A big thanks to tWBS for posting the Open Thread last night. Vancouver got walloped by a wet-snow storm, dropping 2-4 inches before turning to ice.

My usual routine is to get the students started at 9:00, and while they’re working I’m trying to hammer out something coherent for the evening. Well, I got busy on other things, and the power went out at school about 10:30 yesterday. Luckily, WordPress saved a whole bunch of it, because when I left the darkened school at 3:00 I got home to no power there as well. So I emailed the DFO team for help, and they delivered.

The power came back on at 5:30. The surge blew the motherboard on the dishwasher, so now I know what my wife is getting for Christmas. Luckily, we found one on sale, and a friend will install it Thursday morning.

Mad props to don_t and all of Puerto Rico. I was without juice for about 8 hours and it drove me bananas. You guys have it exponentially worse, and are somehow keeping up smiles. I hope Trump’s tax cut doesn’t halve your rebuilding efforts.

NFL News:

• New Browns GM John Dorsey said the Browns don’t have enough “real players”.
  • Naturally, he’s had to walk that back a bit, but he stands by the need to acquire new talent after the failures of the previous regime.
    • Especially when the current regime still is ruining the confidence of its rookies.

• The Giants interviewed Steve Smith’s best friend Dave Gettleman for their GM vacancy.
  • He used to work for the Giants prior to becoming the Panthers GM in 2013.

• Thomas Davis has had his suspension reduced to one game.
  • Davante Adams has yet to be cleared to practice.
    • Randall Cobb – your reaction?
      • “It’s bulls—,” Cobb said Tuesday.

• Former Packers & Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman will be the new coach of the Montreal Alouettes.
  • He was most recently the Nauset Regional (Massachusetts) High School football coach.
    • “Welcome to the CFL. Bring the yearbooks!” is what I imagine Marc Trestman saying to his fellow NFL alum.

Finally, just to be clear, Charlotte City Council doesn’t want the Panthers to leave the city.

• With the team up for sale, the Mayor had this to say:

“The City of Charlotte values its long-running relationship with the Panthers after more than 22 seasons of NFL football,” Vi Lyles, who is also a season-ticket holder, said in a statement, via ESPN.com. “The Panthers are part of Charlotte’s fabric. We’ve celebrated victories and anguished over defeats. We understand transitions are inevitable, and we look forward to working with current and future ownership.”

Better Know A Broadcaster – Bowl Game Edition

With Bowl games on the docket pretty much every night there isn’t NFL action between now & New Year’s, I thought I’d make #content quota by trying to figure out which C-list announcing teams are trying to climb the broadcasting ladder. I will rely on the American commentists to pass judgement on the quality of their work, as most bowl games aren’t shown on Canadian TV, and the Seattle stations only show the majors and games featuring Washington state teams.

The broadcast tandems are courtesy 506sports.com.

Frisco Bowl – Louisiana Tech vs Southern Methodist (in Frisco, TX)

Broadcast team: Mike Couzens, John Congemi

Mike Couzens:

• Personal stuff:
  • From White Plains, NY
  • B.Sc in Broadcast Journalism, Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
• Broadcasting history:
  • Radio:
    • WSYR 570 AM • Evening Reporter/Sports Reporter (Jan 2010 – Mar 2010)
    • WJPZ 89.1 FM • General Manager/Play-by-Play (Jan 2008 – Jan 2011)
  • Sports:
    • Syracuse Chiefs Triple-A Baseball • Play-by-Play/Studio Host (Apr 2010 – Sep 2010)
    • Dayton Dragons Baseball • Broadcasting and Media Relations (Mar 2011 – Sep 2011)
    • University of Vermont Women’s Basketball • Play-by-Play (Oct 2011 – Mar 2012)
    • Fort Wayne TinCaps Baseball • Broadcasting and Media Relations (Mar 2012-July 2014)
    • Big Ten Network • Play-by-Play Broadcaster (Sep 2013-July 2014)
    • ESPN • Play-by-Play Broadcaster (Nov 2012-Present)
• Signature play-by-play events:
  • Play-by-Play for USA Ultimate (frisbee) National Championships
• Previous Bowl Games called:
  • 2016 Camping World Independence Bowl

Recent Tweets which show level of commitment to Bowl Game accuracy:

https://twitter.com/MikeCouzens/status/943144244750909440

https://twitter.com/MikeCouzens/status/943219274738479104

John Congemi:

• Personal stuff:
  • From Youngstown, Ohio
  • B.Sc – Communications, University of Pittsburgh
• Football career?
  • Yes – QB
    • College – Pitt (1982-86)
      • MVP, 1984 Fiesta Bowl
    • Pro – 8 years
      • 7 years – CFL
        • won 1987 & 1994 Grey Cups
      • 1 year – Arena League
• Broadcasting history:
  • Sports:
    • ESPN – 2000-present
    • Miami Dolphins – Multimedia host
      • hosts “#Dolphins Daily” on team’s website & Twitter.
      • Hosts “The Finsiders” on team website
• Signature play-by-play events:
• Previous Bowl Games called:
  • 2011 BBVA Compass Bowl
  • 2012 BBVA Compass Bowl
  • 2013 AdvoCare V100 Bowl
  • 2014 Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl
  • 2015 Belk Bowl
  • 2016 Raycom Media Camellia Bowl

Recent Tweets which show level of commitment to Bowl Game accuracy:

– Recapping #MIAvsBUF
– Breaking down @God_Son80, @CParkey36 and @Kold91's performances
– Preparing for Kansas City

This is your #DolphinsDaily, presented by @Xbox One X. https://t.co/a2c5QHajzI

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) December 18, 2017

Prediction:

Couzens tries to punch above weight, but comes across as too-eager & too-error prone. Congemi will barely be able to mask his disdain, and the over/under on his Fiesta Bowl experiences will be +5.5.

Tonight’s sports:

• Hockey:
  • NHL:
    • Leafs at Blue Jackets – 7:30PM | Sportsnet
    • Red Wings at Flyers – 8:00PM | NBCSN
  • World Juniors:
    • Pre-Competition: Czech Republic vs. Canada – 7:00PM | TSN
•  NCAA:
  • Football:
    • Frisco Bowl: Louisiana Tech vs. SMU – 8:00PM | ESPN
  • Men’s basketball: two ‘hate-watches’ are included tonight
    • Evansville at Duke – 7:00PM | ESPN2
    • Wagner at Seton Hall – 7:00PM | FS1
    • Wofford at U*NC – 9:00PM | ESPN2
    • Albany at Louisville – 9:00PM | ESPNU
• NBA:
  • Raptors at Hornets – 7:00PM | Sportsnet1
  • Grizzlies at Warriors – 10:30PM | Sportsnet1 / NBA TV

GO FORTH & COMMENT!