WEEKEND PIX WITH GABS....

Gabs and I at GENEVA ON THE LAKE Saturday afternoon.

When my "real" golf game struggles, I usually take Gabby to mini-golf to find my game. I still struggle with the windmill, but have mastered the volcano. Gabs beat me by 15 strokes.
No weekend mini road trip is complete without a flyby the local ice cream joint.

GOLFIN' WITH THE GABSTER...

My daughter Gabby and I spent Sunday afternoon on the golf course in Solon. The weather was gorgeous and we had a great time together...
Although I hit the ball a lil farther than Gabs...she still hits it straighter. (Note her correct grip on the club). Despite her ability to hit the ball straight, she still had more fun driving the golf cart. Only one near miss with the beer cart girl.

A LEAGUE OF OUR OWN

The official league logo

At the end of the Spring soccer season, my assistant coach and good friend Tom and I ended up in a conversation about starting our own soccer league. It was one of those conversations that started with a "....ya know what we should do...? We should start our own league..." The conversation lead to immediate action. We had frustrations with our current league and decided to do something about it. As parents of young players and fans of the game, we decided to put together a league that truly teaches soccer with an emphasis on fun for everyone involved. After coaching several seasons, we have done a lot of things right and learned a lot about what we were doing wrong. We have come up with a concept that we feel will be awesome for kids 4-9-years-old.
After talking with several soccer parents, players and coaches, we came up with The Nordonia Hills Soccer Association. The league serves Northfield, Northfield Center, Macedonia and my city, Sagamore Hills. Play begins at the end of August with an 8-game schedule starting after Labor Day. Check out the website at www.NHSASoccer.org
I'm all about checking things off the "LIFE LIST"...and starting a league for kids has been on the list. I love kids and I love to laugh. Soccer has provided such a great opportunity for both.

FATHER'S DAY 2007

Fellow dad and soccer coach Marty and I at the ballpark Sunday at The Jake. Our families took us there for Father's Day. ......
The day my daughter GABRIELLE was born is by far, the happiest day of my life. I was so happy I cried with the greatest of joy. She truly is an angel from Heaven and has changed my life for the better. Father's Day is a reminder of that day. In each of Gabby's 8 years of life, I have looked back on that day on Father's Day. She makes me so happy and truly makes me laugh. I love you buh-buh-buh....thank you for taking me to the ballpark Sunday.

FINALLY ENGAGED!!!!

FINALLY!!!! After 4-ish years of being together...My friend BRIAN H finally got engaged to his girl TONYA. They are dear friends and awesome people. They make an awesome couple and I sincerely wish them the best! No matter where we are or what we are doing, BRIAN and I laugh a lot about everything...I'm sure this wedding will provide many comedic moments in my life...and for that, I thank them for finally agreeing to wed....now, if they can come up with a date....oy...

THE FINALS

Like everyone else, I found myself star gazing during the NBA FINALS. During the post game press conference after game 4, I realized that TONY PARKER's fiance EVA LONGORIA could be nearby considering he was just named the series MVP. My week long search for EVA ended with this meeting. Yes, she is nice. Yes, she is very tiny....and YES, she went home with TONY.....
I took a lil grief on the show this morning for hangin' with the "bad guys" after the game. The truth is, I was like a kid in a candy store. I'm a huge fan and it was such a great chance to see the behind-the-scenes of a world championship being won. The Spurs were all business. They clearly had been there before. The entire locker area smelled like cigars and there was lots of champagne flowin'. I snapped this pic with TIM DUNCAN as he just set down the trophy. He was very cool.

I feel that these finals have set the table for something truly special to come to Cleveland. The enrgy of the city, even when we fell down 3-0 was amazing. Winning the Eastern Conference Title has set the stage for a world championship in Cleveland. We are a player or two away from getting that long overdue title. This time, we can truly say, "watch out next year."

BEHIND-THE-SCENES OF THE NBA FINALS

After game 4 of the NBA FINALS, I had a chance to go down into the lockeroom area and meet some of the players and watch the post-game interviews. My friend BRIAN H and I chatted with "WILD THING" .

BRIAN and I stand at center court after the game.

THE NBA FINALS COME TO CLEVELAND

Although we are down 3-0 to the Spurs in the best-of-seven series, I have to admit, I had a blast at Tuesday night's game at The Q. There is so much happening in and out of the arena, you can't help but get caught up in all the action...
Yeah yeah, I know...these are for kids...but they totally crack me up.....
After the game, I ran into David Robinson...the former star of the Spurs. He was actually pretty cool and signed tons of autographs. I was surprised to see him walking out of the arena through the front. He was mobbed by tons of fans. I was not.
Before the game, DREW CAREY was outside the Q standing in front of an NBA FINALS banner...at first, I thought it was a guy that looked like him doing pictures for fun. I was surprised it was really him. He took a lot of pix and signed all kinds of autographs before and after the game. CLEVELAND ROCKS!

OUTLAW TEXT MESSAGING...

My friend Val heard the show this morning about text messaging. Most Americans believe that texting while driving should be outlawed. Val blames me for her new "text messaging problem" because I taught her how to do it. Today, after the show, she emailed this pic.....
I readily admit that I have a problem texting. Despite my strong ability to return most texts wihtin seconds, I feel I need to purge texting from my life.

GABBY "GRADUATES" SECOND GRADE.

"Graduation" has become somewhat of a tradition at our house. On the last day of every school year, my 8 year old daughter Gabrielle celebrates her graduation. ...When Gabs got word that her mom had earned her Masters and was graduating...Gabs decided, that she too, would be graduating. So, on the final day of each school year, we take her to a special dinner of her choice. As much as I try to steer her toward sushi, she will likely narrow the dinner down to Mexican, Applebee's or The Winking Lizard.
It's been so sweet watching Gabs go through second grade. Her confidence grows more and more each day....(something I'm sure will cause issues in the teen years). I , had the pleasure of helping in her classes at school and have enjoyed it very much.
Its such a thrill to see her enjoy reading. It has become one of her passions. I am confident that she will go on and accomplish so many amazing things. She is truly and Angel from Heaven. Thank you Gabs...and happy Graduation baby!

AWESOME WEEKEND IN CLEVELAND!!!

MY friend and fellow Q-staffer KEN and I celebrate the CAVS win Saturday night at THE Q!
...I'm not sure who looks goofier...me in this shirt or PRODUCER NICK in orange....

GLENN, ME, PRODUCER NICK and my wife SUE celebrate in studio!

Before the CAVS game, I pre-gamed on the homerun porch during 70's night at The TRIBE game. I'm not sure who the large head guy is...it's either JOHNNY CARSON or JIMMY CARTER...my friend CINDY was also at the game.

THE ROAD TO 40: WEIGHT LOSS UPDATE

I was recently asked why I wasn't updating my weight loss on my blog. Someone suggested that I may have "fallen of the wagon".....I've lost 41 pounds so far. My workouts include 40-plus minutes on the treadmill at least 6 days a week and biking a minimum of 10 miles 3-4 times per week. I'm feeling great. Much more energized. During the long holiday weekend and a couple of post season soccer parties I had a few, uh, food and drink penalties...but I was quick to answer it the next day with a strong workout. During that week and a half long stretch, I was able to maintain. I'm back at it this week and look forward to another "minus week".

POOP IN THE POOL...

My daughter Gabby and I on a poop-free pool day

This morning's POOP IN THE POOL topic struck a nerve for several listeners today. The pool in my development was shut down yesterday after an "incident". Apparently the kid who popped a poop in the pool did not have a swim diaper on. Word has it, the responsible parent will have to pay for shutting down the pool. On one hand, it is frustrating being a non pooper parent who has to clear the area and it's good to know that the offender pooper parent will pay a hefty price for the diaper foul. But then again, the parent and child who poopified the pool will have to endure such embarassment for what happened-it almost seems unfair to hit them with a fine...what do you think? What should happen to pooper parent? Comment below.

GOOD COMPANY TV APPEARANCE

Special thanks to the cast and crew of GOOD COMPANY for putting up with my guest-hosting this week. I always have a blast on that show! The people there are awesome and quite festive. With the exception of a cooking segment gone bad, it went pretty good...ish. pictured l to r: Andrea Vecchio, Producer Erica, Eileen McShay, me, Fred Griffith and Producer Claire