Ouch!

CLE 22, NYY 0
The Yankees make history -- and not at all in a good way. Their 22-0 loss to Cleveland is the largest loss in franchise history.

The previous record was 18 runs in losses in a 19-1 game against Detroit in 1925 and 24-6 against Cleveland in 1928. And the previous record for a shutout was 15-0 against the White Sox in 1950.

I'm sure I'll have to hear from Aaron about this tomorrow. Ugh.

Chris and Andy play armchair critics

Andy Yang and I have been wasting far too much time e-mailing back and forth today about what we like and don’t like on TV. Andy made the comment that we should be conducting this conversation here, so all the world could see how unproductive we’re being! ;-) So here is our conversation:



-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew Yang
Sent: Monday, August 30, 2004 11:20 PM
To: Chris Rooney
Subject: Re: Gmail

Dude... did not know that you are a fellow "24" fan. My Mac was chalk full of "24' soundbites for error messages until my co-workers threaten to assassinate me...

Anyway, your news on the show is eye opening... I guess it gives me more time to catch up with "Alias." And if you haven't started watching it already, check out "MI-5" from the BBC (it airs on A&E). Great British drama about the internal security force for the UK (Ministry of Intelligence 5). Sister branch of MI-6, otherwise known as James Bond's employer... you can get MI-5 season 1 on DVD.

Cheers,
A

On Tuesday, August 31, 2004, at 10:50AM, Chris Rooney wrote:

I’ve seen MI-5 once or twice. It is a good show, although I haven’t been able to get hooked on it yet.

Have you heard that Brent Spiner will be guest starring in three episodes of “Star Trek: Enterprise” this season? He will play the great, great grandfather of Data’s creator – and may just turn out to be the story’s villain. The episodes are scheduled to air in November.

Chris Rooney

-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew Yang
Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2004 11:00 AM
To: Chris Rooney
Subject: Re: Gmail

MI-5 takes a while to grow on ya, I agree.

I got Kim hooked on Alias last year, when I purchased season 1 & 2. We never did catch up with Season 3, but now that I have ReplayTV, we'll be sure to watch Season 4 (after Season 3 comes out on DVD).

I get my current fix of TV by watching "Nip/Tuck" on FX. What a great show.

Enterprise is also good--I missed the episode with Dean Stockwell... was it any good? I am getting all confused with the "expanse" and the whole deal with the Xindi... whatever happend to just duking it out with the Klingons? Will wait to see Brent Spiner... I still can't get over his performance in "Independence Day."

That's all for now.

Cheers,
A

On Tuesday, August 31, 2004, at 11:11AM, Chris Rooney wrote:

I got into “Alias” toward the end of season 1 and watched it for all of season 2. But the show lost me in season 3. I watch it occasionally now, but it isn’t one of my regulars anymore.

You’re not missing much on “Enterprise.” The Dean Stockwell episode was a waste of a great guest star. And despite a fairly decent season finale (except for the lame cliffhanger) I did not care for the Expanse storyline. I’m with you – let’s just stick to duking it out with Klingons and playing mind games with the Vulcans and Andorians.

Chris Rooney

-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew Yang
Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2004 2:29 PM
To: Chris Rooney
Subject: Alias and the Xindi

Yeah, I hear you on the plot of Alias... chasing some Italian artifact around the globe is more Indy/Laura Croft than Bond for for me... I liked how she worked for SD6 and had to keep things a secret... that was cool.

JJ Abrams has another new show "Lost." Supposedly it's another conspiracy theory show about a jet-liner crashing... and the plot will twist and turn as to why they crashed...

I started watching "Rescue Me" because I like Dennis Leary, but just too much to watch these days.

You watch "Nip/Tuck" at all? Or "Family Guy?"

A

On Tuesday, August 31, 2004, at 02:46PM, Chris Rooney wrote:

I like the SD6 angle on “Alias” too. It was a pretty bold move changing the show’s direction in the middle of season 2, and the rest of the season was good. But I missed the first few episodes of season 3 where Sydney suddenly wakes up two years later. When I did try to get back into it, I was hopelessly lost. I tried to read recaps online, but I just couldn’t get back into the show.

I’ve heard of “Lost” and I will check that out. It’s getting great buzz, but J.J. Abrams can be hit and miss. He also wrote “Armageddon,” which was not one of my favorite movies, and if you read about any of the details of his first draft for the new “Superman” script you would cringe.

I watched the first episode of “Rescue Me,” but I haven’t seen much more since. It didn’t really win me over. I haven’t gotten into “Nip/Tuck” yet and I’ve never really cared for “Family Guy” (give me “The Simpsons” any day of the week).

I think “24” is starting to lose steam. At the low point last year – when Chase’s lovechild showed up – I declared that I would see it through season 3, but then I was done. Who am I kidding? I’ll still watch it in January.

I’m looking forward to the premiere of “Scrubs” tonight and I’m curious about “Father of the Pride.”

Chris Rooney


-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew Yang
Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2004 2:29 PM
To: Chris Rooney
Subject: RE: Alias and the Xindi

Dude,

we need to start making these comments on your blog page!

Totally agree with you on all your points. I was not overly impressed with "24" season 3, considering the phenomenal close of Season 2... the handshake of death! Why did they not explain that??? Or bring back the assassin?

I wrote back to the fan page that they should have a dramatic death scene (exploding toilet), killing off Kim Bauer, the IT geek, and the annoying chick Chloe. I got lots of hate mail from 15 year old boys that week. Partnering Jack with another male character was a bad idea. Maybe some hot, exotic "Bond girl" would have made more sense... oh well.

And Palmer... he became Mike Dukakis overnight. What happened? Wimp or Shrimp? Thought we were going to see him in a tank commercial soon...

I say, bring back Nina and Mason... and some real evil bastards. Maybe they could get Sean Bean to play another terrorist role. He's faced off with some of the best heros in Spy Cinema: James Bond and Jack Ryan. Hell, he's even tried to kill Hobbits.

And that's my take...

A

The latest Rooney news

Rooney on verge of joining Man Utd
Hey, look! My soccer-star cousin is making the big time.

Actually, I have no relation to Wayne Rooney (that I know of). I'm just not used to seeing my name in the headlines.

Dustin in drag vs. the ketchup queen

Separated at birth? You be the judge!

Is it just me, or is Tootsie prettier?

Thanks, Dan.

Farewell Athens

Is it just me or were the closing ceremonies of the Olympics kind of boring. I'm watching them right now, and they really aren't doing all that much for me. So why am I watching them, then? Well...I am, after all, here blogging instead. So I guess I'm not really playing complete attention anymore. Besides, there is nothing else on.

For the most part, the ceremonies just seemed to be this disorganized mess of people wandering around. And NBC isn't helping. They're cutting in and out with commercials. When they come back, whatever was going on before that they seemed to have bailed out of in the middle is long over and they are now in the middle of something else. And you're like, "Woah! How did we get from A to B?" It's as if they don't really care anymore and just want to get it over with. Bob Costas isn't even doing the "play by play." He's probably already on the plane back home.

As for the entertainment, what was with the parade of wacky Greek tourists in tacky beach clothes, armed with umbrellas and blow-up toys? And lets not forget the pickup truck carrying a load of watermelons and being followed by a parade of Gypsies!

Things picked up a little when they turned the show over to the Chinese as a "preview" of Beijing 2008. They put on a much more interesting show.

It looks like they're getting ready to put the torch out now. I should add that the torch lighting at the opening ceremony was a tad on the lame side too. It spoiled the great track record they had going. 1992: the flaming arrow! 1996: Mohammed Ali! 2000: that cool "ring of fire" in the water rising up around the torch bearer. 2004: Some Greek sailor touches his torch to the cauldron and lights it without much frills. Whoopdeedoo.

It's lucky the games in between the opening and closing ceremonies were so much more interesting. I enjoyed watching most of the events. And the great thing about the coverage this year was that with so many channels, just about every sport got on TV at some point. It's fun to watch some of the more "obscure" events that rarely got on TV at all in the past. One of my favorites was the track cycling. How these guys don't crash into each other is beyond me. Simply amazing to watch. (Although I did see one nasty spill the otehr day.)

(Hey, they're interviewing Yao Ming right now. I didn't realize his English was that good.)

Some of the lasting memories of the 2004 games (for me at least):
Paul Hamm's freakishly high voice (is he representing the lollipop guild, or what?).

Paul Hamm is the first American man ever to win the all-around Olympic gold medal...sort of.

A tearful Rulon Gardner placing his shoes in the center of the ring.

Rulon Gardner of the United States wipes his face as he walks off the mat, leaving his shoes behind in the traditional sign of retirement.

Iraqi citizens gathered around the TV in a small cafe to watch their team kick ass.

Paula Radcliffe sitting on the curb with four miles left in the women's marathon.

Two British fans help Paula Radcliffe to her feet.

The wingnut rushing the Brazillian runner with three miles to go in the men's marathon and costing him the gold.

Vanderlei de Lima of Brazil is forced off the course by a protestor while leading the marathon. Lima recovered to finish third and received a special Olympic medal from IOC president Jacques Rogge.

And of course, the jubilant celebration after Misty May and Kerri Walsh won the gold in beach volleyball. You know, I read somewhere that NBC only aired beach volleyball in primetime once in 2000. This time was on about 20 times. My prediction for 2008: more events with women in bikinis!

Misty May and Kerri Walsh celebrate with the crowd at the Olympic Beach Volleyball Centre after winning gold.

I'm sure there is more I'm leaving out...like the U.S. basketball team being taken down a peg or two or watching Mia Hamm and company claim another gold (poor Nomar -- how many championships does his wife have while spends his career with the Red Sox and Cubs?). It was also fun watching a former local girl take home a silver and place fifth in another event.

Overall I enjoyed the Olympics. I seem to get more out of it each time. Let's do it again in two years in Italy!

All hail the Rubberband Man!

If you don't love Office Max's Rubberband Man, then there is clearly something wrong with you.

He first appeared passing out office supplies to the tune of the Spinners' 1970s funky tune "Rubberband Man" last December. He returned this summer in a back-to-school ad. The original spot has now been nominated for an Emmy award.

It is easily my favorite commercial on TV right now. Guaranteed to bring a smile every time!

See Kris run...Run, Kris, run

Kris never ceases to amaze me. She ran 18 miles today as she continues training for her marathon. Actually, she looked at her map afterward and figures she may have actually done closer to 19 miles, from Central Park in Schenectady all the way into Cohoes.

It was not an easy run for her. Today was one of the hottest days of the summer, and very humid. It was rough and she was hurting after it was all done.

Still, I could never even dream of doing that. I have all I can do to run a 5K. Every time she does a long-distance run I tell her how proud I am of her.

Still, she is nervous about doing this marathon. She spent the rest of the day asking me if I was sure she could do a marathon. And of course I am sure, and I told her so.

That's my job. I'm her support chief and number one cheerleader. It's my job to drop off her water bottles along the route the night before and to be there to pick her up at the end of the line the next day. I am her Bobby Boucher.

So keep on running, Kris. You can do whatever you set your mind to. And your waterboy will be there help however I can.

New Nisky alumni page online

Alumni Main Page - Niskayuna Central School District
The Niskayuna School District has a new alumni section on their site, including a new and improved alumni databse. If you had info in the old database, then it was imported over into the new one. Check it out and see if you want to do any updating.

If you didn't have yourself in there before -- then what's wrong with you?!? I'm sure all the people from high school that you never talked to then would love to know what you're doing now!

Sooo sleeeeepy....

Man, I'm tired. I have got to start going to bed earlier! Last night I stayed up past midnight to watch the news after the Olympics knowing full well that I would have to get up at 5:30 this morning for my bike ride.

What am I, an idiot?

I was doing fine most of the day today, but right now I feel like I'm hitting the wall. Ugh.

I was going to go for another ride tomorrow. I'm going to try to start riding on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. But first -- I could really use a nap!

Going to the dogs

Pricey Pets
Check it out...I was on TV (again) last night. WNYT did a story about the lengths people are willing to go to (and the amount of money they are willing to spend) for their pets. Rebecca Hall interviewed me about Indy, his heart problems and all that we did to keep him healthy as long as we could, despite the costs.


Indy back in the good old days.

I don't show up until almost two minutes into the story. I think I came across pretty well. However, the promo just used the soundbite of me saying, "We were spending more on our dog than we were on son," which kind of made me look like the worst father in the world. Child Protective Services should be knocking on my door any time now. The promo producer bumped into me in the newsroom yesterday. She smiled and said she was sorry for "exploiting" me in the promo. Wow. I don't know if I've ever been exploited before! :-) It could have been worse. I could have looked into the camera and shouted like a crazy man, "Humungorama!" (For those of you out of the Albany area, you missed my commercial debut last spring -- count yourself lucky).

My part of the story was actually taped about a week ago. The reporter, Rebecca Hall, and photographer, Pete Rajotte, followed me home after work. Nolan and Thomas were already dressed for bed. In fact, Nolan makes a brief appearance in the story. You'll notice that he's running around in his boxer shorts!

Naturally, they taped a ton more than they actually used. But being in the business, I expected that. Besides, the mosquitoes were really bad in our backyard that night. So in half the shots you can probably see us swating bugs away. Pete joked that the next time we do a West Nile story, we'll have to send a crew to our backyard.

Hello? Is anyone there?

I guess no one wants the Gmail account. Is anyone out there actually
reading any of this stuff?

Take it again...I think I blinked

athens_olympics_2004 Photo Gallery by Vincent Thian at pbase.com
Check out these pictures of people taking pictures. I wonder how many cameras per athlete there are the Olympics?

Thanks Lost Remote.

The pie is stale!

SCOOP: Casting for AMERICAN PIE 4
Why?!? "American Pie" is a modern classic. "American Pie 2" was good (but not as good as the original). But "American Wedding" was just plain awful. Please, put this franchise to rest!

Gmail giveaway

I have a Gmail invitation to give away to whoever would like it. As you may know, you can't just sign up for a Gmail account -- you have to be invited to join.

Google's Gmail is set up a little differently than most Web based e-mail systems. The biggest difference is the whopping 1000 MB of storage they give you, which allows to archive mail rather than deleting it.

If you're interested, contact me at crooney@gmail.com.

Fanning the flames

Billy Joel for the 21st century
Someone with far too much free time translated "We Didn't Start the Fire" into buddy icons.

Thanks Joe Video.

That's gonna make a mess

Bloody Pingu Throw
Everyone remember the "Penguin Baseball" game everyone was playing last winter -- the one where a yeti takes batting practice with a penguin instead of a ball? If that wasn't sadistic enough, here's the slightly more graphic version.

Thanks, Allie.

The agony of defeat

Tearful Radcliffe has no explanation

Kris and I watched the women's Olympic marathon Sunday. Well, I only saw bits and pieces of it, but Kris was glued to it since she is currently training to run her first marathon in October.

Anyway, we were both stunned by what happened to Paula Radcliffe of the U.K. She's the world marathon record holder and was the favorite in yesterday's race, but she couldn't even finish. She wound up sitting and crying on the curb on the side of the road, watching the other runners and her Olympic dreams pass her by.

I can't imagine the devastation of training for something of that magnitude and then not even finishing. Words can't describe it -- it's beyond "sucks."

Of course, this made Kris a little nervous about what might happen during her marathon. I reminded her that she is trying to complete a marathon, Radcliffe was trying to win one -- big difference. Not to mention, Kris won't be running in 90-plus degree weather.

Take that, Uday!

NBCOlympics.com - Soccer - Spectacular goal puts Iraq past Australia, into the semis
Can you just imagine what a story it will be if Iraq gets a medal? They're only one win away. They play Paraguay Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET. If they lose, they still get to play the winner of Italy vs. Argentina for the bronze. If they win, they advance to the gold medal game, where they will still get the silver even if they lose.

Emad Mohammed scored Iraq's game-winning goal on a bicycle kick.

If it looks like a duck...

Michael Jackson Stop Calling Me 'Wacko Jacko'
Fine. Stop acting like one and we will.

Anatomy of a rainy day

For such a damp and dreary day, it was kind of nice.

It poured and poured today -- well, the first half of teh day at least. The temperature never got of the 60s. It was the kind of day that makes you want to stay inside and reminds you that summer is almost over and fall is around the corner.

We spent the morning at the Y with Scott and Carmella Price and their kids, Evan amd Emma (who are just about the same age as Nolan and Thomas). Sort of ironic that on a wet day when most people want to stay dry, we went swimming -- but it was fun. After we went to McDonald's for lunch, which is of course always fun for kids of all ages.

When we got home, the kids took nice, long naps and we watched the worst movie on TV. It was a schlocky horror movie called "Beyond Evil," which fits into the so-bad-it's-good category.

The kids woke up, we had a steak dinner (Mmmm...red meat...) played for a little while, and now Thomas is in bed and Nolan is watching "Queer Eye" with his mom before he calls it a night.

I was going to write that we had a nice, lazy day -- but actually -- I guess we did a lot. Either way, this was my kind of Saturday.