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A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

usa

Hacksaw entertains with his one-man show

February 18, 2016

Hooooooooo!

With that ever-popular catchphrase, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan can excite a wrestling crowd, even still as he has reached his 60s.

Originally from Glens Falls in upstate New York, Hacksaw played college football and was in the NFL before turning to the world of professional wrestling.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan laughs as he talks about his career at his one-man show in Binghamton.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan laughs as he talks about his career at his one-man show in Binghamton.

A favorite among many fans, he’s colorful, candid, and entertaining. He’s patriotic and will get a crowd chanting “USA USA USA!” without issues. And, he does it all with his trusty 2×4 by his side (or over his shoulder).

He stills gets in the ring occasionally, usually to throw a few punches or tag up, but he’s still out there entertaining people. If you follow him on Twitter or Facebook, you’ll get an inside look at the WWE Hall of Famer’s life as he travels all over to different types of wrestling shows, conventions or just a glimpse at life.

I’ve written about Hacksaw on the blog before, such as when he was doing a fundraiser for shoulder surgery, or just looking back at Hacksaw when he came to my hometown for an independent card. I’ve had in in various other posts when talking about professional wrestling as he’s one of my all-time favorites.

Recently, it was announced Hacksaw was doing a one-man show. The 2×4 Show is a way for people to get a glimpse behind the curtain, so to speak, and see Hacksaw in a different way. He’s on a stage talking wrestling, telling stories, and taking questions, which gives fans a true look at his remarkable career. He doesn’t hold back any punches, either.

Hacksaw keeps the crowd entertained with tales from the road.

Hacksaw keeps the crowd entertained with tales from the road.

I saw he had an upstate New York tour set, and was trying to plot where I could get to one. With five spots close enough to see this show, I knew I’d hit one. It turned out to be the closest – Binghamton.

One thing’s for sure – I definitely don’t regret going to this show.

The setting for the Binghamton show was at the Relief Pitcher, in a downstairs conference room. It was a nice and relaxed setting for the show. After a local opening comedian, Hacksaw took the stage and took the crowd of more than 50 through his career. The stories ranged from growing up in Glens Falls, to his football days, to becoming a wrestler.

His stories were candid, open, funny and genuine. He told the crowd about how he went from Big Jim Duggan to the Convict (in a mask) to Hacksaw, and how Bruiser Brody told him he needed something to carry to the ring, which led to his trademark 2×4. .

Originally a heel in the ring, he made his biggest stamp as a patriotic wrestler, leading crowds in the chants of USA. He fought the evil wrestlers, such as the Iron Sheik (no love lost between those two, which Duggan pointed out), and enjoyed success as one who battled Andre The Giant so many times.

Signing a 2x4 after the show!

Signing a 2×4 after the show!

He didn’t hide from the past, either. He was honest when a fan asked about the situation with he and the Iron Sheik riding together and getting pulled over. Duggan admitted to having some “doobies” under his seat and then it turned out the Sheik had cocaine in the car.

This was before the days where “the truth” of wrestling was known, so it was bigger news. It cost Duggan big time, but he would rebound.

One could tell how much Duggan enjoyed being with fans and talking stories and telling his tale. His well-placed “Hoooo” chants always kept the crowd into what was going on.

He also breaks the molds of some wrestlers as he’s been married to his wife for more than 30 years. She was with him at the show, at one point bringing him some water. He spoke amazingly highly of his family and how important they were to him.

Duggan also spoke about some of his closest friends in the business and how many of them are no longer with us.

The biggest thing I took away from this was how personable Hacksaw is. He took time to answer questions and didn’t shy away from things. He told about life on the road and in the ring. And following the show and Q&A session, he went to a table in the back where his wife was handling the sales of merchandise.

They worked so well as a team, too. She would get the name he was signing on items and make sure he knew what to sign, and even switching markers and such. That allowed Duggan to do what he is so good at – talking with fans and being personable to give each person in line a true intimate setting to talk with Hacksaw for a few moments.

My brother, Hacksaw and me after Duggan's one-man show.

My brother, Hacksaw and me after Duggan’s one-man show.

She also took the photos for people, with their cameras. It wasn’t like some independent shows where it’s one photo and gone. She made sure the photos came out well and Hacksaw would insist on a couple of different poses. The line might not have moved as swiftly as some may want, but it gave people their money’s worth, that’s for sure.

One final funny story from that night, and being in line. I wanted to get a photo, so it was going to be me, my brother, and Hacksaw. As I noted, his wife was taking the photos. So I set up my DSLR and was like “Now this isn’t like a phone, it’s big equipment.”

Yes, I was trying to be funny.

She responded “Don’t worry, I can handle big equipment.”

Yes, very funny.

To which (can’t make this up), Hacksaw laughs and says … yes she can, she’s a “HOOOOOOOOO!”

Laugh out loud funny! I can see why they have been married for (I think he said) 35 years.

I hope this tour and this show continue. If you have the chance to see the show, take advantage of it and go watch. Even for non-wrestling fans, it’s a cool experience and a lot of fun. It’s well worth the couple of hours.

HOOOOOOOOOOO!

For more photos from the event, visit my Flickr album.

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

Filed Under: My world, Pro Wrestling Tagged With: 2x4, 2x4 show, binghamton, comedy, hacksaw, hacksaw jim duggan, hacksaw jim duggan show, hacksaw show, hoooo, jim duggan, jim duggan show, pro wrestling, professional wrestling, usa, wrestling

2 Comments

Team USA women’s baseball visits Cooperstown

July 14, 2015

Do you remember the old baseball saying “Chicks dig the long ball?”

Maybe that should be changed to “Chicks hit the long ball.”

Now, I didn’t see any home runs on a warm and sunny afternoon in Cooperstown. But I did see some long balls hit. I also saw some solid baseball, great plays and some good pitching.

Still in high school... and pitching for Team USA.

Still in high school… and pitching for Team USA.

And it was done by a bunch of “chicks.”

OK, we know that’s not the PC way of saying things, so let’s cut from the “ha ha” moments here for a second. The United States Women’s National Baseball team – ranked second in the world – played a four-game series against the Madonna Stars (Japan) in the Cooperstown area this past weekend. The opener on Friday was played at SUNY Cobleskill, with the remaining three games (two on Saturday, one on Sunday) played at historic Doubleday Field in downtown Cooperstown.

These ladies can play, too.

I first heard about this series from a Cobleskill graduate who told me the game was taking place there. I wanted to go up, but was heading out on a baseball weekend. Then I heard they were playing this whole series. I knew it was something I wanted to go see, considering I didn’t even know there was a women’s national team before this.

Clean fielding.

Clean fielding.

I’m glad I went.

Hit, run, throw – the ladies were talented from both teams.

Was it like watching men play baseball? Not at all. But was it still quality? Absolutely.

Two of the Japanese pitchers had funky submarine-style forms. The starting pitcher for the USA is, apparently, just going into her senior year in high school. Meanwhile, there’s another player on the team who was born in 1974. The youngest? Born in 1999. Think about that one for a bit.

They  bunted. They ran. They stole bases and took two. They found the gaps, had Texas-League singles and smashed balls to the base of the wall at Doubleday.

In the field, the ladies on both teams laid out for balls in the hole, made routine plays look easy, and showed a lot of athleticism in making plays.

Making the scoop,

Making the scoop,

All in all, it was a pretty cool experience.

It wasn’t a crowd of thousands who came out to watch, but there was a decent amount of people in the grandstand behind the plate. I had the freedom to roam all over Doubleday’s bleachers and tried to take some different angles and such with my photos. I enjoyed taking different looks at the game and watching the teams as they battled it out.

The Americans won this game, 6-2. The weekend series was 2-2, showing how equal the two teams are. I’m not sure if the Madonna Stars are the full Japanese National team, but I think many are on it (if not all). Japan is ranked No. 1 in the world. The U.S. is No. 2.

I have no idea what kind of crowd they had for the two games Saturday. The crowd at Cobleskill, from some photos I saw, looked decent.

The game featured some top-level action.

The game featured some top-level action.

Women’s baseball has challenges — just like every other women’s sport. It’s about getting eyes on the players and the team to show what they can do. There’s not a professional league (at least that I’ve seen), but with having national teams and international competitions, it has to show that the ladies can handle their own on the baseball field. It doesn’t always have to be softball (and, as many could verify, I’m a big softball fan).

When I first got there on Sunday, I had only planned on staying for a handful of the 7-inning game. I ended up staying until the end and I’m glad I did. It was quality baseball and showed what the women can do on the diamond. If you get the chance to see our National team play baseball — take the opportunity. It’s well worth it.

For a full gallery of photos from the game, please check out the album on my Flickr page.

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

Filed Under: Baseball, My world Tagged With: ball, baseball, baseball national team, team usa, team usa women's baseball, u.s. baseball, us women's national baseball team, usa, uswnt baseball, women's baseball

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30 Minus 2 Days of Writing: Unintended (13/28)

February 13, 2013

For those of you who are photographers, you might be able to relate with this post.

Photography is a hobby (job/career, whatever you call it) where one reacts to situations, or sets something up and gets some amazing pictures. Alas, sometimes you miss that shot that really screams at you. And, other times, you get shots you never intended on getting, whether it’s something you didn’t realize you shot or something you did that made for a cool image, many “great” shots are full unintended.

Other times, those unintended images are something you were hoping to get — but didn’t think you really captured it. Then, when checking things out, you realize you did get it, which makes the photo day even more successful.

So, below, I’m going to share five of the more recent unintended shots I’ve taken. I’ll explain each below, but it’s a mixture of shots I was hoping to get and ones I didn’t realize I got. That’s the beauty of photography — you can snap and snap away and get some awesome stuff.

1 – Disc crashing the chains

I took so many shots this day. Several hundred to be exact. My goal was to get the disc seemingly in mid-air, but deep into the chains. I had been laying on the ground aiming up, because of the blue sky, and thought I had taken a few neat shots, but when I saw this one I knew I had captured something beyond what I had planned to do. It was definitely an unintended result.

Crashing the chains.

2. Sap house

I’ve posted this photo before, but I truly love it. My goal was a long-exposure shot to show a friend’s sap house. In fact, I was irritated with myself for leaving the door open. I actually have several others with the door closed as it was what I originally wanted. Then I got home and saw this shot and couldn’t believe how cool it was. The sky, the door open and Gid working on some sap. Talk about an unintended, but awesome result.

 

Gid working in the sap house.

3. Oh no!

This shot will forever be one of my all-time favorites. I was taking photos of my friends’ kid playing on a tractor. Something happened and he did the “oh no” sort of thing. I was snapping away and this is one of the shots that I got. Unintended, but one I’m glad happened!

Oh no!

4. Blurry flag

Boy did I mess this shot up. I was setting up for something totally different. It was at a 2CW wrestling show and it was during the Sgt. Slaughter match. I messed up on focus. I never really delete photos on the fly, so I didn’t realize how much I liked the shot until I got it on my computer. Something about it really makes it one I like. And highly unintended!

 

USA! USA!

5. Faster than a …

I shot a couple of days of target practice with some friends and wanted to see about getting a bullet coming out of the gun. But for those who have ever shot, you know how fast a bullet comes out. So getting this image would prove to be hard. I took many shots in rapid fire and was pretty sure I didn’t get anything. Thankfully, I was wrong.

Speedy little thing…

I really do love the unintended images one gets when shooting photos. It really proves the point that you can’t always take the time to look at the back of the camera and the screen. Just keep shooting and you’ll get some amazing results.

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

Filed Under: blogging, challenges, My world, Photography, We Work For Cheese Challenges Tagged With: 2cw, 30 Minus 2 Days Of Writing, 30 Minus 2 Days Of Writing challenge, bullet, disc golf, gun, kids, maple syrup, photography, pro wrestling, sap house, shooting, target shooting, unintended, unintended photos, usa, writing challenge

26 Comments

Never forget

September 11, 2012

It’s now been 11 years since 9/11.

I can’t think of much more to say for a post today, so I thought I’d just post this photo in remembrance of all who lost their lives that fateful day.

Never forget that day.

And always remember those who lost their lives on that day.

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

Filed Under: My world Tagged With: 9-11, 9/11, america, american flag, history, memory, remember, usa

4 Comments

It’s the Fourth of July… a day Americans should celebrate

July 4, 2012

Independence Day is celebrated all over the United States with fireworks.

On this date in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the United States of America.

This brought our country independence from Great Britain (well, that and the Revolutionary War).

This holiday is often celebrated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, picnics etc. This is our national day — well, for those of us in the States.

Keep in mind why we celebrate and have fireworks on July 4 in the US.

It’s also another holiday that makes us, as a country, take note of other things — such as the men and women who serve our country every day. Especially those who put their lives on the lines in different parts of the world and, of course, for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms.

This (meaning the blog) isn’t a place to get political, either.

So, no matter what side you are on, if you are American, you should celebrate this day.

But no matter what you are doing this fine day, take a moment to reflect and thank those who continue to make this possible.

Did you know, though, that the Declaration of Independence was actually approved in a closed session of Congress on July 2? But the date on the Declaration was July 4, so that’s when we celebrate.

According to several sources, Wikipedia included, historians have disputed the days. Most historians have agreed that July 2 was the date.

How about this piece of trivia about July 4 – John Adams and Thomas Jefferson – the only signers who later became President of the United States, each died on July 4, 1826 – the 50th anniversary of the Declaration.

Calvin Coolidge is the only president to have been born on July 4.

Other items

July 4 isn’t just a day of American independence.

A lot of things, historically, have happened on that day. In our normal calendar, July 4 is the 185th day of the year (though, because of leap year, it is 186 in 2012). We are actually closer to 2013 than we are to the beginning of 2012.

I went peeking around the Internet to see some interesting days over history that occurred on July 4. Here are a few:

  • 993: Saint Ulrich of Augsburg is canonized.
  • 1634: The city of Trois-Rivières is founded in New France, which is now known as Quebec in Canada.
  • 1636: The city of Providence, in Rhode Island, is formed.
  • 1754: The French and Indian War – George Washington surrenders Fort Necessity.
  • 1802: West Point opens (United States Military Academy)
  • 1803: The Louisianna Purchase is announced to the American public.
  • 1817: The Erie Canal begins being constructed in Rome, NY.
  • 1827: Slavery is abolished in New York.
  • 1862: Lewis Carroll tells Alice Liddell a story that would eventually become Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
  • 1863: The Army of Northern Virginia withdraws after getting whipped at Gettysburg, which was the end to the southern invasion of the north.
  • 1865: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is published.
  • 1886: France offers the Statue of Liberty to the United States.
  • 1886: The first scheduled Canadian transcontinental train arrives in Port Moody, BC.
  • 1910: African-American boxer Jack Johnson knocks out white boxer Jim Jeffries in a heavyweight prize fight. The result sets off race riots throughout the United States.
  • 1918: Bolsheviks kill Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family.
  • 1939: Lou Gehrig gives his “Luckiest man on the face of the Earth,” speech at Yankee Stadium.
  • 1946: The Philippines becomes fully independent from the United States.
  • 1960: A new flag is unveiled in the United States, now showing 50 stars with the inclusion of Hawaii as a state (which happened on Aug. 21, 1959).
  • 1966: President Lyndon Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act into law.
  • 2006: The Statue of Liberty’s crown reopens to the public. It had been closed for eight years because of security concerns following 9/11.

How about some more trivia? Two of the most prominent advice columnists in American history – Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren – were born on July 4, 1918.

In the end, for many people, July 4 is nothing more than another day on the calendar. In the United States, of course, we get the day off from work. Well, most people do. Many don’t because of their chosen professions.

In 1960 a new flag with 50 stars was unveiled on July 4.

Others choose to celebrate with barbecues, parties, fireworks or whatever else.

But for those of us in the USA, we should still remember what this day signifies.

So when you are out tossing back a few cold ones, watching a game or “oooohing” and “ahhhhing” each time some loud and bright fireworks light up the night, remember what this country had to do to become what it is. We may have issues in our country and others around the world may not dig us (at least as a country), but we are who we are and we should be proud of it.\

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

Filed Under: My world, Photography Tagged With: america, barbecue, bbq, celebration, fireworks, fourth of july, independence day, independence day usa, july 4, july 4 usa, united states of america, us, usa

4 Comments

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hoohaa29

Writer who loves images just as much as words! In search of perfectly poured pints of Guinness and great hot dogs. Find me on twitter @softball29.

Couldn’t resist stopping on the way to work too Couldn’t resist stopping on the way to work too quickly snap some photos of this scene. Hamden Covered Bridge. #bridge #coveredbridge #hamden #snow #winter #instagood #photooftheday #happy #picoftheday #fun #igers #bestoftheday #life #photo #iphonesia #igdaily #iphoneonly #love #beautiful #photography
A nice day to get out for a hike, grab a #geocache A nice day to get out for a hike, grab a #geocache and place a few. Felt good abs here’s hoping for a much better year!
Thought this wax seal came out pretty well! #waxse Thought this wax seal came out pretty well! #waxsealstamp #waxseal #waxseals #card #mail #snailmail
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stickermuleSticker Mule@stickermule·
2 Mar

$500 to one person who retweets this because we did something big and want to celebrate. Please follow us so we can DM you. ☺️

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PhilliesPhiladelphia Phillies@Phillies·
17 Feb

Folks,,,,

🚨 We’ve got pitchers and catchers. 🚨

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softball29P.J.@softball29·
10 Feb

I wrote this about Sam Nader during a public celebration of his 100th birthday. I'm sure I'll have something more in the next day or so as well, but this covers a lot about my thoughts of this amazing man. RIP, Sam. You'll be missed.

https://hoohaa.com/?p=14292

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