The latest Blue Jays happenings…

A couple of Blue Jays events for you today:

It’s been confirmed by the Blue Jays that they have come to terms with arbitration-bound pitcher Brandon Morrow, on a 3-year deal worth $20 million, plus a club option for 2015, worth an additional $10 million. It turns out that when Morrow and the Jays submitted salary numbers recently, in preparation for the arbitration hearing, they were only $300,000 apart, and that looks to be the impetus to get a deal done. The fact that Morrow will be with the Jays for a longer term is a definite plus. Along with having Ricky Romero signed for the next few years as well, a good chunk of the Jays’ rotation is in good shape for a while.

Also yesterday, the Jays signed veteran shortstop Omar Vizquel to a minor league deal, with an invitation to spring training. Vizquel will compete with Mike McCoy and Luis Valbuena for the Jays’ utility-player position.

I think this is a great move for the Jays. If Vizquel succeeds in staying with the Jays come April, he will be a very positive influence on the entire Jays clubhouse, particularly with regular third baseman Brett Lawrie. In addition to regularly playing shortstop, Vizquel has spent about 90 games in the past three seasons playing at third, so he knows the position, and so, he could possibly fill in there for Lawrie every now and then.

Vizquel’s presence at spring training may also force McCoy and Valbuena to step up their own games, to the point of one of them earning the utility role. Either way, Vizquel will help make the Jays better in the weeks leading up to them making the move north to Toronto. Plus, being a minor league deal, the Jays are not taking a huge chance on this venture.

Someone commented to me that even if Vizquel is not successful in landing a position with the Jays, he’d be very good in a coaching role. I fully agree. That is something that I think the Jays should consider, if they decide to go with McCoy or Valbuena for the utility position. The Jays would do well to have a positive influence like Vizquel in the dugout.

RIP Joe Paterno…

It has been a very difficult weekend for the Paterno family. Early on Saturday, they announced that Joe’s battle against cancer had taken a turn for the worse. Then later that evening, one university newspaper erroneously announced that Paterno had passed away. CBS and some other news services also posted Paterno’s obituary, causing his sons to comment that, in fact, at that time, Joe was still with us.

Sadly, the family announced earlier today that Joe Paterno has indeed lost his battle with cancer, passing away at the age of 85.

Yes, the scandal that has been talked about lately, regarding Jerry Sandusky’s conduct while at Penn State under Paterno’s watch, will leave an indelible black mark on him and Penn State, but it should not be considered Paterno’s legacy.

He’d spent 61 years with Penn State, almost five decades of that as the school’s football head coach. During that time, he’d amassed 409 wins, more than anyone else in NCAA Division I football history, plus 37 Bowl Game appearances, and two national titles. On the football field, his integrity was legendary, and he was loved by pretty much everyone at Penn State, students and staff alike.

*That* is how Joe Paterno should be remembered: not by what happened in the past few years, with Sandusky, but by his entire time at Penn State.

Rest in peace, Joe Paterno.

Rather quiet day on the internet. Good reason why…

A number of websites, including Wikipedia, have gone silent and black for the day, to give internet users a sense of what likely will happen to their internet should the US Congress and Senate, respectively, pass the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect-IP Act (PIPA). One of the other sites that has shut down for the day is Cakewrecks.com, one of the daily blogs I read. They have this to say about SOPA and PIPA:

‘These bills seek to censor the Internet, and would give the government power to shut down websites over even the accusation of copyright infringement, no proof needed.

Stopping online piracy is a good thing. Doing so at the expense of free speech and the global Internet is not.

Thanks to public outcry SOPA was shelved by the House this week, only to be brought back again late last night. It’s expected to continue going forward next month, and its sister bill PIPA is scheduled for a vote next week. Don’t stop now. Please, go to Stop American Censorship to learn more, and tell your representatives to protect your right to free speech by opposing both bills.’

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Canadian web surfers will also be hurt by these bills if they go through. Many of the websites we use, like Wikipedia and others, are based in the US, or are considered to be in the American “domain of influence” and will, therefore, be subject to the terms of the bills. Many of them will be shut down completely as a result, making the internet not nearly as good a place to be as before.

I support everyone who is trying to stop these bills from being passed.

Social Media: good for me, but…

If you know me well, then you know that in person, I’m a very shy person – perhaps too shy for my own good. The appropriate term is “wallflower”.

That is why I’m thankful for the latest developments in the web and social media. Being on Twitter and Facebook enable me to get to know some great people from all over the world, but not forcing me to meet them face to face, which is a serious problem.

However, it does not mean that you any less likely to be hurt.

Such was the case a month ago when Clint Miller lost his battle with cancer a month ago.

I’d heard about Clint’s battle with cancer some time ago when a couple of my friends on Twitter mentioned him. I’d read that Clint had been showing an incredibly positive attitude, even when faced with his own mortality, and that inspired me to check out his tribute page. I was pleased to see that I was not the only person who was drawn to this page – there were hundreds of us throwing our support behind Clint, his wife Angela, and Clint’s family.

For some time, every now and then, Clint would pop in himself into the group, just to say hi. That was really neat to see. But then, in the weeks that followed, his visits to Facebook were less often, and Angela had posted that Clint was spending more time in bed, resting. However, all of us were hoping that this was one of those bumps in the road, that Clint would be back among us before long.

Sadly, that wasn’t to be. Angela posted what none of us, though we knew to expect it at some point, wanted to see: that Clint had passed away.

I must admit, though Clint and I didn’t know each other for very long, his death hit me very hard – much harder than I expected. Mutual friends told me that Clint was that way: very outgoing, and it didn’t take a long time to form a special attachment of friendship with him. Part of me still wishes that I had met Clint sooner.

I’m pleased to see that the support group is not only still around, but there are still a lot of people around to support Angela and Clint’s family. I’m proud to be part of that group.

PS – one neat thing that has come from all of this is that the group Besties with Testies has gone all out in its campaign to increase awareness of testicular cancer, the kind of cancer that, sadly, claimed Clint. On the plus side, when detected early, the chance of surviving testicular cancer is excellent. However, because of where this cancer is on the body, discussion of it is considered taboo, when it shouldn’t be. Besties with Testies has really gone out to try to make people aware of testicular cancer, and much of the heightened awareness comes from Clint’s own battles with it! Check out this video and pass the word!

http://vimeo.com/34865069

My thoughts about the current new season of The Price Is Right…

A few months ago, CBS saw the debut of the 40th season of The Price Is Right, and Drew Carey’s 5th season as host. This also marks the first full season with George Gray as the full-time announcer of the show.

A couple of notable differences in the set this year. In addition to the “40th anniversary” markers between the doors on the stage, the video screen behind the audience is now much larger than it used to be. This thing is huge! There is also an LED lightbar that runs across the curtain behind the audience.

I’ve said in the past, on both Twitter and Facebook, that I like Drew Carey as the current TPIR host. He took over to start season #36, after the legendary Bob Barker helmed the show for the first 35 years. Some time ago, Drew lost a lot of weight – as I recall, he’d said he’d lost something like 80+ pounds! He’s now much thinner than before – he looks amazing! -  and he’s said he’s healthier now. In fact, he announced some time ago that he was told by his doctor that he no longer needs diabetes medication! Excellent news!

The good thing about what Carey has done since taking the helm of The Price Is Right is that, instead of trying to emulate Barker, he’s really made the show his own, and has put his own style into hosting it. Trying to emulate Barker would have done Bob and the show a major disservice. I believed that when Drew took over, and still believe it now. What Carey has done is breathe a new life into the show.

George Gray is the latest announcer for the show, taking over from Rich Fields, who left after season #38. It is well known (Rich mentioned it himself) that the producers of the show wanted to go a different direction for an announcer. After a trial of various voices that took much of last season, the producers chose Gray as TPIR’s new announcer.

Those who’ve followed TV over the years may know the name George Gray. For a year, he was the host of the American version of Junkyard Wars, and he was also the host of the half-hour version of The Weakest Link.

Although I liked him in those host roles, being a show announcer suits him. He does an excellent job in engaging the audience, and he works well on stage with Carey.

Will TPIR reach its 50th anniversary in 10 years? Hard to say. The game show nut in me hopes so. I’m not expecting the show to run another 25 or 35 years, but if both Carey and Gray stick around, I think The Price Is Right is in good hands for the future.

A couple of great things to note this week…

I know it’s been quite some time since my last entry to this blog. But there were a couple of events in the sports world recently that I must share.

This past weekend, the Toronto Blue Jays unveiled a new logo and new uniforms. They look fantastic! The full logo is very reminiscent of the original logo that the Jays had for some 20 years, but updated for the 21st century. The blue jay itself looks more realistic than the original, and at least to me, meaner, more like it means business in the tough American League East. The “Toronto Blue Jays” font around the logo has been updated, too. I like the new look.

[New Jays logo from Sportsnet.ca]

In addition, brand new uniforms with the new logo were introduced during a press conference on Saturday. The picture below shows the Jays’ new look.

[New look Blue Jays uniforms, from ESPN.com]

And this past Monday saw the return to NHL action of Sidney Crosby. If you’ve been following hockey at all the last few months, then you know that Crosby had been on the shelf since January recovering from a concussion. Monday night, after much speculation, Crosby returned to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup, and it looked as though he’d never taken 10 months off. He looked just as comfortable, and was just as dominant on the ice, as he’s always been! Sid was involved in four of the Pens’ five goals – he scored two and assisted on two more – to help the Pens to a 5-0 shutout of the visiting New York Islanders.

As a hockey fan more than a Pens fan (let’s admit it: I’m a Leafs fan!), I admit I was paying close attention to the game pretty much every time Crosby took to the ice. He did not waste any time getting on the score sheet. He needed only 5:24 to put in one of his patented backhands to put the Pens on the board. Seeing Sid on the ice and seemingly having lost nothing since January was really just what the NHL needs: a player who can and will dominate the league.

I can see why the Pens and Crosby have so many fans. They are a tightly-knit group, and you can tell that they know how to have fun in the NHL. The Pens were already a strong team in the NHL (they were already 11-6-3 prior to Monday night),and has been made even stronger with the return of Crosby. They currently have a 2-point lead in the NHL Eastern Conference standings, and in a three-way tie for top spot in the full NHL standings.

Crosby’s returns looks to make the Pittsburgh Penguins, once again, the team to watch in the National Hockey League.

Welcome back, Sidney!

Where have I been lately?

I know you haven’t seen much of me on my blog lately. The last couple of entries were about a friend of mine who died in a house explosion here in Brantford a little over a month ago. Prior to that, I’ve posted about once a month – less than I probably should be posting. But there’s a reason for that.

The last few months have not been great for me from a health standpoint. Back in April, I’d had a very mild mini-stroke and ended up going to the hospital to make sure it didn’t get worse. In the months that followed, I’ve still been dealing with that in a way. Ever since then, my body’s ability to handle cooler temperatures has pretty much gone. Prior to April, I preferred cooler temperatures. Now, I sometimes feel a chill and have to put a sweater on even when it’s warm in my apartment.

Because of the way I’ve been feeling lately, I’ve had to step away from doing any shows at all on iJoy Radio. And that’s a shame because until recently, doing the radio shows were some of the things I looked forward to the most, and right now, I can’t even concentrate on putting a show together. Hopefully, that will change soon so I can resume hosting.

On the plus side, I’m in a new place now. I have been at the new building for about a month. All of us from the old building have moved here. This is a brand new building that is far more energy-efficient than the old one, and the layout of this place is far better. There is a lot more room here. This place is also far more secure than the old place.

Anyway, I wanted to let you folks know I haven’t left altogether. Hopefully, in the near future, I’ll be posting blog entries more often than I have recently.

Good-bye, Nancy…

Today, friends and family of Nancy Grasso gather to share memories and to say good-bye to a great person.

Sadly, because of various circumstances, I am unable to join them. Nancy’s daughter, Crystal, already knows that I can’t be there, but that I offer my condolences to her, Nancy’s husband Henry, and the rest of Nancy’s family.

It is a pity that Nancy and I will never again meet in this world, as I mentioned in my previous entry on this blog. But I have no doubt that she’s watching down on all of us from Heaven, and that someday, when my time here on Earth is over, we’ll meet again.

Until then, rest in peace, Nancy. Remember that you are loved a great deal by everyone.

Rest in peace, Nancy…

It’s been a very difficult time for me the last few days.

One of the reasons for this is what happened late last week. A house here in Brantford was levelled in a major explosion last Thursday. That, in itself, was bad enough here, but I found out that night that the house belonged to a work friend of mine, and that my friend was missing.

The next day, they found a body in the basement of the house. Although the media and police were very careful not to officially say who it was, there could be no doubt in our minds. It was Nancy Grasso. Who else could it be?

Even though the official announcement was not yet made, Nancy’s husband and daughter were told that they had found Nancy’s body.

A memorial group has been set up on Facebook so we can share our memories of a great person. At the moment, there are 127 members of that group – a testament to how well-loved Nancy was.

I first got to know Nancy several years ago, when she was still a crew member. She ran the kitchen overnight at the McDonald’s we both worked at, and for a few months, I handled the overnight maintenance duties. Nancy, very often, picked me up from my home to take me to work. She was a great person to work with. Though I moved back to days a few months later, I really enjoyed the time I spent working with Nancy.

When I lost the use of my legs back in 2006, I’d lost touch with most of the folks at the restaurant, including Nancy. About a month ago, I’d made a visit to the old store, for a bite to eat and to say hello to folks I knew there. Nancy had since moved up to management, and she was on duty that afternoon. It was great to see her again after a number of years.

Little did I know that it would be the last time I would see her.

Nancy, my dear friend: I’m sorry we weren’t able to get back in touch sooner. It was great to see you again last month. I wish we had more time to reconnect. I’m thinking of you…

Sorry…have to rant here today…

Pardon me for the rant, but I have to get this out for my own good.

I’m very unhappy with how my life is going right now.

I’m spending all day, every day, in a wheelchair. Unless we can figure a way to get some kind of recliner that is compatible with the Hoyer lift that we use for transfers, we’ll have no way that I can get into a different kind of seated position (and one that is more comfortable) than my current one. The idea is for me to get into a recliner for a couple of hours every day, so I can allow my body to stretch and relax for that time. We’ll see what we can do, but I don’t hold much hope. Recliners all pretty much sit directly on the floor, with no gaps to allow the wheels of the Hoyer lift to get under the seat.

I’m very unhappy with the fact that my hearing is in bad shape. I have literally constant (24/7) tinnitus in my deaf left ear, and that sound, being in the lower frequency, drowns out any low frequency sounds that my otherwise fine right ear can hear, and that includes speech. I just had a neighbour come by for a visit. Now, she does have her own speech issues, and I try my best to understand what she says, but with my hearing problems, I can’t. It’s very annoying. Even with other folks, I have to have them repeat what they say to me, and talking on the phone longer than a few seconds to impart a message or to let someone in is impossible anymore.

I may say more on what’s going on later. But for now, I need to take it easy, and try to relax.