A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

news

Could I have made it on CNN?

Earlier this week, two of us ventured into Northeast PA to watch some playoff baseball as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders hosted the Gwinnett Braves in the International League championship series.

We opted to stand at one of the railings as it’s easier to do so and get a good view of the game. Midway through, we noticed a TV news person interviewing somebody. That’s odd, we said, because it’s a baseball game. The guy standing next to us said the microphone had the CNN logo on it.

Sure enough, when we got a view, it did.

There was another guy walking around who appeared to be with the crew and when he came to the top, we stopped him and asked what it was about.

He then told us that they were talking to people about the upcoming election, the state of the country, employment etc.

Though it didn’t make sense, necessarily, to be at a baseball game doing this, we kind of shrugged and said OK.

He then said “What are your thoughts?”

I kind of smirked, looked at him and just said “I like baseball.”

Both of us then noted the two big things never to discuss in places like that – religion and politics.

Now, I’ve long said baseball games are a religious experience for me. It’s my church. So if he wanted to talk baseball, I’d go for hours. Alas, he noted he, too, liked baseball and then wished us a good night as he went back to work.

No CNN for me, but that’s OK. It’s the same thing I go with on this blog – certain topics are left untouched.

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Being able to take the punches in journalism

As many of you know, I always considered myself an old-school newspaperman. I started working in newspapers when I was in high school and my love affair with writing, journalism and the like continued well beyond there.

In fact, at an interview I had not too long ago, I was asked about why I earned a master’s degree in journalism as not many people would consider that degree. As I told them – it was something I believed in and wanted to get that degree.

Journalism as a whole will never truly change. The idea is to get a story, get it right, and be impartial in delivering the story. One always needs to make sure they have the sources and the facts right when delivering that story, be it hard breaking news, or a fun feature.

What does change is how the news is delivered. We live in a society that demands news 24/7 and things to be out there quick. Whether that is through blogs, Facebook, Twitter or some other online means, the basic idea is get the news out fast and furious.

By doing that, of course, some of your more traditional news sources – such as newspapers – are depleting.

Remember, I started with newspapers when I was in high school. I freelanced for major dailies and won awards over time. I loved what I did, despite crappy pay (which included mandatory furloughs over my last couple of years in the business), because I believed in the cause. In the end, I was a victim of downsizing (read about it here) and I faded from the world of newspapers (outside of a couple of freelance gigs).

Since then, I’ve landed well, work in the PR world, get paid a heap better – with better benefits – and, yet, I still miss the world of newspapers. I don’t miss the corporate politics, or the bad morale in newsrooms – but I miss the aspects of the newspaper industry that I believed in.

I’ve watched from afar as my former shop has had multiple rounds of layoffs since I was part of the first wave in 2011. I’ve seen friends move on and the whole paper change. Since the layoff I’ve been in there once – to meet up with a former colleague for dinner – and I was shocked at how it felt in that newsroom, which was once a place that was a joy to work in.

Time’s change, that’s for sure.

I bring all of this up, though, because recently, comedian John Oliver had a nearly 20-minute segment on journalism and its downfall on his HBO show. The piece was spot-on and did it, obviously, in a funny way. But if you read past the jokes and digs, what he says is true.

Without journalism, a lot of bad things can happen.

If you have 20 minutes, take a moment to watch this. It’s really worth it.

The funny part is after this aired, the president/CEO of the Newspaper Association of America took offense to this segment and called Oliver out in a piece on his organization’s website.

The reality is this – newspapers aren’t what they used to be. The digital world is making sure of that. It’s a shame, too, because newspapers are an important part of daily life and the local aspect does a lot more than people realize.

John Oliver was accurate in his segment. How he delivered it was funny, at times, yes. But at the same time, it also showed the reality that journalism – and the newspaper industry – face moving forward.

Take a moment to watch Oliver’s segment. It’s worth your while.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Years later, getting to drive a Zamboni still a great memory

How many of you are fans of hockey?

If so, I’m sure at some point during your life, you’ve wanted to drive a Zamboni.

And I don’t mean an ice-surfacing machine — I mean an actual name brand Zamboni. Coming out on the ice during the intermission of an ice hockey game and putting down a new sheet of ice.

The Zamboni making the ice ready at a recent college hockey game I attended.

Ahhh, we can all dream.

This post would have been better if it had run Wednesday. Alas I didn’t realize it would have been the 112th birthday of Frank Zamboni, the inventor of the wonderful ice resurfacing machine. Not only was it his 112th birthday, but Google had a playable doodle in his honor.

When I was in grad school, I wrote for a few weekly papers as I tried to make ends meet. At one of them, one of my beats was covering a solid high school hockey team. I really enjoyed it and the coach helped me land a solid interview with the main guy who drove the Zamboni. I did an interview with him and then he took me on a spin with the Zamboni.

Then it happened.

Though he didn’t let me drop a new ice surface (I had no training and those things are quite expensive, you see), I got the chance to take a lap around the rink driving the Zamboni.

Way too cool.

So, I went digging and found the old article. I’m not sure if this was the printed version or the version I originally sent in, so I did a little editing to shorten it, but here’s the bulk of that story I wrote several years ago.

But, before you read the story … I’d encourage you to hit play on this video and listen to the Gear Daddies and their song “Zamboni.”

—-

Meet Northford’s “Zamboni Man”

North Haven Post (April 3, 2003)

It’s a hockey fan’s dream.

Drive a Zamboni around the ice, drop a new sheet and park. It sounds simple.

Not so fast.

Ice resurfacing machines aren’t as easy as they look. It’s not just hopping on them and taking a spin around the ice; these machines are complex. From adjusting blades to worrying about the amount of water being used, it’s not effortless.

No matter what rink one enters to watch a hockey game, there’s going to be some version of an ice resurface machine.

At Northford Ice Pavilion, there are several drivers to cover the crazy schedule at the rink, but one full-time driver sticks out.

Greg “Griz” Belcher is in his fourth year at Northford, and eighth overall at driving an ice resurface machine, and is Northford’s only full-time driver.

Yale grad

“People ask where I learned to drive,” Belcher said. “I tell them I got my bachelor’s degree at Yale.”

It’s a joke Belcher said he likes to play because it shocks people. The truth is Belcher earned his stripes at Ingall’s rink on Yale’s campus.

Before his entrance into the world of resurfacing ice, Belcher was working for a beer distributor as a driver, and the drivers on strike. After others replaced the striking drivers, Belcher was jobless.

“A friend talked me into coming down to drive,” Belcher said. “Which I thought was interesting. It’s not ruining my body like going up and down stairs and in and out of cellars delivering beer.”

Belcher started to learn the fundamentals of a Zamboni at Yale and soon he was mastering the machine.

“It took me a good month or so,” he said. “The hardest part is adjusting the blade. If you have figure skaters, it’s not as bad as when there are hockey players.”

“Once you get used to it, it all falls into place.”

In his years of driving the machines, however, he’s had the chance to get to know players, coaches and everyone else involved with the rinks. North Haven coach Mike Violano said he’s known Belcher for years.

“Griz has a great attitude for his job,” Violano said. “You get a guy that knows his job and he understands what it means to each team. That’s why he’s an important part not only to the game, but to the rink.”

Northford’s “Pond”

Most rinks are home to only one or two teams. Not the Northford Ice Pavilion. Try two colleges, five high schools, four club teams and a precision skating team. That doesn’t even include youth leagues, clinics and open ice time.

“It gets hectic all the time around here,” said rink manager Bill Maniscalco.

The facility has two rinks; a pro-shop, snack bar and two ice resurface machines – a Zamboni and an Olympia. Some nights, the ring could face having three games of high school or college level.

“During the wintertime, we’re constantly going,” Belcher said. “All the teams are fighting for position time to play and practice.”

Maniscalco, who pitches in driving the machines among his other roles, such as scheduling, working the snack bar, billing and whatever else needs to be done. He has a staff of around six drivers. Some include Quinnipiac University hockey players.

“It’s not as easy as it looks,” Maniscalco said. “You have to know the group that’s out there. You have to leave a good sheet, because if not, I’m the one who hears about it.”

But with all the teams practicing and playing at Northford, teams know what the rink has to go through to get things going.

“We’re treated well at Northford,” Violano said. “The Northford facilities are good and the people take pride and care of them.”

Violano said hockey parents and families have a network of knowing which facilities are good and which aren’t. Spending as much time in rinks as they do, they know which have the best ice, snack bars and every other aspect.

“Parents talk about rinks,” Violano said. “It’s almost like having Rink U.S.A. and ranking the rinks. They would give Northford one of the better stars.”

Complicated Machines

Ice resurface machines aren’t toys. Although it looks fun to drive one, when it’s on the ice it’s doing some serious work. With razor sharp blades, it’s making sure the ice is perfect to skate on.

It’s actually a complicated procedure. But basically, it shaves ice. The water that comes out of the machine is usually at 150 degrees or hotter.

“You’re cutting ice while you’re making ice,” Belcher said. “Hot water is sent down, which fills in cracks and makes better ice.”

The procedure of how the ice resurfacer works is just as complicated. Someone couldn’t just jump out of the crowd, start one up, go on the ice and work the machine.

“You just don’t put someone on the machine and say ‘go do it,’” Belcher said.

But what the machines do is something hockey people value. Fans don’t always understand how important an ice resurface machine is to a rink.

“The people that understand hockey know how to appreciate it,” Violano said. “It’s like any other profession. They take care in their job.”

With throwing down a new surface, hotter water equals better ice. A towel behind the machine spreads the water evenly. Belcher said the hot water hitting the cold ice is one thing some people wonder about.

“That’s why a lot of times people see the machines on the ice and they see steam,” he said.

The machines

Not every machine is a Zamboni.

The name Zamboni is a brand name, and is trademarked by Frank J. Zamboni & Company, Inc. Northford has two different machines, an Olympia and the popular Zamboni.

Zamboni, however, is the brand name most people think of when they see a machine come onto the ice. The Zamboni website (http://www.zamboni.com) charts the machine back to 1949, created by Frank Zamboni.

He owned an ice rink and needed to figure a way to resurface the ice. Back then, they used a tractor with a scraper behind it, and then had people get rid of the shavings, spray water and then use a squeegee to clean it off. This took about an hour.

He was soon working on a machine to make the process easier. The first Zamboni came in 1949. The machine improved and changed with just about every one that was made.

Now, one of these machines can clear and resurface an ice in about 10 minutes.

The Olympia is newer to the market, and is a bigger machine. The big difference between the two is the engine. The Zamboni is made with a Volkswagen engine, the Olympia with a 350 Chevrolet engine.

“If you look at our rims, it says Chevy truck,” Belcher said. “If you drive down the road and pull next to a Chevy truck, that’s our Olympia.”

With the bigger engine, the Olympia has more power. Belcher said he doesn’t have a preference to which he would rather drive.

“I like both of them,” Belcher said. “The Olympia we have is bigger and holds more snow and water. I could cut both sheets without dumping or filling with water.”

No matter the machine though, driving almost seems like it might have been something Belcher was destined to do. Resurfacing ice came natural to him, even when he was younger and playing pond hockey.

“When I skated on ponds, we used to break a hole into the ice, grabs someone’s trash pail, fill it up with watcher and dump it on,” Belcher said. “It just makes it smoother.

“You don’t want big ruts out there; someone could break an ankle.”

The Perks

Although the novelty of driving has somewhat worn off for Belcher, he still enjoys it.

“It was fun, but now it’s like a regular job,” Belcher said. “But everyone looks at you like ‘wow, that’s the coolest job going. There’s still fun in it.”

It doesn’t hurt that Belcher is a hockey fan. One thing Belcher said he really enjoys is the children that run up to the glass and wave and scream as he passes by. Fans of all ages love to cheer for the “Zamboni man.”

“Little kids are always waving at you so that’s fun,” Belcher said. “When you make the turns, that’s where everybody wants to stand and wave. A lot of times I smile, but they won’t be able to see it.”

Belcher’s smile is hidden by his bushy beard, but he does notice the children waving and cheering, even though he was always taught at Yale not to look into the crowd, a rule he still follows to this day. Jumping and screaming children catch his eye, however, and he can’t help but to smile.

Belcher said he can’t complain about where he is now. He enjoys work, has a good time and works in a positive environment. Even though the hours in the winter can get long with a lot of games and teams playing and practicing, he doesn’t mind.

“I like it here,” Belcher said. “It’s busy, so it keeps me busy. You’re never bored.”

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Really?

I sometimes peruse the Internet looking for stupid stories.

You know the type — the ones that make you stop and say “Really?”

I have built up a few now and would like to share.

Scrabble player booted

Cheating happens pretty much in any sort of competition anymore. It doesn’t matter if it’s sports, board games, or something as simple as geocaching.

People cheat.

This story takes cheating to a new level, I think.

There is a national championship for Scrabble. That doesn’t surprise me as there seems to be national championships for everything. The cheating aspect, however, does shock me.

I’ve played Scrabble many times and I have no idea how you’d cheat, outside of assuring another player a word you placed is a legit word. Outside of that, how do you cheat?

Well, it seems one of the top players in the country in level three — a division that is compared to being “a great living-room player,” according to the executive director of the National Scrabble Association — cheated by hiding blank (or wild) tiles.

Seriously.

Another player at another table spotted the player dropping the blank tiles on the floor. The player later admitted to doing the deed.

The director also noted this is the first incident at a national tournament, but it’s been known to happen at smaller events.

Is this what society is coming to, though? To have to cheat at a national Scrabble championship. It’s one reason I stopped playing the Words with Friends app on the phone. There are apps to cheat. And when I’m playing someone who doesn’t ever use more than four or so letters for game after game and then all of a sudden is throwing out 100-point college-level words that most people wouldn’t know, something is up.

It is good to note that they tried to make a little light of it at the end when the director note there’s no steroids, yet. This is close enough.

And even more ridiculous.

Give us our XL pajamas!

I’ve never flown first class. One day, I’d like to do it just to see what it’s like.

Apparently, you get pajamas for long flights!

I realize a flight from Los Angeles to Australia isn’t a short trip. And, if you can, you’ll likely snooze for most of it. And, when in first class on Qantas, you get luxury pajamas.

Turns out the airline couldn’t find the right size for two passengers as they needed XL. Despite being offered business class pajamas, which the airline had in XL, the couple decided to instead demand to get off the flight.

Over pajamas.

Can business PJs and first-class PJs be that different?

The aircraft complied, however, and let the couple off the flight. The flight, which is a 15-hour jaunt, was delayed 30 minutes as they had to removed the couple’s luggage.

At least the humor was shared with the rest of the flight when the captain apparently told everyone why the flight was being delayed — because no XL pajamas for first class were available.

The only way this would have been better is if the airline would have found first-class bedroom wear for everyone else for the flight. That might have really made a point.

I realize I’ll likely only ever fly coach. But one thing is for sure — if I ever get into first class, I’m not jumping the plane because of pajamas.

No more Sweet Caroline at Penn State

The situation that has unfolded at Penn State isn’t a joking situation.

Jerry Sandusky is a piece of crap and I’m sure we can all agree on that. What he did is unfathomable and it’s really too bad that it happened. I have opinions as I’m sure most of you do. But I don’t want to get into all of that.

No matter what side you are on when it comes to Joe Paterno’s legacy, what Penn State has had happen to it in regard to sanctions and everything else, sometimes things get taken to a new level.

And I understand the college attempting to distance itself from everything, but now it’s decided, apparently, to can Sweet Caroline from the playlist during sporting contests.

Seriously.

And the reason? Because of the part in Neil Diamond’s classic that says “touching me, touching you.”

This song is played at sporting events all over. The Red Sox use it every game. I’m quite sure even the biggest opponents of everything Penn State have to be looking at this saying “are you serious?”

People, what happened there is awful. But to tip-toe around every single thing that happens is just idiotic. Get a grip.

Don’t talk about fight club

I first saw this at another blog and then had to go searching for the actual story.

I had to add this to this edition of “Really?”

Apparently, three people at a day care in Delaware decided to have baby fight club. And, it would seem, that they didn’t understand that the first rule of fight club is not to talk about it.

Well, I guess technically they aren’t talking about it. It was filmed.

See, these three decided to let these tykes pound each other. And when one ran to one of the adults to seek protection, she pushed the little guy back and told him to punch, not pinch.

Sheesh!

Are these three attempting to get into the gaming business where they can work with pro wrestling and boxing? Maybe they are hoping this is a pay-per-view in the making?

And check out the name of the daycare — Hands of Our Future Daycare. I guess the “hands” part is to teach them how to brawl?

This is the type of stuff you just can’t make up.

The video was apparently shot in March. Two of the people charged are seen encouraging the fighting. The third is filming.

The sad part here is that they have jobs (well, did) and there are so many people out there looking for work (me included), who would actually do a good job in all sort of things.

It’s ridiculous.

And this is what the world is coming to. I’ll just keep my front-row seat. And hope I don’t need to see tots taking swings at each other.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

30 Days of Writing: Roadblock (2/30)

Roadblock to keep people off a road that tends to flood with heavy rains.

This post is written in conjunction with the 30 Days of Writing, a blog challenge devised by Nicky and Mike at “We Work For Cheese.” I’ll be participating throughout the month of June. If interested, you can see my post with the details of the challenge. 

Please note that some of these posts will be serious, some will be normal, and some will be an attempt at humor. This one is on the serious side. 

For many years, there is a road in our area that has been known for flooding.

It’s a back road that runs pretty much parallel to a state highway. As the two run close to one another just outside of our village, there’s a beautiful covered bridge. It’s an historic covered bridge and a wonderful spot for photography.

On the county road — the backside of the river — the road dips awful low for a bit and then zig-zags away from the river a bit.

It’s that dipping part that has always been something to watch when heavy rains comes. Unfortunately, it can also result in tragedy. Let’s go back in time to revisit something that this area will likely always remember. At the time, it was one of my biggest freelance “breaks” in my professional career, but if it could erase what happened, I’d gladly give back the opportunity that I received because of it.

****

‘Twas early evening on a cool and rainy Fall day in late October 2003. I was semi-employed at the time as I searched for work after completing my Master’s degree in May. I had covered a game for the local daily paper and had dropped off a roll of film for them and was heading home.

I got a call from a friend who was working for said daily and he noted the New York Daily News needed a freelancer to help with a story that was happening in my town.

And, being the News pays well, I had a hard time saying no.

The way things happen with a paper like that is the person upstate doesn’t really write. My job was to call around to people, get some quotes, comments and whatever else to help the writer back in New York. They paint a picture that way. They make calls as well and then weave everything together in the way a daily tabloid can.

So, I did what they needed.

But the story itself was tragic.

There had been a lot of rain the previous few days and there was a bit of flooding. A lady, driving home from work, went via the back road. In her car, buckled into their child seats, were here 10-month old twins.

As she rounded one of the corners and hit one of the dips in the road, her car was swept up by flood waters and taken into the fast-moving river.

According to reports, she said she attempted to escape by rolling down a window and tried to release the child seats. But she basically was sucked out of the vehicle, which then kept heading down river. After gettingShe ran as fast as she could to find help. Nobody was home in a nearby house and after flagging a motorist, she was taken to the hospital.

Search crews went to work as fast as possible. And the search went throughout the night.

The following day, the bodies of the twins were pulled from the water. It was a story that attracted local and national attention. In the end, two children lost their lives before they ever got to have them going.

One area media reported that a county worker was en route to close the road as this tragedy happened. Reports of water on the road had come in shortly before and he was being sent to close the road.

But, it was too late.

****

Those twins would be nine-years-old now. They’d be in school and looking forward to turning 10 on New Year’s Eve. But Mother Nature and a bit of nasty fate took that away.

And that’s sad.

The only glimmer of hope from this is that something good would hopefully come out of it.

Since that day, whenever heavy rains come and there’s a chance of water creeping up too high, the county closes that section of the road as fast as possible. No waiting. Roadblocks go up until the water comes down and it’s safe to pass through that area.

I often drive that section of the road. It’s scenic. There are wonderful photo opportunities. But each time, I pass by the makeshift memorial that has been built for the twins and it makes me remember that fateful night.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!