Monday, April 27, 2009

It's time for a new list

This Friday, the summer movie season begins...eventhough actual summer is more than a month away. Doesn't it seem like the summer movie season begins a week earlier every year?  If we're not careful, Groundhog Day weekend will soon usher in the summer movie season!  I know I'm nit-picking.  I mean, who cares when the mega-movies come out?  Just that they come out!

This Friday, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" hits multiplexes nationwide, including our own beloved Galleria 14.  With that in mind, this week's list is:

WHAT MOVIE IS THE ONE YOU CAN'T WAIT TO SEE?

It's a vote really...and after one day, guess who's in the lead?

X-Men Origins: Wolverine leads the pack (get the pun?)
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince
Angels & Demons
Star Trek

After only one day of voting, that is where we are. We'll take more votes tomorrow during the Early Show so make sure to tune in and call in!

More tomorrow...

Until then,

Rick out

Sunday, April 19, 2009

I gave in to temptation

I fought it.  I fought it as long as I could.  But it was calling to me.  It was seducing me.  It was teasing me.  I couldn't refuse any longer.  I mean, I'm a man, dammit!  Well, here's the story:

I was born and raised in California.  My mom was a big Dodger fan, my dad a Cardinals fan (he was born in Missouri).  I was a faithful Dodger fan until 1981 (even though they are, to this day, my national league team).  But then, Billy Martin came to Oakland. Billy Martin was one of the best, and most volatile managers in major league baseball. His fights with Yankees owner George Steinbrenner were (and are) famous.  I started paying attention to the Oakland A's...and what a team they had!  Rickey Henderson, Tony Armas, Dwayne Murphy, Mike Norris, Rick Langford...my loyalties...changed.  It was then I became the A's fan that I am today.  Now throughout the years following the A's has been fairly easy.  When living in California, you have pretty fair access to the games via radio or tv.  When we moved to West Virginia, that changed.  I was pretty much limited to what the Register Herald provided as well as whatever cable company was running things in the area.  Then, the cable company began providing the "MLB Extra Innings" package.  This package gave me access to a ton of games from almost every major league team.  I would get about 20 - 25 A's games per season.  Then, DirectTV started carrying the package and Suddenlink did not.  I like my cable and did not, and still do not, wish to go satellite.

So, for the past 3 seasons, I have been limited to whatever ESPN or the other cable channels would carry....virtually nothing on the A's.  Every now and then I'd get a game on ESPN if they were playing the mighty Yankees or Red Sox and I could get audio from the games at mlb.com...for a price.  The probem with that is that the A's, being a west coast team, begin most of their games at 10:05pm eastern (7:05 on the west coast).  Now I'm more than willing to stay up late to watch the game, but to just listen?  My alarm goes off at 3:30am, so suffice it to say....

During spring training, I did some investigating and found out that mlb.com had a package that offered live video feeds of every single major league game.  It only cost $14.95 per month (almost $90 dollars over the course of the season).  Well I'm pretty much a stingy s.o.b. (ask Lola) and I would absolutley not pay that for access to my beloved A's.  But then the temptation began. And, after only 2 weeks into the current season, I gave in and bought the package.  I'm so weak.

So now I can watch the A's every day.  As soon as my account was verified, I went to the A's game that was in progress and watched them lose to Toronto 1-0.  But I also have access to every game, so now I can also keep tabs on the Mariners, Angels and Rangers to see how they do as well (hey, we're ALWAYS in a pennant race).  So before you call or text me, check the schedule and see if they A's are paying at that time.  If they are, just leave voicemail...I'll get back to you.

So, in closing, I am a little disappointed in myself.  Not enough to cancel my account though.   In the words of my 15 year old daughter Mackenzie "don't judge me!"

Rick out

Thursday, April 2, 2009

The List Grows

We have a few more names to add to the list of favorite athlete:

13) Lynn Swann
14) Franco Harris
15) Troy Aikmen
16) Jeff Gordon
17) Deion Sanders

We'll wrap up this list on tomorrows show and get ready for another list next week. Funny. Nobody picked Michael Vick as favorite athlete.

Rick out!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Time for yet another list

This week we began a new list: Favorite athlete of all time. This was derived from a conversation I had with Cami Marlowe, morning show host for our sister station Power Country 105.9. The subject of the conversation was the incredible greatness of Tiger Woods (following last weekends dramatic win in the Arnold Palmer Classic golf tournament. So, we opened up the phone lines, took some calls and here is the list, so far, of Favorite All-Time Athletes:

1) Lebron James
2) Mark McGwire
3) Tony Dorsett
4) Michael Jordan
5) Ozzie Smith
6) Dale Murphy
7) Bo Jackson
8) OJ Simpson
9) Jay Novachek
10) Dale Earnhardt, Sr.
11) Jerry Rice
12) Rusty Wallace
13) Muhammad Ali

So, tomorrow we'll take more calls and add more names to the list. If you've got an idea for a subject that would make for a killer list, e-mail me. We love great ideas!

Rick out!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

The List continues...

Man, we opened up the phones this morning (Wednesday) and the calls wouldn't stop. Here are the latest additions (starting with number 11) to the list of "Favorite Restaurant That's No Longer Here":

1) El Caporal (used to be at the Pagoda House Motel)
2) Burger Boy
3) Golden Corral in Oak Hill
4) Skyline Drive In in Hilltop (which we just heard today has re-opened)
5) Robin's in Beaver
6) Ponderosa
7) Dairy Dip in Oak Hill (Lola's list starter)
8) Smorgasbord in Beckley (used to be next to United Cycle)
9) Taco Bell in Oak Hill
10) Burgerland
11) The Spaghetti House
12) Calacino's
13) Western Pancake House (on route 19)
14) Beckley Pancake House
15) The Capri
16) Orange Julius
17) Borden Burgers in Oak Hill
18) Fazoli's
19) Pete & Bob's Drive In

Make sure to tune in tomorrow morning as we'll be adding to this list.
Until then...

Rick out

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

This weeks list

Okay fun guys & gals,

it's time for another list. This list was born of a conversation I had with Shane Southern, President of Southern Communications Corporation. He was talking fondly about a place that he remembered called The Spaghetti House. I've only been here since November, 1996...so I don't remember the Spaghetti House. But there is a restaurant that I remember since I've been here that is no longer here...and that restaurant will begin our list:

1) El Caporal (used to be at the Pagoda House Motel)
2) Burger Boy
3) Golden Corral in Oak Hill
4) Skyline Drive In in Hilltop (which we just heard today has re-opened)
5) Robin's in Beaver
6) Ponderosa
7) Dairy Dip in Oak Hill (Lola's list starter)
8) Smorgasbord in Beckley (used to be next to United Cycle)
9) Taco Bell in Oak Hill
10) Burgerland

We mentioned this list one time and the phones lit up!!! People love this stuff!!! Can you smell the memories? Join us tomorrow morning and get ready to call in with your additions to the list and check back here tomorrow for more on the list.

Rick out

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Okay, here is the updated list of Famous West Virginians. Man, the phones have been on fire with this topic.


FAMOUS WEST VIRGINIANS


1. Chris Sarandon (Actor)
2. Seth McClung (Major League Baseball Player)
3. Lil Jimmie Dickens (Country Music Hall of Famer)
4. Don Knotts (Actor)
5. Jerry West (Basketball Legend)
6. Jessco White (The Dancing Outlaw)
7. Jennifer Garner (Actress)
8. Morgan Spurlock (Filmmaker)
9. Cynthia Rylant (Childrens Book Author)
10. Homer Hickham (Author/Rocket Boy)
11. Robert C. Byrd (Politician)
12. Brad Paisley (Country Music Star)
13. Peter Marshall (Game Show Host)
14. John Corbett (Actor)
15. Henry O' Godwin (Pro Wrestler)
16. Dylan Summers (Pro Wrestler/Necro Butcher)

17. Soupy Sales (graduated from Huntington High School)
18. Pearl S. Buck (author The Good Earth)
19. Michael W. Smith (born in Kenova)
20. Conchata Ferrell (born in Charleston and went to WVU - 2 1/2 men and Mystic Pizza!)
21. Biship T.D. Jakes (born in South Charleston)
22. Anna Jarvis (the lady who made Mothers Day a national holiday!)
23. Red Sovine (he sang that country song "Teddy Bear" about the trucker & little boy talking on the CB radio)
24. Russ McCubbin (I have an autographed picture of him when he did an appearance at Cowboy White Chrysler Plymouth Dodge)
25. Joyce Dewitt (Janet Wood on Three's Company)
26. Lou Holtz (football coach)
27. Booker T. Washington
28. Kathy Mattea (country singer)
29. Dreama Denver (Bob Denver's wife)
30. George Brett (Rick, did you not know this???)
31. Ann Magnuson (actress)
32. Bill Withers ("Lean On Me" He is from Slab Fork)
33. Kristan Cunningham (HGTV "Design on a Dime" host...she's from BOONE COUNTY!)
34. Lesli Kay (she plays Felicia Forester on The Bold and the Beautiful)
35. Mary Lou Retton (gymnanst)
36. Randy Moss
37. John Forbes Nash (mathmatical genius!)
38. Jack Canfield (author of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books)
39. Patsy Ramsey (Jon Benet Ramsey's mom)
40. Jessica Lynch (army girl captured in Iraq)
41. Tamar Slay (former NBA player/WWHS graduate/currently playing pro basketball in Italy & is now married and has a son...this according to his mom who stopped by Lola's remote today)
42. Jay Rockefeller (politician/really, really rich guy)
43. Mike D'Antoni (head coach of the New York Knicks)
44. O.J. Mayo (Huntington grad/currently playing in the NBA)
45. Tony Hunsuckle (Pro Boxer)
46. John Kruk (Former Pro baseball player/ESPN analyst)
47. Chuck Yeager (astronaut)
48. Jack Whittaker (lottery winner/multi-millionaire/train-wreck)
49. Marion McClane (creator of “Grandparents Day)

Alright, there you have it. We will continue compiling this list tomorrow morning on the Early Show. Call us with your additions. Until next time...

What the heck have you done lately?

Rick out