SOME PIX FROM THE LONG WEEKEND...

My daughter Gabby joined me at the rib cook off on Saturday. She is a fan of AMERICAN IDOL and ELLIOT YAMIN. She wanted to see the show....and yes, that is whip cream on her chin...she is never too far away from treats...

GABS and I wait to meet ELLIOT at the Q104 live broadcast.

GABS and ELLIOT

GABBY at The Memorial Day Parade in Northfield. The highlight of the parade included DICK GODDARD of FOX 8 showin' up and fitting into his old military uniform.

NEW BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN

If you listen, you often hear us complain about the lack of marketing for our show. This year, however, the station has been great to us with Tv, busboards and now a new billboard campaign. That's the good news...the bad news, the photo shoot for the campaigns took place a few months ago when I was 41 pounds heavier. The billboards look great, but I can't help but see a chunky guy....to make it worse, the billboards are huge (some would argue life-like). On top of the weight issue, the photo shoot took place right after I shaved my head because of the whole Britney Spears thing. I'm told by fellow staffers that I'm being too much of a diva about it....but I see the Stay-Puffed Marshmallow Man when I see the new campaign. I also see a pastey white head and multiple chins.
Maybe I am being a diva. Perhaps I should use this campaign as motivation to keep the weight off. Either way, it's great to have marketing for the show. I just hope no one drives off the rode after seeing these boards around the city.

PIRATES COMPLETE UNBEATEN SEASON!

THE PIRATES completed an udefeated season with Saturday's 3-3 tie. It was the most exciting youth soccer game I have ever been a part of. Our team was losing 3-1 late in the game when we rallied for two goals to tie it up. The tying goal was very exciting and the crowd reaction from our parents was unreal. Everyone went crazy and the kids loved it!

My daughter GABBY enjoys a sack of post-game "CHEEZ ITS". Gabs had a wonderful season scoring 4 goals in six games. In the finale on Saturday, she had her best game with great dribbling and passing. I'm so proud of her as her coach and her dad. Being able to coach her has been an awesome gift. Now that we are done with U-8 soccer, I have a tough decision to make about coaching a travel team next season. I have had so much fun at this level, but I'm concerned about how seriously the parents and coaches will take it at the next level. It truly disappoints me to have over-the-top parents and coaches ruine things for the kids. My feeling is that I will likely go to the next level and do all I can to make it a positive situation for everyone.
The coaching staff for the Spring 2007 Pirates; Coach Marty, Coach Tom, Me and Coach Paul.

When I look back on this season. I will remember how awesome our team was. We have really grown as a team over the past couple of seasons together and I'm proud of the experience that our players, parents and coaches have had. For us, it was such a good time, right down to the end-of-the-season party.
At times, we were known as "THAT TEAM" from other teams and their parents and coaches. We had several kids who had played together over a few season and a few of our kids were much bigger than some of the kids we faced. As a result, we had won several of our games by fairly large margins. Coaching youth soccer can be tough when you have to teach kids how not to score. The other teams feel you are running up the score, when in reality, you are trying to give ALL of your players the chance to play and score. We found ourselves managing the situation for the other team to be happy, rather than always playing soccer the way we have taught kids. My feeling is that the score should not matter. It's all about teaching the kids how to score goals and defend goals. Teaching our kids how to win with class and lose with respect should be part of the process. I found many times this season, that we had to work around the situation than just let the kids do their thing and play soccer. We live in a time where everyone gets a trophy. If a team is losing, we fix it to where they score a goal, even if we took out two of our players to let them have an easier chance to score. I think we send a wrong message to our kids when we do that. They need to know winning and losing. They need to know, they won't get breaks to let things go their way later in life. Youth soccer is such an amazing sport with so much to offer our kids and parents. Sometimes, the parents truly miss what we are there to do. I am confident that our team accomplished what it set out to do both on and off the field this season. It's a great memory and one that I will never forget. The Pirates truly were the team havin' the most fun this season. My special thanks to the players, parents and coaches of PIRATE NATION!

THE HOT MAMAS!

THE HOT MAMAS: Michelle, Evelyn, Karen, Amie, Brenda, Lori and Joanna at House of Blues last night.

THE HOT MAMAS are a festive group of ladies who are walking in the BREAST CANCER 3-DAY in August. They stopped by our show a couple of weeks ago. Last night, they were at the FIVE FOR FIGHTING show at HOUSE OF BLUES. JOHN ONDRASIK from FIVE FOR FIGHTING did the theme to this year's walk and "THE MAMAS" wanted to check it out.

SOME UPCOMING HOT MAMA FUNDRAISING EVENTS:
May 17th Dinner at Sebastians in Chardon on The Square
May 29th Applebees in Mentor dinner 4-9pm
May 31-June Neighborhood Garage Sale in Painesville Twp in Lake Erie Shores Subdivision

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

....to my MOM Maureen ...(yes, that's me in the pic)....
...and to Sue, the mother of our daughter Gabrielle.

I would also like to wish a happy Mother's Day to all the soccer moms on our team, the moms who listen to our show and all the moms who sacrifice a big part of who they are to give to their kids. My hope is that today is not the only day you get to celebrate who you are and all that you do.

PIRATES ROLL TO FOURTH STRAIGHT WIN!

My daughter GABBY's soccer team rolled to a 6-2 win on Saturday. Gabby has scored a goal in each of the 4 games so far this season. The Pirates are 4-0 as they enter the final week of play. By far, this is the best team I have coached and it's been a total blast. Pictured left to right: Gabe, Dylan, Connor, Dylan and Gabs.

CAVS WIN TENTH STRAIGHT GAME!!

KAVILIER KEN invited me to his hoity toity luxury suite at the CAVS play-off game last night. KEN spent most of the time on "the celly". The CAVS smoked the NETS by ten points and looked great in the fourth quarter.
Although the crowd was a tad quiet for a play-off game, they were the loudest I have ever heard at The Q when they got rollin' in the fourth quarter.

SUNDAY GOLF...

With the awesome weather on Sunday, I played my first round of golf of the season....and it felt like it...rather than focus on my struggling golf swing, I used it as an opportunity to get a lil color on my bald head...Don is one of the sales guys at Q104. He drives the cart well, he doesn't drive the ball that well...

Tom the LeCentre guy smoked us big time.

ON THE TOWN...

On Saturday night, I hosted two events....I stopped by the KENTUCKY DERBY PARTY to a benefit for the WSEM Hunger Center. I was the "opening act" for GOOD COMPANY's ANDREA VECCHIO and MICHAEL CARDAMONE.....
...Later in the evening... KIDS IN FLIGHT is an awesome organization that helps kids with cancer fulfill their dream to fly. MARIA WEYBRECHT is the founder and one of the most awesome people you could meet. She put together a gala and auction that I co-hosted with Channel 3 Health reporter Monica Robins. (pictured l to r: KEVIN MYEROFF, MARIA, ME and Monica.)

MONICA ROBINS and I hosted the night. She said all the important stuff.

PIRATES WIN 6-2 OVER THE SHARKS...

My daughter GABBY scored her third goal of the season as THE PIRATES won their third straight game on Saturday. The team came out a flat for the 9am game. It seems like the early games are always a lil harder than the 11am games. IS it wrong that we served the kids glazed donuts at halftime to energize them?? The donuts were on hand for a post game birthday for one of our players. Does sugar count as a performance enhancer??

TOTALLY TRIBE ON SPORTS TIME OHIO

Photographer Ed, ANDY BASKIN and me at The Jake Tuesday.

Last night, I taped another segment of FEE'S FANS on TOTALLY TRIBE on Sports Time Ohio. It's always a blast to go into the stands with a camera crew. You never know who you will meet and what they will do. All I can say is, thank God for editing! LOL. The Tribe keeps finding ways to win ball games. Extra innings and another win over Toronto!

CELL PHONE PIX FROM THE JAKE LAST NIGHT

Crazy weather last night before the Tribe game at The Jake. Massive hail and rain...finally, after a 30-minute delay, the sun poked through...
Local artist and good friend WILL BOWEN and I hangin' on the homerun porch last night.
The Tribe beat Toronto 12-4 last night. The team is winning and not quite playin' great yet...expect big things from this team. ..they are totally for real. FYI...watch for my new feature FEE'S FANS on Sports Time Ohio tonight an hour before the game. I go into the crowd and meet the fans..it's a total blast!