Open Mike

This blog has moved

2010-03-30T10:11:00.001-04:00

This blog is now located at http://mercopenmike.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://mercopenmike.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

It's why they call it March Madness

2010-03-18T15:19:00.001-04:00

The NCAA men's basketball tournament started this afternoon, and it was March Madness once again.

In the first three games of the tournament, one game was decided by 1 point, a second game went to overtime, and the third game went to double overtime. Villanova, the No. 2 seed in the South Region, escaped with a three-point overtime win over 15th-seed Robert Morris.

And there are still 61 games left to be played!

Tragedy on Hilton Head Island

2010-03-17T17:24:00.002-04:00

A tragedy happened on the beach on Hilton Head Island, S.C., Monday night when a jogger was struck and killed by a single-engine airplane that was making an emergency landing.

Gary Jones, a 38-year-old salesman for GlaxoSmithKline on a business trip, had ear buds in as he was listening to his iPod while jogging and couldn't hear or see the plane as it tried to land after losing its propeller. Oil was smeared over the windshield of the aircraft, making visibility difficult for the pilot, authorities said.

The plane was "basically gliding," said the coroner.

To read more, click here.

One week to go

2010-02-11T16:47:00.000-05:00

As we dig out from under another 20 inches of snow brought on by Wednesday's blizzard, here's a happy thought: The first workout for Phillies pitchers and catchers is next Thursday in Clearwater, Fla.

Just 7 days away!!!

Indy bus drivers may get Super Bowl Monday delay

2010-02-03T12:19:00.004-05:00

Those of you who have to get up for work early on the day after the Super Bowl know how difficult that is and would love to go into work a few hours late.

Well, they might just be doing that in the Indianapolis School District on Monday.

With the hometown Colts playing -- and favored -- in the Super Bowl, the school district has scheduled a two-hour delay for Monday to give bus drivers a few more hours to get to work. The only problem? State education officials don't like the plan because the big game doesn't count as an emergency.

After the Colts won the Super Bowl in 2007, so many bus drivers -- who are scheduled to report at 5:30 a.m. -- called in sick that the school district had to cancel all classes.

Eat pie on Saturday

2010-01-21T14:23:00.002-05:00

In case anyone didn't read the Sunday, Jan. 17 edition of The Mercury, Saturday is National Pie Day.

So be sure to grab a slice of pie on Saturday and celebrate!

Four weeks to go

2010-01-21T13:58:00.002-05:00

Let the countdown begin. It's only 28 days until Phillies pitcher and catchers report to Clearwater, Fla., for spring training.

Woo hoo!

Lidge undergoes second surgery of off-season

2010-01-14T15:56:00.005-05:00

Just five weeks until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, Phillies closer Brad Lidge, above, had surgery Wednesday to remove loose bodies from his right knee. Lidge spent time on the disabled list last year with a sprained right knee.

The surgery was Lidge's second of the off-season. In November, the right-hander had surgery on the elbow of his throwing arm.

The Phillies say Lidge could miss the start of the season, which is April 5 in Washington.

Vote for Reading Phillies' Team of the Decade

2010-01-06T13:15:00.003-05:00

The Reading Phillies, the Double-A affiliate of the two-time National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies, are asking fans to vote for the R-Phils All-Decade Team.

According to a press release, continuing each Monday for a total of 8 straight weeks, fans can vote for their favorite R-Phils from the past decade. The team will be announced on the team's Web site, www.readingphillies.com, and will be featured in a 2010 photo and T-shirt to be given away at a game later this season.

Every Monday, a new group of players, categorized by position, will be announced. The vote started on Jan. 4, with fans asked to pick the best right-handed pitcher of the last 10 years.

Among the players to pass through Reading in the last decade are 2006 National League Most Valuable Player Ryan Howard, 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP Cole Hamels, Ryan Madson, Brett Myers and Michael Bourn

For more information, click here.

Must have been a lousy hamburger

2010-01-06T13:02:00.002-05:00

I've had some bad food before at fast-food restaurants, but never thought of doing something like this.

A woman trashed a McDonald's in Kansas City, Mo., after not being satisfied with her hamburger and now police are looking for her.

According to the Associated Press, the woman caused thousands of dollars in damage when she became upset the restaurant wouldn't refund her money. She refused the offer of another hamburger.

A video released by police (a still photo from the video is shown above) shows the woman throwing a sign and a bucket of water over the counter and pushing off a glass display case and three cash registers.

It's appropriate

2009-12-18T11:59:00.003-05:00

The cafeteria at the state Capitol in Harrisburg was shut down Thursday and continues closed today because of mice infestation.

That's only appropriate, seeing as the halls of the Capitol are overrun with rats!!!!

With lost bet, man's TV becomes victim of gun shots

2009-12-10T14:53:00.004-05:00

The New Orleans Saints' dramatic come-from-behind overtime win Sunday over the Washington Redskins cost an Albany, La., man a television -- his 60-inch, high-definition, flat-screen TV!

Wayne Spring told his friends that if the Saints won, they could come over to his house and shoot his television.

As soon as the game ended, after the Saints' kicked a game-winning field goal, Spring said his phone started ringing. About a dozen gun-toting friends then came over and shot up Spring's TV in the back yard.

But the event turned Spring into an Internet star. He posted video of his TV being shot at on YouTube and received more than 145,00o hits in 3 days.

Albany is located about 50 miles northwest of New Orleans.

That's a lot of weight!

2009-12-09T16:02:00.002-05:00

Tuesday night was the live finale of season 8 of "The Biggest Loser" on NBC. My wife and I are in awe of the transformations the 16 contestants make from the the start of the show.

This season's big winner, Danny Cahill of Broken Arrow, Okla., at right, is literally the biggest loser in the history of the program. Cahill, who weighed 430 pounds when this season started in September, lost a staggering total of 239 pounds -- the most in the show's history -- to win the $250,000 prize.

The weight Cahill lost is 5 pounds more than what I weigh.

After 6 months and 3 weeks, Cahill lost 55.58 percent of his previous body weight.

Holiday concert scheduled for Saturday

2009-12-04T17:59:00.002-05:00

The Boyertown Alumni Band will present its sixth annual holiday concert at 7 p.m. Saturday at Morning Star Fellowship on Limekiln Road in Bechtelsville.

Selections will include "Greensleeves," "Sleigh Ride," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas Medley," "Wonderful Christmastime," "Jingle Bell Fantasy," and "A Christmas Festival."

Admission is free. A freewill offering will be taken to benefit the Boyertown Area Multi-Service.

Imagine hitting this on the road

2009-11-05T13:00:00.004-05:00

In southeastern Pennsylvania, we always worry about deer crossing our path while we are driving.

Well, an Oklahoma couple driving home from church hit something a little larger while on the road: an elephant!!!

Here are the details, according to the Associated Press:

An elephant that escaped from a nearby circus collided with the couple's SUV Wednesday night when it ran across a rural highway in Enid, about 100 miles north of Oklahoma City.

Police say the 29-year-old elephant had escaped earlier that night from the Family Fun Circus at the Garfield County Fairgrounds. The couple weren't injured in the crash, but police say the elephant had a broken tusk and an injured leg.

Authorities say the elephant's tusk tore a hole in the SUV's sheet metal.
After the crash, the elephant was taken to a veterinary school for an exam. Dr. Dwight Olson says the elephant doesn't appear to have serious injuries.

The dreaded pick

2009-10-28T16:40:00.002-04:00

Well, here goes. I've spent the last few days wondering about my pick to win the World Series, with the hometown Phillies battling the Evil Empire, otherwise known as the New York Yankees.

To be honest, I've been surprised by the Phillies so far this postseason. Yes, I picked them to beat the Colorado Rockies in 4 games in the National League Division Series, but the series didn't play out the way I had in mind, with the Phils winning two games in Colorado in the 9th inning.

Against the Dodgers, I had the Phillies winning the NL Championship Series in 6 games, and they did it in 5. They had few problems with the Dodgers vaunted bullpen, while the Phils' pen shut the door.

So, what about the Series? One minute I think the Yankees are going to win it, the next I lean toward the Phillies.

The Phillies are underdogs in this series. Few so-called "experts" expect them to win. Heck, the defending World Champions were the third choice by bookmakers in Las Vegas to win the NL crown.

This team continues to amaze me. They don't feel the pressure. And it's not like they haven't been here before. After all, they won the thing last year.

So with a split in New York and 2 of 3 wins at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies will repeat with a Game 6 victory at the new Yankee Stadium.

GO PHILLIES!!!!

Attack on Christmas has begun already

2009-10-28T16:23:00.003-04:00

It's not Halloween yet, but the attack on Christmas has already begun.

In Kentucky, the tree that will sit on the Capitol lawn will not be called a Christmas tree. Instead, the giant evergreen will be known as a "holiday tree."

A giant evergreen that will brighten the Capitol lawn this winter won't be called a Christmas tree. Instead, Gov. Steve Beshear's administration has dubbed it a "holiday tree." Beshear is a DEMOCRAT.

In an Associated Press story, the Rev. Jeff Fugate of Lexington says the change is offensive to Christians.

Beshear administration spokeswoman Cindy Lanham says the holiday tree reference is meant to be inclusive of Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year's. People found out about it Tuesday when the state sent a letter looking for someone to donate a tree.

Republican Senate President David Williams of Burkesville says Beshear is putting political correctness ahead of Kentucky values.

The pick

2009-10-15T17:42:00.004-04:00

I waited long enough, almost 2 hours before first pitch, to make my pick on the NLCS.

The key to this series is simple. The defending World Champion Phillies need to score early and often against the L.A. Dodgers -- something they did not do against Colorado in the division series, and really something they didn't do a lot of in the regular season. It seems the Phillies score most of their runs after the fifth inning.

But the Phillies can't afford to do that in this series. The Dodgers have the best bullpen in the National League, if not all of baseball. So if the Phillies don't have a lead in the sixth inning, that game's outcome isn't going to look too good.

I think the Phils' pitching will be pretty good throughout the series, so it's the bats that will need to come through.

I was right with my pick of the Phillies winning its NL Division Series over Colorado in 4 games. It didn't happen exactly how I had pictured it, but winning is the only thing.

Perhaps it's just wishful thinking, but here it is: Phillies in 6.

Go Phillies!

Sad day for 1980s wrestling fans

2009-10-14T14:41:00.004-04:00

I'll admit it. In high school and college I followed pro wrestling. And one of the great characters of that time frame was Captain Lou Albano.

So it's sad to hear that Albano, at right, has died at the age of 76.

Albano was with World Wresting Entertainment from 1983 to 1996, when he was inducted into its hall of fame.

Albano also played Cyndi Lauper's father in her video for "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" in 1983. According to WWE, Albano took credit for her success.

Playboy must be running out of models

2009-10-09T13:06:00.002-04:00

Playboy magazine must be having a hard time getting models.

For its November issue, the magazine will feature the never-aging matriarch of the Simpson clan, Marge Simpson.

Yep, Homer Simpson's better half, at right, will not only grace the cover, but will "pose" in a three-page pictorial. The magazine will hit newstands Oct. 16.

It's a first for the magazine, which has had everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Cindy Crawford to the Girls of Hooters and even the likes of Jerry Seinfeld on the cover. But it's never had a cartoon character before.

Marge isn't going to bare all, though, as the magazine says there will only be "implied nudity" in the 3-page pictorial.

New CEO Scott Flanders says the idea is to attract readers in their 20s to a magazine where the average reader's age is 35.

Another sign I'm getting older

2009-10-08T12:30:00.003-04:00

I was walking the dogs shortly after 7:30 this morning. The air was crisp, temperature in the low to mid-40s, so I was dressed in sweatpants, sweatshirt and windbreaker. And I felt comfortable.

During the walk, I came across another man who was out with his two dogs. He was probably 12-15 years younger than me and it showed in his choice of clothes for the morning walk: T-shirt, gym shorts and flip flops!!!!

Just one more sign I'm getting older.

Talk about a great pumpkin

2009-10-07T12:48:00.004-04:00

You'd be able to make a lot of pumpkin pies, bread, etc. from a pumpkin grown in Ohio.

Christy Harp of Jackson Township near Canton, grew a 1,725-pound pumpkin, shown above, that took first place at the Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers contest last weekend. Harp won $2,500 and could claim lay claim to the world's biggest pumpkin.

Contest organizers say Harp's entry topped the 1,689-pound record-holder grown in 2007 by Joe Jutras of North Scituate, R.I.

The dreaded pick

2009-10-07T12:37:00.003-04:00

I have mixed feelings about how the Phillies will fare in their NL Division Series against the Colorado Rockies.

On the one hand, the defending World Champions struggled down the stretch, winning just 5 of their final 13 games. The starting pitching was mediocre at best, the hitting was practically non-existent, and the bullpen at times was in shambles.

The only regular player who had good numbers in the season's final month was Ryan Howard. Chase Utley saw his batting average fall 20 points from Sept. 1, and Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino had trouble getting on base.

But on the other hand, the team did what it needed to get into the post-season. And their 11-3 record in the playoffs last year shows they know how to play when the pressure's on.

Plus, the Phils owe the Rockies from 2007, when in a similar situation, the Rockies one the first two games at Citizens Bank Park en route to a three-game sweep of the NL East champs.

So here goes: I like the Phillies to win the series in 4 games. I expect Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels to pitch well the first 2 games in Philly and give the team a 2-0 edge.

But if that doesn't happen, it could be a short visit to the playoffs for the defending champions.

Wow, I got it right!

2009-10-06T14:21:00.003-04:00

As the Phillies prepare to open the National League playoffs Wednesday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park against the Colorado Rockies, I went back in the blog archives to see what I predicted for the season. Boy was I surprised.

Not so much that I correctly prognosticated that the Phillies would win the NL Eastern Division (though I thought it would be in a dogfight with the Mets), but that my analysis of a 93-win season was correct as the defending World Champions finished with a 93-69 record, 6 games ahead of the second-place Marlins and 23 games against the hated, injury-plauged Mets.

I'll have my playoff outlook before Wednesday's first pitch at 2:37 p.m.

History in the making?

2009-09-29T17:28:00.003-04:00

I haven't blogged much about the Phillies this year. Perhaps its because as the World Series Champions, I was cutting them some slack.

But through an up-and-down season, I'm finally fed up. Sure they're in first place, 4 games ahead with 6 games to play, but I feel incredibly uncomfortable over their prospects.

Just last week, the Phils were ahead by 8 1/2 games with just 13 to play, and 7 up with 10 to play. Do you see a pattern? They should be wrapping up the division and preparing for the playoffs; instead, the lead keeps dwindling.

There have been few positives for this team down the stretch. Brad Lidge's struggles have been season long. The rest of the bullpen, save for Ryan Madson, has been overcome with injuries. The offense has turned mediocre veterans and rookie starters into Cy Young winners.

The Phils only need to win 3 of the 6 games to clinch the division title. But since they are 0-5 this season against the awful Houston Astros, who the Phils host the next 3 nights, and then a visit from the always tough Florida Marlins ends the season, winning those 3 games will be tough.

The Atlanta Braves, who trail the Phillies by 4 games, have 2 more at home with the Marlins, then host the NL-worst Washington Nationals for 4 games to end the season. So it's unlikely the Braves will lose 3 times.

So if the Phillies end up losing the division title, they will make history by blowing the largest lead (7 games) in the shortest amount of time (10 games). Until now, that mark has been held by the infamous 1964 Phillies, who had a 6 1/2-game lead with 12 games to play, but lost 10 games and lost the National League pennant to the St. Louis Cardinals.

I think the baseball Gods are getting back at Phillies fans for last year. We had the ecstasy of a World Series title; now, will we get the agony of a blown division title?