Happy Meissnerversary!

Today, my lovely wife Kim and I(Am I lovely too dear, or just ruggedly handsome?) commemorate our 4th wedding anniversary. (The actual celebrating starts tomorrow night.) She's my sweetie, my best friend, my other half and she's actually saved my life at least twice already. As that famous philosopher Rod Stewart once said:

You're in my heart, you're in my soul
You'll be my breath should I grow old
You are my lover, you're my best friend
You're in my soul.





















I love you my darling!

Jimmy update

Jimmy is 14 months old now. He hasn't "officially" walked yet, but he's getting real close. He's talking an awful lot too(The little chatterbox!). He can say Daddy and Mommy, and he's also said book and hi. Last week, something caught his attention on TV and he turned around and said "Who's that?" He also has said "I love you" and yesterday, when dropping Mommy at Auntie DeeDee's house, he said to Auntie DeeDee: "Go to work." In the grocery store parking lot, he said "Gramma."

He now has six teeth. Two up and four down. He crawls pretty fast, also stood on his own for a few seconds. He's a champion furniture cruiser and climbs better than Sir Edmund Hillary ever did.

He's getting really inquisitive, meaning that we have to keep our eyes on him at all times and, best of all, he sleeps through the night all the time now. (WOO HOO!)

Jimmy is our little miracle and we love him very much!











"Goo Goo to the hand!"

Colon Cancer Alliance launches Cities go Blue for Colon Cancer

September 26-27, 2009
The Colon Cancer Alliance (CCA) will host the 1st Annual Philly Goes Blue for Colon Cancer on September 26-27, 2009. Philadelphia will kick off the national Cities Go Blue for Colon Cancer tour, created to raise awareness of the importance of colon cancer screening.Register now to participate in the following events:

Seminar: The Philly Goes Blue for Colon Cancerweekend of activities begins with a complimentary educational seminar, Conversations about Colon Cancer, designed to bring patients, survivors and caregivers information on the latest treatment advances for colorectal cancer. The seminar will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Philadelphia from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Register now.

Undy 5000 5K Run: On Sunday, the second annual Undy 5000 5K fun run will take place at Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park. Participants in the fun run will receive a pair of race boxers in place of a typical race t-shirt. Register now.

Events Expo: Runners, walkers and spectators can visit the events expo, which will feature the Prevent Cancer Super Colon - an interactive, 8-foot-tall, 20-foot-long, 450-pound replica of a human colon that provides attendees with an opportunity to learn first-hand about colorectal cancer screening, prevention and treatment. In addition, the Please Touch Museum will have their "play patrol" available along with arts, crafts, games and other activities for children.
Saks Goes Blue: Saks 5th Avenue is also showing its support for colon cancer awareness. On Saturday from 11-5 p.m. they will be hosting a Saks Goes Blue event. The event will consist of makeovers, fragrance and skincare consultations & light refreshments. A Tarot Card reader will be available to do readings with any purchase of $75 or more. All guests who register with the Colon Cancer Alliance by 9/22 will receive a 15% off discount coupon that can be used throughout the store on 9/26 (Some Exclusions Apply) and a gift bag provided by Saks Fifth Avenue; please send your name and e-mail address to phillygoesblue@ccalliance.org.

The CCA is working with cities throughout the nation to host future Cities Go Blue for Colon Cancer campaigns with the ultimate goal of all 50 states supporting the event in the years ahead.

Monday Morning Meissnervations

It's another Monday morning. Really amazing how it keeps coming around at the same time every week. Oh well, here we go again.

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HUGE comeback win for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Calgary Saturday night, scoring with just 77 seconds remaining in regulation on a 65-yard pass from Darian Durant to Chris Getzlaf. I thought Rod Pedersen's jaw was gonna hit the floor of the radio booth in disbelief over the ending of that game. I hate to think what a loss might have done to the Riders season. Oh well, I have no problem at all with not having to worry about that!

Defense made some key stops, especially in the fourth quarter. Durant did alright, as did Steven Jyles, but there needs to be more consistant positive production from the quarterback position. For you Graham Harrel fans, he's on the nine game injured list and isn't available until October. Durant and Jyles will really have to elevate their play between now and then, or coach Ken Miller will have to give Harrel a real hard look before this season is over.

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Edmonton hung the first loss of the season on Montreal last Thursday, 33-19. Hamilton continued their resurgance with a 30-18 win at BC on Friday, and Winnipeg eked out at 13-12 win at Toronto on Saturday. Former Oregon State kicker Alexis Serna kicked a 46-yard field goal with 4:05 left. Justin Medlock hit a 47-yarder with just seconds left that would have won the game for Toronto, but a penalty for too much time negated the kick. Medlock tried again from 57-yards away, but his kick rang off the left upright and fell to the ground as time expired.

One thing I did learn this past weekend, was how the single point rule applies on kicks. On a kickoff, if the ball goes through the endzone untouched, no point for the kicking team. Same thing if a field goal hits an upright or crossbar. Ya learn something new every day, eh?

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Saskatchewan and Edmonton lead the West. Both are 3-2 for 6 points. Calgary is third, 2-3 for 4 points and BC is fourth, 1-4 for 2 points. (Think Wally Buono might start feeling the heat if the Leos don't beat the Riders next Friday?)

In the East, Montreal remains first at 4-1 for 8 points, Hamilton is second at 3-2 for 6 points, while Winnipeg and Toronto are tied for third, both at 2-3 for 4 points.

Saskatchewan is at BC next Friday. The http://www.620ckrm.com/ webcast begins at 9:30pm EDT.

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The Tampa Bay Rays are 5-5 in their past ten games. Losing 2 of 3 to the Yankees didn't help, but they've rebounded to take 2 of 3 from Kansas City(Losing 4-1 yesterday), with one more game with the Royals this afternoon at Tropicana Field beginning at Noon:08. Whatta ya wanna bet there won't be any chance of missing the "Good seats still available" sign for this one?

And as if the team isn't embarrassed by the weekday attendance(And they've pretty much admitted they are), having their own ballpark sound like Yankee Stadium this past week is an embarrassment the team has suffered with their entire existance. If going to the World Series the previous fall can't change that, it makes me wonder just how much of a baseball town this actually is.

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Going 5-5 in the past ten has been good enough to keep Tampa Bay in the AL East race. The Yankees lead the AL East by a half-game over Boston and 6 over the Rays. In the Central, Detroit's 1 1/2 clear of Chicago and 3 ahead of Minnesota. The Angels top the AL West by 4 over Texas, while Seattle has fallen 10 games back. In the NL East, Philadelphia is 5 ahead of Florida and 7 ahead of Atlanta. St. Louis leads the Cubs by 1/2 game in the Central, with Houston and Milwaukee 4 1/2 back. In the West, the Dodgers are still on top (BOOOOOOOO!), leading Colorado and San Francisco by 7. In the Wild Card races, Boston leads Texas by 2 1/2 and Tampa Bay by 5 1/2 in the American League. In the National League, Colorado and San Francisco are tied, followed by the Cubs 2 back, Florida 3 back, Atlanta 5, Houston and Milwaukee 6 and the Mets 7 1/2.

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With the Hall of Fame ceremonies recently concluded, we have again been "barraged" with the "Reinstate Pete" garbage, with several Hall of Famers supposedly behind Rose. Sorry, but the old, tired argument about the moral character of some of the residents of the Hall is just that: Old and tired. Pete Rose bet on baseball while Manager of the Reds. That's enough to keep him out forever. End of story.

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Speaking of stories, would someone PLEASE tell Jose Canseco to shut up and go away? I remember when he broke in with the Northwest League's Medford A's during the 1983 season. I was with the Bend Phillies that season and actually, I should say that while Canseco was in the NWL that season, I don't really remember him, other than one day when he dropped a moon shot on top of the Albertson's grocery store on the other side of the left field fence. I truly wish he was that forgettable now, you know what I mean?

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It's August. Know what that means? Hockey camps start later this month. Drop the puck already, will ya?

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Speaking of hockey, rumblings are mounting in intensity about Dubuque returning to the USHL and Huntington, West Virginia joining the league as well. Dubuque left the league in 2001, but apparently(If the message boards are to be believed), the same person has continued to own the rights to a USHL team there and wants to resurrect the franchise. The rumor mill also says there may be a new building on the way there too, but if it wouldn't be ready for the '10-'11 season, the old building, known as Five Flags, should be able to house the team until a new building is finished.

Huntington is a pretty intriguing idea. Some people, myself included, have initially thought that it might be stretching the league's footprint a bit too much going that far East, but Huntington is actually closer to the rest of the league than the Youngstown(Ohio) Phantoms, who begin their first USHL campaign this fall. Lenny Sundahl has a pretty neat blog at http://huntingtonhockey.blogspot.com/, detailing the history of hockey in Huntington. (Their last team, the Blizzard, left the ECHL after the '99-'00 season.) If funds are approved for arena renovations there, Huntington could be a go for next season, making the USHL a 16-team league and just two teams away from being able to go to a three-division format, with six teams in each division.

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Kim, a/k/a the "REAL" head of the house, continues to do a marvelous job of taking care of us all. My health isn't the best right now(Nothing life threatening, but enough to get me to make the rounds of several different doctors-and different specialties- recently) and it has kept me from fulfilling some of my house husband duties. (Really dear, I do enjoy mowing the lawn!) But, as she always does, my lovely bride jumps in and keeps things moving. I love her more and more each day.










I love you dear!












Jimmy is really zooming around the house these days. Still not walking, but boy can he move! And he's really into climbing. He's climbed out of his high chair twice in the past several days. One time, Mommy found him on top of the cabinet next to him, trying to get some snackies. The other time, I found him sitting on the floor, under the chair. What a silly little guy!











Snoopy and Smoke(That's Snoopy on the right) just enjoy being dogs. Smoke's goal these days seems to be finding an escape route to the outside world every time we let him out for a romp in the yard. Sunday, while sitting at the computer, I looked out the window and there he was, standing in front of the house. Thankfully, he saw me and came right to the front door to be let in. Snoopy has two goals these days: To nap whenever he can, and to avoid being "petted" by Jimmy.

We sure love our boys!

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Oh, before I forget(Or before I get banished to the couch for almost forgetting, take your pick!), Kim and I celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary this coming Thursday. Believe me when I say I wouldn't trade a minute of the past four years for anything. Is she actually my better half? Sure she is. But I prefer to look at it the way she does me: She's my other half. Life just wouldn't be as much fun without my Kimberly C. "Pookie Bear!"

Happy anniversary dear! I love you!

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If you haven't noticed, I added a little "doohickey" to the blog this past week, that shows where people visit here from. By all means, when you stop by, please leave a comment about what you see here. And, if you are so inclined, leave a contact address too. (I promise it won't get posted.) And tell your friends about this blog too. I'd love a lot more traffic here.

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That's it for now. Have a great week everybody!

Big play late propels Riders past Calgary

Darian Durant hit Chris Getzlaff with a 65-yard touchdown pass late in regulation Saturday night, sending the Saskatchewan Roughriders to a 24-23 come-from-behind win over the Calgary Stampeders in a CFL battle at sold-out McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta.

The Riders, looking to break a two-game slide, hit the scoreboard first, taking the opening kickoff out to their 35, then going the remaining 75 yards in 7 plays, with Darian Durant finding Chris Getzlaff with a 9-yard scoring strike. Luca Congi's convert put Saskatchewan up 7-0, just 2:14 into the game. On their third possession, Wes Cates ripped off a 28 yard run, keyed by a block from Gene Makowsky, seeing his first action on the Riders offensive line this season. But, the drive ended on the next play, as Durant was intercepted at the Calgary 20. A couple of big plays put the Stamps into Saskatchewan's half of the field for the first time on the night. Joffrey Reynolds ripped a big 23-yard run to the 11, then Henry Burris finished the drive with an 11-yard completion to Jon Cornish for the major score. Sandro Deangelis booted the convert, tying the game 7-7 with 1:32 to go in the opening quarter.

Calgary, looking for their third straight win after starting the season in defense of the 2008 Grey Cup title at 0-2, took the lead in the second, driving from their own 6 to deep in Rider territory, but had to settle for a 12-yard Deangelis field goal with 9:09 left in the half, going ahead 10-7. The lead increased to 13-7 as Deangelis kicked an 35-yard field goal with 5:50 left. Saskatchewan responded with an 18-yard Congi field goal on the last play of the half, cutting the deficit to 13-10 at halftime.

The Riders regained the lead in the late stages of the third quarter. Starting in their own half of the field, Durant moved his team down the field then, from the Stampeder 19, a little 6-yard flip pass turned into gold, as Weston Dressler made a nice spin move on Brandon Browner to secure the major score. Congi converted with 4:51 remaining in the quarter, putting Saskatchewan up 17-13, a lead they would take into the 4th quarter.

The Riders drove deep into Calgary territory to start the 4th. A major score was called back, as Durant threw a pass after crossing the line of scrimmage. The do-over from the 20 fell incomplete as did a second down attempt, but a time count penalty moved the ball back to the 25. On the 2nd and goal from the 25, Saskatchewan gained just five yards, forcing Congi to attempt a 33-yard field goal. The kick hit an upright however and fell away, leaving the Rider lead at 17-13 with 13:04 left in regulation time. Aided by big plays and a questionable pass interference call against Omarr Morgan, the Stamps capped a 9 play, 85 yard drive to regain the lead as Burris ran around end for 18 yards and a touchdown. Deangelis toed the convert through the uprights, putting Calgary back on top at 20-17, with 8:20 to go. The Stamps held, got the ball back and drove into scoring position. The drive stalled and Deangelis kicked a 25-yard field goal with 4:18 left, stretching Calgary's lead to 23-17. The Riders couldn't move the ball and kicked it back to the Stamps, but Deangelis missed a 49-yard field goal wide left. Dressler returned the kick from his end zone out to the 45, with 1:32 on the clock. After a first down pass fell incomplete, Durant hit Getzlaff over the middle for an electrifying 65-yard major score. Congi's convert with 1:17 remaining in regulation stunned the sellout crowd and put Saskatchewan back on top by a point at 24-23. The Stamps started their last possession on their own 33, but Lance Frazier knocked down a Burris pass at the 50 with 1:06 to go. The 2nd down pass fell incomplete, with the Riders declining a Calgary holding penalty, forcing the Stamps into third-and-10. Burris underthrew an open receiver in front of his bench with 55 seconds left, turning the ball back to Saskatchewan. The Riders took a poor penalty to cost themselves field position on the ensuing possession and on second down, Cates ran for just a yard, forcing Saskatchewan to punt with 44 seconds remaining. Jamie Boreham's punt was returned to the Calgary 23. Burris threw incomplete on first down, leaving 28 seconds on the clock. On 2nd down, Burris hit his receiver in the back, forcing Calgary into a big 3rd and 10. Steve Baggs put heavy pressure on Burris, who threw incomplete up the sideline in front of the Rider bench, turning the ball back to the Green-and-White, who ran out the clock, heading back to Regina with a huge 24-23 win.

For Saskatchewan, Darian Durant was 18 of 30 passing for 282 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception. Steve Jyles saw action in the second quarter, going 5 of 7 for 35 yards. Weston Dressler had 9 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown and Chris Getzlaff, taking the place of the banged-up Andy Fantuz, had 5 catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner with just 77 seconds remaining. Wes Cates also had a big game, catching 3 passes for 34 yards, while running the ball 16 times for 98 yards. Luca Congi kicked a field goal and 3 converts for 6 points. Defensively, Renauld Williams had 6 tackles and a pair of quarterback sacks, while Donovan Alexander added six tackles. For the Stampeders, Henry Burris was 17 of 28 passing for 224 yards and a touchdown. Jon Cornish caught a touchdown pass for the Stamps, while Burris added a rushing touchdown. Kicker Sandro Deangelis booted 3 field goals and a pair of converts.

The Riders, who had 417 yards of total offense and just one turnover, snapped their two-game losing skid and improved to 3-2, good for a first-place tie with Edmonton in the CFL West. Calgary, with 369 yards total offense and no turnovers, had outscored their last two opponents 92-19 after losing their first two games. The defending Grey Cup champs slip to 2-3, a game out of first in the West.

Saskatchewan travels to Vancouver's B.C. Place next Friday, for a match-up with the 1-4 but always tough BC Lions. Kickoff is set for 10:30pm EDT, with the live broadcast on http://www.620ckrm.com/ beginning at 9:30pm. BC, off to their worst start in years, lost 30-18 at Hamilton on Friday. Calgary hosts Winnipeg next Saturday.

Riders look to rebound tonight in Calgary

The Saskatchewan Roughriders, who have cooled off after a 2-0 start to the 2009 CFL season, look to rebound tonight against the Calgary Stampeders.

The Riders are 2-2 entering tonight's game at McMahon Stadium, following last week's disapointing 38-33 loss at home to Edmonton, a game in which they at one time owned a 22-0 lead. Calgary, the defending Grey Cup champions are also 2-2, but have now won 2 straight, including last Friday's 48-10 pounding on the BC Lions in Vancouver, which followed a 44-9 thrashing of Toronto the previous Friday.

Kickoff is set for 9:00pm EDT. The live broadcast, with Rod Pedersen with Carm Carteri calling the action, begins at 8:00pm EDT at http://www.620ckrm.com/.