NOOOOOOOO, not THOSE sox!….The socks that David Cone wore to the studio tonight!

The PS to this Blob, in answer to some of the comments, is…yes, I will be doing my own live chat at some point…in a couple weeks, I think…K Sull, the internet guru (pictured below), and I are figuring out the date now…

And yes, there are still M&M’s left…though, I have to say, between dinner and me going upstairs to do the 4th inning cut-in and then returning to my office, the M&M peanut bowl went from 2/3 full to empty!  It wasn’t just Coney, though…there are several others who enjoy throwin’ em down as well!
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No, really, it is alive!…OK, it’s actually a live chat with David Cone, going on right now…and I have the pictures….

It’s something I’ve been promising for a while, and starting tonight…Ladies and Gentlemen…
I
give you the beginning of “Get To Know Your YES Studio Crew”, which I’m
sure will quickly be embraced not only by Blobbers and Yankees fans,
but most people around the globe…along with aliens, if they
exist…and robots, that according to futuristic movies, will be
controlling the world in the next few years….

FIRST UP…THE MAN BEHIND CAMERA # 3….PAUL FERRIGNO (Insert applause here)

Nicknames:  Paulie, Paulie Walnuts
Favorite Teams:  Baseball (check the cap), NFL: Giants (he shares season tix on 50-yd line or, as Paul refers to them, “seats from God”), NBA: Da Bulls!

Paul is married to the far lovelier Melissa and they have 3 boys…triplets!…Jake, Luke and Paul…which is why Melissa is dubbed “the Saint”…They are 9 years old and playing Little League ball right now…Paul coaches as much as he can given his schedule…he says he plans to pencil in Luke (LH) at 1B and Jake (LH) at SS this week, while Paul (RH) is slated to pitch.  By the way, all 3 pitch…a righty and 2 southpaws…gotta be a gold mine in there somewhere, eh, Paulie?! 

As far as the job goes, Paul’s been at YES the entire 7+ seasons of existence.  Prior gigs include stints at News12 and Martha Stewart…went to electrical school, but didn’t see himself doing electrical work for 40 years, so picked up an internship in local TV…says the best part of the job is watching his favorite baseball team every night on a 12-foot HD projection TV, while the worst part is “working pro baseball hours without the same pay as the pro baseball players.”…But Paulie, being the reasonable sort, has his feelings (and stomach) occasionally soothed by the food that’s catered in from time to time…Favorite?…Penne Alla Vodka with chicken from Spazzio’s.

Finally, career hilight to date for Paulie?…Attending the final game at the old Yankee Stadium…he worked one of the cameras we used on the 3rd base side of the field for the pre- and postgame shows….Funny….I would have bet top dollar that Paul’s career hilight was getting mocked yelled at by me for throwing my gum away just before we pre-taped a segment a couple months ago (I previously Blobbed about this)….Hmmm, maybe he forgot that.

Two final notes:  Perhaps you noticed his last name, “Ferrigno”….Yes, he is related to the Incredible Hulk, Lou Ferrigno…3rd or 4th cousin, Paul says…he’s not sure.  I’m guessin’ they don’t text each other much.

And, I’ve seen Paulie grow from AT BEST a rudimentary ping pong player into one of the toughest outs in the building…he’s worked hard at his craft, Man…Oh, wait…his craft is cameraman, not pro ping pong player!  Alright, he’s great on the camera, too!

Final game of three between the Yankees and Rangers…and the final game of three in studio for Ken Singleton, who’s heading back home to Maryland after the postgame show…but before he leaves, let’s see if I can accommodate all you Blobbers out there who can’t get enough of Singy.

First, someone wanted to see Kenny eating in my office…interesting, but true…so below, enjoy Kenny enjoying a delicious prosciutto, mozzarella and tomato sandwich for lunch!

Also notice in the picture, the ring on his right hand…I threw a pop quiz the other night, tied to Mrs. Singy’s blog, about which of the three championship rings Ken possesses that he’s been wearing during his three-game in-studio stint….the answer?  The Yankees’ 1999 World Series ring that they gave to him as a team announcer.

And now, the candy question…someone wondered which bowl Kenny dips into when he’s enjoying a post-meal dessert…the answer?  The M&M with peanuts bowl…but very sparingly…he eats them individually and not by the handful…obviously knowing that they do, from time to time, melt in your hand before they melt in your mouth.

On a related note, I just killed five Reeses mini peanut butter cups…three regular, two high-octane white chocolate….

Oh yeah, some of you may have heard during the game broadcasts either Tuesday or Wednesday about Kenny and I playing golf together two days in a row, with our supervising producer Woody Freiman (who may or may not have been there, depending on whether or not he was skipping meetings to play…I will never confirm nor deny his presence!)…Well, final hole yesterday, Kenny’s looking at 210 yards uphill…pulls a 4-iron out of the bag…pures it… can’t see the final result, though, because of the hill and a small swale in front of the green… we get up there and his ball is about a foot and a half from the hole…tap in for birdie.  That’s Kenny for ya…right on the money!

When you stop by here at YESNetwork.com, I hope you get the chance to read all of the great blogs that are being written. It’s a big endeavor by a lot of people who have a passion for writing…and for baseball. I think just about everybody knows about Kim Jones’ background as a writer, for example. And writing has been an integral part of all my jobs…starting with getting a degree in broadcast journalism at USC, to my first TV job in Eureka, Calif. (I was the one and only sports person at the station)…to my next stop in West Palm Beach (weekend sports guy, had to write all my own stuff)…to CNN and Turner Sports (yup, wrote almost all of my stuff there, too…and now, to The Blob. (By the way, there’s a little tip in there for all the young pups thinking about going to journalism school…write, write, write).

And by now, you’ve noticed the title of this Blob, The Singy Ringy Thingy. Check out the blog of Suzanne Singleton, aka Ken’s wife, aka “Mrs. Singy” here on the Web site. She has a tremendous background as a writer and author, but what you might particularly like in one of her latest blogs is her detailed description of the three championship rings that Ken possesses. Click on her blog, check out the bling, and then try to figure out WHICH ring Kenny is wearing tonight on his right hand on the postgame. Between looking for that and looking for the old guy in different hats in Cleveland, The Blob has evolved into some weird internet version of Where’s Waldo?!

I received a request to take pictures in my office of Kenny and me enjoying our dinner. Well, he’s here for the entire Rangers series, so I’ll check with him and see if he’ll allow that kind of personal access (because it is personal when one is sitting there eating lasagna with a huge string of melted cheese hanging off one’s chin. That was not Kenny, by the way, that was me). I hope Flash reads this because then he’ll know he missed out on Spazzio’s lasagna. Sorry, bro.

So for now, do the Singy Ringy Thingy, and I’ll work on getting the rights for behind the scenes Singy access…and I’ll keep an eye on which bowl of candy he goes for…

In the meantime, here are a couple things in my office I thought might amuse you. The first picture is the TV we watch the game on…and yes, that is the Caddyshack Gopher making a cameo. The second picture is a drawing my daughter did a few years back that I display proudly…I guess you could say it’s something of an inspiration. I mean, how can Ron Burgundy NOT be inspiring to an anchorman?!

Or this could be called Shortest Blob Ever…unfortunately, been busy with other stuff around here today…no man in the hat today for a 2nd straight game, but you can bet I’ll be looking for him in the series finale Monday night!

Meanwhile, Tex is absolutely raking…34 RBI now for the month of May…just for fun, projects out to 204 RBI over a 6-month season…unrealistic, but it shows just how prolific his turnaround has been.

Wherever you are, I hope you have sunshine like they have in Cleveland, and like were are enjoying in the Tri-State area….it’s awesome…SOAK IT IN !!!!!  See you on the postgame.

Man In the Hats?  Anyone seen the man in the hats yet?  I’m on the lookout…seems at first glance, when Grady Sizemore was batting, that there’s somebody else sitting in his seats… but I’m keeping a watchful eye on that camera shot…There is was!  Choo at the plate, but no man of multiple hats.  Just a less older guy in a navy sweater vest…not the same dude.

Good to read that pinkyswore is on the Yankees On Deck train!

And as for yankeexx, no need to send any MacNut candy yet, thanks, but when I add it to the rotation, I’ll let you know.  In the meantime, given the TYPE of candy you are suggesting, I’m going to assume you are feelin’ a little island fever in Hawaii….I can’t tell you how many times I’ve enjoyed a very early morning cup o’ joe sitting on the beach, reading the paper and basking in the shadow of Diamondhead while the sun comes up.  One of my favorite places to visit!
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karinct, nyyanks2548 & fran0322…3 Blobbers I know of who will join me tonight in keeping a sharp eye out during the Yankees-Indians game for the older gentlemen with the strange hat- changing fetish…I mentioned it in last night’s Blob…Lefthanded batter, 3rd base camera angle getting a close-up…and behind the hitter…an older man who switches hats every inning or so.  At first, I thought maybe it like a stealth endorsement thing…like he’d flip on a John Deere hat for one inning, then maybe a Quicksilver or Ed Hardy hat the next (just kidding!)…but last night, when I saw him with a blank, flourescent orange hat, I realized he must just do it for kicks, or so someone at home (maybe his kids or grandkids?) can see him.

We shall all keep an eagle eye out for him and Blob accordingly…

Y On Deck…Y Not?!  Meantime, Blobber karinct wondered aloud last night whether it’s weird that she likes to watch Yankees On Deck…nyyanks2548 reinforced her enjoyment of the show… and my advice to both is…DRINK…IT…IN…!!!  It’s not weird to like Yankees On Deck!  I mean, the How Well Do You Know Your Teammate segments with Mo and Jorge are great…and, let’s be honest…with regard to the most recent episode…how many times do we get to see David Cone laugh in slow motion in an almost maniacal fashion?!  That’s must see TV, in my opinion.

Fran the Foodie  Also, a few nights ago when Coney was in the studio, fran0322 wanted to know if we had Chinese food and M&M’s…David and I freelanced that night, went to a diner nearby for takeout, where he ordered some kind of bass sandwich and I got a huge bacon cheeseburger with fries.  As for Coney and the candy, he has a few…but he’s a far cry from inhaling a bowl of M&M’s like another analyst who recently visited and shall go unnamed (but who’s initials are JF and used to be a catcher).

Bon appetit and enjoy the game!

11:10pm  I don’t know if it’s being in the TV biz or what, but sometimes I just notice weird little stuff about things I see or heart on TV that I’m not sure other people see or hear…but here’s one for ya…

Has anyone noticed during tonight’s telecast, when they take a shot of a lefthanded batter from the 3rd base dugout angle, the older gentleman in the tan coat who constantly is changing his ballcap?  In about the 6th inning, it was fluorescent orange with no logo…then, top of the 7th, it changed to an Indians cap, bright yellow with a red bill, I think, and pinstripes…I remember this guy from, I think it was last year, as well…and seeing the bright caps re-ignited my memory of him…Does he do it for attention?  Or so his family or grandkids can always see him on TV?

Now I’m sitting here waiting for the bottom of the 8th, to see if he’s changed his cap again… Have I become obsessed?  I don’t think so, but I’d love to know what his story is…I can’t imagine, for example, my dad doing anything like that…he wouldn’t even want to waste the time changing his cap…or he’d just say “Why the heck would I want to do something like that?!”…Standby…commercial over…Dang!  DeRosa’s righthanded…And so are the next 3 batters in their lineup!  Well, you can bet I’m gonna be keeping an eye out for that guy over the next 3 games…you do the same and let me know what you think the guy’s deal is…
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The fine print of The Blob is “musings from the set”…well, no truer words could be written.  I’m actually sitting on the set right now, waiting out this rain delay in Cleveland…at least the grass is getting watered, though I’m sure it didn’t need it…rain delays for us in the studio are probably just as brutal as rain delays for you watching…except, if you wanna just bail and go get something to eat or drink or, even if you wanna just go bounce around on a pogo stick for 5 straight hours, you can do it.  Ironically, I was going to do exactly that a few minutes ago, but then I found out we had another update to do!  So we sit and wait, hoping to hear some news, hoping that the horrible looking rain cell that we see on our radar is indeed going to sweep across the ballpark and not just sit on top of it.

But don’t get me wrong…I’m not complaining…it’s just that sit and wait thing.  You know what I’m talking about…If you’re at home, hopefully you haven’t changed the channel but, if you have, you keep flipping back to YES, checking the latest…see if the game’s on…nope, not yet.  So you have that extra bag of chips you said you weren’t going to…or that extra piece of chocolate cake like I did…not good.  It’s sitting in my stomach right now like a rock…a rock that rumbles.

OK, so guess what?  We’re just a few minutes away from playing baseball in Cleveland!  If you read this quickly, you got the news before anybody else!  What you’ll hear me say just a few minutes from now on-air is “Enjoy the game with us here on YES”…and then Michael and Flash do their thing…so, uh, enjoy the game with us here….on…ah, you get the idea!