I’m back from a great week in beautiful Canada where I visited Calgary, Banff, and Lake Louise. But now it’s back to the real world where the NFL rules again and the following is today’s Sports USA Radio Network wrap-up show with co-host Brian Golden.
NFL Sunday Wrap-up:
Like Gordon Lightfoot once sang about, I’m Alberta bound on my way to Calgary, Canada today through Friday so you’ll know why there will be no new posts here until next weekend when it’s week 3 in the NFL. Thanks as always for coming to my blog and tell your friends (even your facebook ones)…and if I run into a moose this week in Banff, I’ll tell him you said hi! 🙂
It was another great Sunday of NFL action including our Sports USA Radio Network doubleheader with New England and Tom Brady being too much for the visiting Chargers 35-21 after New Orleans outscored Da’ Bears by the bayou 30-13. The following is our postgame show co-hosting with Brian Golden with plenty of stats and highlights to fill your football addiction for the next 20 minutes…
NFL Sunday Wrapup on Sports USA Radio:
Since the Dodgers are officially playing out the string and since I’m busy doing my Sports USA Radio NFL games on Sunday and then off to Canada next week for few days off, today was my last chance for any Dodgers exit interviews before their season ends on the road.
So I got to Dodger Stadium during batting practice and spoke with manager Don Mattingly to get some thoughts on his rookie season in charge with all of the turmoil in the owner’s box. I also sat down with pitching coach Rick Honeycutt to discuss his entire staff, some expectations for next season, why Clayton Kershaw should be the NL Cy Young award winner and just how Kershaw has joined the elites of the game with one bigtime season?
And if you haven’t heard, longtime Dodger P.R. guy Josh Rawitch announced this week that he’s leaving for a similar position (yet a promotion) with the Arizona D-Backs, so I thought you might like to get his take on the McCourt situation and how he feels about leaving his dream job?
It was also fun to see should-be Hall of Famer Maury Wills for the first time this season as he promised to get together for a round of golf sometime soon. And I finished the night by saying my goodbyes to the few media types left in the pressbox (for this meaningless late season game against the Pirates). But the best was saved for last when I walked into Vin Scully’s booth to wish him a nice off-season. He asked why I couldn’t make it during the week’s final series against the Giants? And I told him I was off to Calgary with a stop in beautiful Banff for the week. Vin then remarked that he’d never been there but knew of it’s gorgeous surroundings and that he wanted to hear all about my trip when I got back. Of course, I won’t likely see Vinny until next spring…so I can’t wait to share the pictures when he’s back for an amazing 63rd season!
Play ball, but not for much longer Dodger fans…
Don Mattingly with Ted Sobel:
Rick Honeycutt with Ted Sobel:
Josh Rawitch with Ted Sobel:
It’s time to drop the first pucks of the late summer as the Kings and Ducks open training camps tomorrow (Saturday). Both teams are understandably optimistic for the long grind ahead towards the Stanley Cup and I will try to get you as much of their inside thoughts along the way.
This morning, Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle called in to give me the rundown on what Anaheim fans should expect to see early on. And then I made acquaintance with new Kings left winger Simon Gagne for the first time when he chimed in after weighing in before he laces up the skates in his new black and whites tomorrow. I liked the way that Simon started our phoner by introducing himself “Hi Ted, this is Simon Gagne of the Los Angeles Kings”. And I just had to ask him if that felt strange to say yet? And he replied NO, it already feels just right! Good answer for a Quebec native who’s about to spend his 2nd straight year in the Sunbelt after all those years in Philadelphia. I enjoyed our chat covering his move to L.A. and how he’s as healthy as he’s been for a longtime hoping to put up similar stats as the last time he was a linemate of his old Flyers’ buddy Mike Richards.
Ducks Head Coach Randy Carlyle with Ted Sobel:
Kings leftwing Simon Gagne with Ted Sobel:
It may still feel quite summery where you are but NHL camps open up tomorrow (Saturday) and it might be the only arena game in town soon? The NBA’s labor struggles appear to be headed for a long lockout and it’ll be interesting to see if the NHL (despite it’s bumbling Commish) can market itself to some new fans or be stuck with the 18,000 plus fanatics in their buildings and with about 18 others left watching at home.
From a local standpoint it looks like having the Kings and Ducks making the playoffs in the same year could finally be a reality (although I’ll only believe it when I see it). The Kings seem to be the better of the two on paper as a true Stanley Cup contender-but if they played on paper those skates would really tear it up-so let’s just play it out!
Kings new home sweater hopefully worn by a happy newly paid defenseman
Kings head coach Terry Murray was kind enough to call me before the start of camp for a season preview in which we covered everything from the acquisitions of ex-Flyers standouts Mike Richards and Simon Gagne to coach Murray’s philosophy on how to deal with their brutal travel schedule which includes 5 games in 7 nights of pre-season play before flying to Germany and then Sweden for the first few games of the real season.
Enjoy our chat and I hope to speak with a few Kings players shortly along with Ducks coach Randy Carlisle and his newly signed Teemu Selanne (who’s a marvel at the ripe young age of 41). Enjoy…
Kings Coach Terry Murray with Ted Sobel:
TED SOBEL SPORTS AUDIO VAULT: Your Inside Access to TOUCHING GREATNESS 