R)

In Game 1, ALL WE ARE SAYING is that ALL WE ARE SAYING was hot from behind the arc and that didn't Give Peace much of a Chance. But for Game #2 ALL WE ARE SAYING is that Radon Radar Roved to ALL WE ARE SAYING to Give Peace a Chance & they made the best of it to tie the Series.

The Daily Championship Game saw Triple R score the pivotal point that he had been promising all day, but ALL WE ARE SAYING is that it Gave Peace a Chance to capture the D.C. which they did in decisive fashion.

The Iron Man Finale (IMF) Title was then on the line and let it be noted (i.e. ALL WE ARE SAYING) that when Rader departed (not to be confused with "deported") Give Peace a Chance was in the lead, but when you looked up at the mythical scoreboard after the mythical final buzzer rang, it was ALL WE ARE SAYING who had on the mythical IMF Title belts & that's ALL I AM SAYING.

THOROUGHLY GOOD

By Your Rock & Roll Blues Supporter, Jack Strap

It was a THOROUGHLY GOOD night for a George Thorogood Concert starting with Lipper & I dodging ambulances & police cars on Penn Avenue on our way to GNA Ristorante (note that's Italian for Restaurant). It was no coincidence that there were a "Dirty Dozen" of us at the Ristorante which is exactly the name of George THOROUGHLY GOOD's latest album. The Dirty Dozen included my Wife Karen (who bought me the THOROUGHLY GOOD tickets as a Valentine's Day gift) & my Daughter Britty (who were just there for the food, not the concert), the aforementioned 'lligerent Lipper, Steve "Swoop" Poletti who was there with Diane-dretti Poletti who had gotten them the THOROUGHLY GOOD tix, and then there was the Werley-Wong Entourage led by Kathy Werley-Wong. It feels like a good time for a new paragraph.

Kathy "Dubya-Dubya" just replaced "Jesus" (big sandals to fill) as Finance Director at the Bollman Hat Company who after celebrating their 140th Anniversary in 2008, continues to grow their reputation for innovative designs, unsurpassed quality, and world-class service. Their employee-owners make products that provide sun-protection as well as support the fight against skin cancer and many other worthy causes. Our products give our loyal customers fashion, outdoor function, fun, and a personal style statement. We supply our world-wide customers warmth from the cold, skin protection from melanoma, and a great look in all climates. And now they have Kathy at the Top of Finance.
Kathy's Entourage included her gold-digging husband Harry, as well as (4) who were very fun to ristorante with, but can't recall their names because I'm old & forgetful. Though I didn't forget that there were (4) of us in attendance who are Penn State Accounting Grads (they called us the Big 4 back in the day)--Kathy, Diane, Lip & myself. And you know what happens when you get the Big 4 PSU Accountants together, I thought we were going to blow the roof off the Ristorante. And as George THOROUGHLY GOOD said at the subsequent concert "I know I'm full of shit, but I'm having a good time".

I may be full of it, but I do hear things, then report them to you on a need to know basis & you need to know about this. "Lonesome" Stevey P. spent a lot of time on the road in Hangover, PA with Harry Wong including going clothes shopping together (for the record, I've never gone clothes shopping with another man). Here's how I envision that went:
* Swoop: Do these basketball shorts make my ass look fat Harry?
* Harry: No Steve, you look fine to me after all these days away from home
I also learned that Swoop "accidently" entered Harry's hotel room while Harry was taking a shower. All that Harry would say about that was those spots he usually can't reach on his back were clean. Harry & Steve were telling road stories & finishing each other sentences like an old married couple. A story excerpt which made me LOL, but hey I'm politically incorrect:
* Steve: What time is it in India Harry?
* Harry: 7:11

Well enough about Steve & Harry's gay tendencies, my date Lipper (we're just friends) drove the Poletti's & me (or should that be "I"?--remember I was an Accounting Major) across the bridge to Reading. We parked near the Ugly Oyster & walked up to the Sovereign Center where we wondered where the heck everyone was? Yet another in a long history of idiot moves by our PSU Crew as the THOROUGHLY GOOD Concert was at the Sovereign Performing Arts Center. Oh well, it was a nice night for a walk with good friends.

Wow, 4 paragraphs later & we're not even at the Concert yet. Well we got there just-in-time or JIT as we call it in the business world & speaking of business I have a question for Kathy Wong--while I was doing my "extensive research" on Bollman Hat for this story I saw you have an acronym L.I.P.S. that Lip & I want to know about? I know what you're thinking, can I just get to the THOROUGHLY GOOD Concert? Yes, the Opening Act was a 2-man band with Rocky on guitar & a percussion-singer who was good--the others can further "Comment" below on this very BLOG, but I most liked (is that proper English? hey, I was in Reading) "The Upside of Lonely"--a happy Blues song. Speaking of happy, I was happy to be at the SPAC with Lip who my friendship with dates back to my early days of music where my favorite venue was listening to his 8-track on Penn State Road Trips in his classic auto that as a hitch-hiking girl once said "there's so much chrome inside, that this must be a party".

Anyway, THOROUGHLY GOOD George hit the stage & "wow'd the crowd" as expected with his personality & classic hits including Bad to the Bone; Move It on Over; One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer; Who Do You Love; I Drink Alone (sing along--You know when I drink alone, I prefer to be by myself); Madison Blues; and Get a Haircut (& Get a Real Job like Kathy Wong). And like our "Dirty Dozen", George has aged well as you can see in this THOROUGHLY GOOD concert shot:
That just left the post-concert where the Wongs, Lip & I were oddly asked for a cigarette by one of the youngest guys in the crowd outside and on the walk back a Reading "Memorabilia Salesman" sold Poletti on a THOROUGHLY GOOD T-Shirt that he may wear to HHI because he has "no particular place (else) to go". So like I said way back at the beginning of this, where you should have stopped reading "It was a THOROUGHLY GOOD night for a George Thorogood Concert".

NUMBERS GAME (250, 12, 10, 1, 4, 2, 15)

By Your Athletic Supporter, Jack Strap
[Special Note: this is the 250th Report in this HHI BLOG's History]

After Commish Wojo-Mojo's lovely ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday @ Da Hills, the HHI Outdoor Season tipped off this AM with (12) Whiners (led by Poletti who was part of the decision to play outside, then denied he knew anything about it) & yours truly in action. Before the game, the Whiners came up with these Top 10 reasons we shouldn't be playing outside:
#10 It's Too Cold (note temp was about 50 at game time)
#9 The Sun gets in your Eyes
#8 It's Bad on our Knees
#7 The Breeze effects my shooting
#6 No Water Fountains
#5 It makes my Back Hurt
#4 No Bathrooms
#3 No Walls to Control Cassi
#2 Didn't see email & Wasted Gas going to Grace first
and the #1 Reason is mine, we can replay Robert Morris vs. Villanova

The Captains were DJ (#1) and (just behind my Wife Karen & Son Andrew) Your Athletic Supporter (#4) the top two HHI "Pickers" in our Madness Pool (if we were talking "Nose", then Poletti would have been a Captain) who "recruited" these squads:

• #2 Seed Villanova = DJ, Swoop, Gary US Bonds, Pat's Steaks, Mighty Kerr & Radon Rader
• #15 Seed Robert Morris = Coach Bill, Diggetty Doug Bails, Quick Mike, Iron Mike, Alan "The Question" I-Vath-son, and Jack Strap
• Rover = Who Killed Kenny

Robert Morris knows all about being the Underdog going all the way back to the American Revolution when the University's namesake provided his friend George Washington the financial backing to defeat the heavily-favored British Rule. Today heavily-favored Villanova came out complacently & even with the refs on their side, they couldn't overcome the excellent long-range marksmanship of Robert Morris who prevailed 15-11.

Robert Morris thought they were moving on to the next Madness round, but that wasn't the end of it as NCAA officials came into their locker room after the game & told them they had to replay the game. The story was that the Roving Kenny who had played for Robert Morris had actually signed a letter of intent with Villanova which Kenny vehemently & vociferously denied. Nonetheless, Kenny was transferred to Nova for a re-play.

To many this was the biggest miscarriage of justice since the O.J. "glove don't fit, you must acquit" Trial, but Robert Morris didn't feel sorry for themselves. Rather they went out against all odds & with excellent team play earned themselves a (in Swoop's words) "whimsical" win to move on (again) in the brackets.

The NCAA officials then saved face by moving Villanova to the NIT where they defeated William & Mary (although Swoop couldn't stop Mary) and then North Carolina to take home the NIT Title. So to recap, it was a NUMBERS GAME and both teams went home Winners (kind of).

FREDDY vs. JASON

By Your Athletic Supporter, Jack Strap

A dozen Hoopsters were in action at Grace which was completely dark other than the gym. Gary US Bonds volunteered to be a Captain along with Magnum & they selected these scary squads:
* FREDDY = Captain Magnum, Swoop, Iron, Pat's Steaks, Radon Rader, and Your Athletic Supporter
* JASON = Captain Gary, DJ Jazzy Jones, D.D. Bales, Scholesinator, Mighty Kerr, and X-Smoker Bob

Game 1 started very slowly as Big Bob & I watched in horror from the sidelines. Swoop had evidently worked on his Defense in the Florida Instructional League, offense--not so much. Anyway, the score was JASON 11 FREDDY 9 when Magnum Krueger then hit a couple deuces sandwiched around a Pat 2-ball as FREDDY won.

Just before Game #2 the Grace court mysteriously went to black, although we rationalized that we probably just needed to reset the circuit breaker. So in the slasher films, the good-looking girl would go look for the circuit breaker. Lacking a good-looking girl, DJ went because he's a ______ (ask Rader to fill in that blank). DJ was gone a long time & at one point I looked into the dark hallway he went down & thought I saw the reflection of a hockey mask in the mirror.

Thankfully DJ finally returned & under the emergency lights we played Game #2 in the semi-scary semi-dark. It didn't seem to impact our shooting (or turnovers), but it was Gary Vorhees who got the put-back at the end for JASON'S 15-13 win.

In the Daily Championship Game I think there were ghosts & goblins playing defense for JASON as FREDDY went cold & lifeless and like in the film by the same name--JASON prevailed. Following the script from past weeks for the Iron Man Finale, you'd now expect Rader to leave (which he did) & for FREDDY to win in his absence (which they didn't) as you always have to expect the unexpected when it's FREDDY vs. JASON.

FREE AGENCY & TRADES

By Your Athletic Supporter, Jack Strap

On my way to Grace, ESPN was reporting on football FREE AGENCY including Julius Peppers & Chester Taylor signing with Da Bears, Anquan Bolden TRADED to the Ravens, and Drew Brees re-signing with the Legion of Doom. FREE AGENCY was also running wild at HHI who announced that Swoop was sent down to the Florida Instructional League, FREE AGENTS Radon Rader & DJ Jazzy Jones signed on as HHI Captains, and then drafted (11) of the top FREE AGENTS in all of basketball as follows:

• Rader's Raiders = Captain Radon, Iron Mike, Quick Mike, What the Heck, Pat's Steaks, and Your Athletic Supporter
• DJ's Deejays = Captain DJ, X-Smoker Bob, D.D. Bales, Gary US Bonds, Alan "The Question" I-Vath-son, and Scholesinator
• Neither team could come to terms with the Mighty Kerr so he remained a Roving FREE AGENT

The 1st game was tight through out as the teams appeared pretty evenly matched, but during crunch time it was DJ's Deejays who hit the big shots that make Millionaires out of FREE AGENTS. After the game, Captain Rader showed he wasn't a figurehead nor surprisingly a knucklehead when he signed Mighty Kerr to a one-game FREE AGENT contract. What was surprising is that Rader's Raiders didn't run any plays for Mighty at the end of Game #2 and again they came up short as DJ's Deejays won the Daily Championship.

After watching Cassi continue to run around the court driven by donuts & chocolate milk, Rader's Raiders started running themselves in Game 3 to get some easy buckets although DJ's Deejays answered back. But this time at the end, Heck hit the big-time deuce to give Rader's Raiders the "Dubya". So that just left the Iron Man Finale game or the 4th quarter depending on how you were looking at it. By then, Pat had left & the Raiders also lost Rader whose last act was to appoint yours truly as the Captain, and I immediately TRADED for Mighty Kerr. The Rader-less Raiders Five then jelled playing like it was the 4th quarter while opening the proverbial can on the Deejays 15-7, thus outscoring DJ's for the day & awarding themselves the Mythical DC.

On my way home, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that HHI's Quick Mike was being sent down to the Florida Instructional League to work on his inbound passes as nobody wanted him as a FREE AGENT nor via TRADE. Best of luck to Quick making it back to the big show known as HHI.