One of the things I’ve talked about on numerous occasions is how men and women are really different and it drives me crazy that so many people can’t seem to understand that. We are not just different in physical appearance but in the way we think and act about everything and anything….its what separates the sexes.
Let me give you one example because it involves me personally. I happen to have a female as my primary care physician which surprises many people when I mention this. Of course it’s common for women to have male doctors but it seems that it’s a small percentage of men who would choose to have a woman. I have to assume that there are many more male doctors and for a long time women did not have much choice whether it be for their family doctor or their Gynecologist. Even so females in most cases seem very comfortable having a male for their doctor.
However we men are a different breed and a large number of us would never consider having a woman as our regular physician. I was pretty much in that category until a few years ago when for insurance reasons I had to select a primary care physician. I didn’t have one as I would only go the doctor when I was sick, which was not often and in those cases I would use one of those neighborhood medical centers. Anyway I had no choice but to select from a group of doctors in my insurance plan and when I called one who had been recommended to me it turned out they were not accepting new patients.
They did give me the name of a doctor who was nearby and sure enough she was in my plan. She was the initial problem…at least for me. I had never gone to a female doctor and the thought did not sit well until I mentioned it to my wife Jane. I was consumed by the thought of having to bare it all in front of my new doc which she laughed at then reminded me her longtime Gynecologist was indeed a man who had seen everything.
So it was that about five years that Rebecca Rudd became my doctor and I have to admit that I really like her although I’m not yet 100% comfortable,
which is my shortcoming not hers. It’s still funny that when I mention this to male friends they often express shock that I go to a woman for my regular check-ups. But as I tell them there is an upside….she has very thin fingers.
Do I need to say anything else?
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Ocean County St. Patrick’s Day Parade
A sure sign that spring is on the way is the Ocean County St. Patrick’s Day Parade and hopefully the weather will cooperate for this Saturday’s march through Seaside Heights. This is the 25th anniversary of what’s become a terrific event that is enjoyed by young and old alike. Parade organizers are hopeful that the silver anniversary will result in a larger than normal turnout as some 75,000 people attended last year and they expect as many as 100,000 to come out this weekend.
While the focus of the parade is fun and celebrating the Irish heritage of many who live at the Jersey Shore, there will be a somewhat serious side
and that is to help re-stock the badly depleted Food Banks in our area. With that in mind Saturday’s parade will also serve as a giant food drive and officials are asking everyone to bring just one nonperishable food item to the parade. Members of the Monmouth and Ocean County Building Trades and Monmouth-Ocean AFL-CIO Labor Council along with teamsters will man numerous drop-off containers that will be placed along the parade route. This will be done during the morning and collection will take place just before the parade steps off at noon. Organizations, including schools, churches and others can aid this effort by holding their own collections and them bringing everything to the parade on Saturday. All the food collected will be distributed to a number of area food banks, all of which have been receiving more requests than ever for help during these difficult economic times.
The parade itself will of course feature Bands, Floats, Bagpipers, Mummers, Leprechauns and marchers from all over the state and region. As one who attended the first one and most of the others it’s great to see how it’s grown over the years. It’s not just a great day for the Irish but for everyone who attends and hopefully many will indeed answer the call and help our area food banks as well.
While the focus of the parade is fun and celebrating the Irish heritage of many who live at the Jersey Shore, there will be a somewhat serious side
and that is to help re-stock the badly depleted Food Banks in our area. With that in mind Saturday’s parade will also serve as a giant food drive and officials are asking everyone to bring just one nonperishable food item to the parade. Members of the Monmouth and Ocean County Building Trades and Monmouth-Ocean AFL-CIO Labor Council along with teamsters will man numerous drop-off containers that will be placed along the parade route. This will be done during the morning and collection will take place just before the parade steps off at noon. Organizations, including schools, churches and others can aid this effort by holding their own collections and them bringing everything to the parade on Saturday. All the food collected will be distributed to a number of area food banks, all of which have been receiving more requests than ever for help during these difficult economic times.
The parade itself will of course feature Bands, Floats, Bagpipers, Mummers, Leprechauns and marchers from all over the state and region. As one who attended the first one and most of the others it’s great to see how it’s grown over the years. It’s not just a great day for the Irish but for everyone who attends and hopefully many will indeed answer the call and help our area food banks as well.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Shore Conference Wrestling Results
A sensational year for Shore Conference High School wrestling ended
in Atlantic City Sunday with six individual state champions and a host of other place winners. Heading up the local contingent were 119-pounder Vinnie DellaFave of Toms River East and Manchester heavyweight Jimmy Lawson, who made it back-to-back state championships. For DellaFave he ends his high school career with a 145-7 record and now takes his talents to Rutgers University. Lawson meanwhile has another season at Manchester which is bad news to all the other big guys in New Jersey plus he’s a major force on the football field as well.
Football is of course the future for Southern Regional’s Glenn Carson who is headed to Penn State on a full scholarship to play linebacker. But there was this unfinished business on the wrestling mat for Carson who lost in the finals as both a sophomore and junior. He exercised that demon by winning the 215-pound championship Sunday and now heads to Happy Valley a happy warrior.
Brick Memorial won a state Group 4 Championship last month and ended a very successful season by having two state champions. Steve Santos claimed the 152-pound title to finish a perfect 43-0 season and later cheered on teammate Mike Morales, who like he did in the districts and regions faced Point Boro’s Jordan Beverly in an all-Ocean County 130-pound final.
Beverly won the first meeting but Morales captured the next two, including
a 5-4 decision yesterday as the junior claims a state title.
It was a fitting conclusion to a magical season for Long Branch that Green Wave junior 160-pounder Nick Visicaro would rally for a 7-6 victory and claim the school’s first individual state championship since 1986. Earlier in the day Long Branch was introduced as the #1 ranked team in the state and their fiery coach Danny George was named the New Jersey Coach-of-the-Year.
Not only did the shore area produce six of the 14 state champions but 3rd place finishes went to Mark Maestry of TR South, Raritan’s Dan Seidenberg, Southern’s Frank Miele and Brian Broderick and Scott Festtejo, Jon Robertson and Bill George of Long Branch. All told 26 of the 42 wrestlers who made it to Atlantic City ended up as medal winners…quite an impressive performance.
in Atlantic City Sunday with six individual state champions and a host of other place winners. Heading up the local contingent were 119-pounder Vinnie DellaFave of Toms River East and Manchester heavyweight Jimmy Lawson, who made it back-to-back state championships. For DellaFave he ends his high school career with a 145-7 record and now takes his talents to Rutgers University. Lawson meanwhile has another season at Manchester which is bad news to all the other big guys in New Jersey plus he’s a major force on the football field as well.
Football is of course the future for Southern Regional’s Glenn Carson who is headed to Penn State on a full scholarship to play linebacker. But there was this unfinished business on the wrestling mat for Carson who lost in the finals as both a sophomore and junior. He exercised that demon by winning the 215-pound championship Sunday and now heads to Happy Valley a happy warrior.
Brick Memorial won a state Group 4 Championship last month and ended a very successful season by having two state champions. Steve Santos claimed the 152-pound title to finish a perfect 43-0 season and later cheered on teammate Mike Morales, who like he did in the districts and regions faced Point Boro’s Jordan Beverly in an all-Ocean County 130-pound final.
Beverly won the first meeting but Morales captured the next two, including
a 5-4 decision yesterday as the junior claims a state title.
It was a fitting conclusion to a magical season for Long Branch that Green Wave junior 160-pounder Nick Visicaro would rally for a 7-6 victory and claim the school’s first individual state championship since 1986. Earlier in the day Long Branch was introduced as the #1 ranked team in the state and their fiery coach Danny George was named the New Jersey Coach-of-the-Year.
Not only did the shore area produce six of the 14 state champions but 3rd place finishes went to Mark Maestry of TR South, Raritan’s Dan Seidenberg, Southern’s Frank Miele and Brian Broderick and Scott Festtejo, Jon Robertson and Bill George of Long Branch. All told 26 of the 42 wrestlers who made it to Atlantic City ended up as medal winners…quite an impressive performance.
Friday, March 6, 2009
The Garage: Not Just For Cars Anymore
There was probably a time when the garage was simply a place to park your car. However for many the only thing that doesn’t spend any time in the garage is a car because it’s become a place to store things, hang out in and work on projects. The subject of this month’s “The Average Guy” in Men’s Health magazine is Garage logic….which probably is not very logical to begin with. Anyway here are some of the findings:
• 1 in 6 men say the garage is their favorite home hangout.
• About 40% say they’ve had sex in their garage which might
explain why some many says it’s their favorite place.
• 1 in 3 men still hang pinups of models or celebrities in their
garage….I have hats of some of my favorite sports teams.
• 1 in 5 men who played in garage bands when they were teen-
agers still rock the house even though they are past the age of
25.
• 31% of men say their garage is very organized while 68% say
there is no way they could fit a car inside even if they tried.
By the way, 44% have tried to get the car inside and failed.
• 40% of men keep beer in their garage and about 2 in 7 say they
could survive a marital spat for a few days and live in theirs
because they have a TV, fridge and other amenities.
• Their were more than 2,800 men who were injured by garage
doors in 2007 which is pretty scary when you think about it.
• 20% of us have had to battle a squirrel who wanted to make the
garage their home.
• 21% of home buyers will have a three-car garage in their next
home.
And you thought the garage was simply a place for your car.
• 1 in 6 men say the garage is their favorite home hangout.
• About 40% say they’ve had sex in their garage which might
explain why some many says it’s their favorite place.
• 1 in 3 men still hang pinups of models or celebrities in their
garage….I have hats of some of my favorite sports teams.
• 1 in 5 men who played in garage bands when they were teen-
agers still rock the house even though they are past the age of
25.
• 31% of men say their garage is very organized while 68% say
there is no way they could fit a car inside even if they tried.
By the way, 44% have tried to get the car inside and failed.
• 40% of men keep beer in their garage and about 2 in 7 say they
could survive a marital spat for a few days and live in theirs
because they have a TV, fridge and other amenities.
• Their were more than 2,800 men who were injured by garage
doors in 2007 which is pretty scary when you think about it.
• 20% of us have had to battle a squirrel who wanted to make the
garage their home.
• 21% of home buyers will have a three-car garage in their next
home.
And you thought the garage was simply a place for your car.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Thursday Mixed Bag
A little of this and a little of that this morning:
Congratulations to the Berkeley Little League for being selected by the Positive Coaching Alliance as a winner of the Honoring the Game Award.
They were one of three organizations from around the country chosen for the award with the others being from Illinois & Hawaii. Under President Bob Everett the Berkeley Little League has taken the lead in stressing the importance of knowing what the priorities should be when it comes to the youth sports experience. They and the other winners will be honored at Stanford University on April 24th during the 8th annual National Youth Sports Awards dinner hosted by Positive Coaching Alliance.
Meanwhile the little league will hold a Texas Hold’em Charity Poker Tournament this Saturday at the Bayville Elks Lodge which they hope will be the final fundraiser to complete the new Volunteer Community Center at their Moorage Avenue baseball complex. Their will be a $2500 grand prize plus many other prizes. For information you can visit their web site at www.berkeleylittleleague.org.
The Brick Memorial Girls Basketball team won back-to-back NJISIAA Tournament games the last two nights which in itself is noteworthy. The Mustangs had never won a state playoff game before Tuesday’s win over Sayreville and they came back last night to beat Class A South co-champion Jackson Memorial. That victory puts them in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals against Montgomery Friday evening. Coach Rayna Post’s team also does good things off the court as last month they raised almost $1000 for the American Cancer Society in a game against the Jaguars. The team wore pink “Teaming Up to Defeat Cancer” shirts that were donated by Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick, a former Lakewood BlueClaw.
The Jackson Memorial High School Athletic Department will hold their Winter Sports Awards Night on Monday, March 23rd in the Fine Arts Auditorium during which Scott Goodale will be inducted into the high school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. He is the head wrestling coach at Rutgers University and before that was the Jaguars highly successful wrestling coach and an assistant football coach. A 1990 Jackson graduate, Goodale earned 10 varsity letters in football, wrestling and golf during his high school days.
Congratulations to the Berkeley Little League for being selected by the Positive Coaching Alliance as a winner of the Honoring the Game Award.
They were one of three organizations from around the country chosen for the award with the others being from Illinois & Hawaii. Under President Bob Everett the Berkeley Little League has taken the lead in stressing the importance of knowing what the priorities should be when it comes to the youth sports experience. They and the other winners will be honored at Stanford University on April 24th during the 8th annual National Youth Sports Awards dinner hosted by Positive Coaching Alliance.
Meanwhile the little league will hold a Texas Hold’em Charity Poker Tournament this Saturday at the Bayville Elks Lodge which they hope will be the final fundraiser to complete the new Volunteer Community Center at their Moorage Avenue baseball complex. Their will be a $2500 grand prize plus many other prizes. For information you can visit their web site at www.berkeleylittleleague.org.
The Brick Memorial Girls Basketball team won back-to-back NJISIAA Tournament games the last two nights which in itself is noteworthy. The Mustangs had never won a state playoff game before Tuesday’s win over Sayreville and they came back last night to beat Class A South co-champion Jackson Memorial. That victory puts them in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals against Montgomery Friday evening. Coach Rayna Post’s team also does good things off the court as last month they raised almost $1000 for the American Cancer Society in a game against the Jaguars. The team wore pink “Teaming Up to Defeat Cancer” shirts that were donated by Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick, a former Lakewood BlueClaw.
The Jackson Memorial High School Athletic Department will hold their Winter Sports Awards Night on Monday, March 23rd in the Fine Arts Auditorium during which Scott Goodale will be inducted into the high school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. He is the head wrestling coach at Rutgers University and before that was the Jaguars highly successful wrestling coach and an assistant football coach. A 1990 Jackson graduate, Goodale earned 10 varsity letters in football, wrestling and golf during his high school days.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
New Jersey's Best Coaches
I’ve always felt that I could hold my own in a conversation about high school football, basketball and baseball whether it is with a coach or a fan.
However when it comes to wrestling I will admit to being lost when it comes to the intricacies of a sport that is brutal and raw and the ultimate test of man versus man. What I can tell you with supreme confidence is the shore area is loaded with top teams, great individuals and probably the best group of coaches you will find anywhere in New Jersey.
Long Branch has finished the season as the top ranked team in the New Jersey Wrestling Coaches Association poll. The Green Wave join Jackson Memorial and Brick Memorial as the only shore teams to be ranked #1 in the final poll of the season. Long Branch went 26-1 and among their accomplishments claimed the Shore Conference and NJISAA Group 2 titles. Proving how tough the shore area is Brick Memorial, Southern and Jackson Memorial all finished in the state’s top ten.
From an individual standpoint 42 wrestlers will represent the shore at the state championships in Atlantic City this weekend and quite a few of them rate the role of serious title contenders. That group includes returning state champions Vinnie DelleFave of Toms River East and Jimmy Lawson of Manchester. Steve Santos of Brick Memorial and Southern Regional’s Glenn Carson lost in the finals last March and are good bets to go all the way this time around. Throw in wrestlers like Mike Morales of Brick Memorial, Dan Seidenberg of Raritan, Jon Robertson & Omar Akel of Long Branch and a host of others and its easy why some experts think as many as half of the champions crowned in Atlantic City on Saturday could be from Ocean and Monmouth County.
Ask those who have followed the sport for a long time and they will tell you the reason for all this success is the number of outstanding coaches who roam the mats. Danny George of Long Branch, Dan O’Cone from Brick Memorial, John Stout from Southern, Toms River East’s legendary Warren Reid, Ocean’s Ken Hoff, John Gagliano of Howell, Chris Madigan of Toms River North, Rob Nucci of Raritan and Central’s Mike Bischoff to name just a few. Plus the list of assistant coaches is every bit as impressive.
It all adds up to great wrestling and it’s right here every winter.
However when it comes to wrestling I will admit to being lost when it comes to the intricacies of a sport that is brutal and raw and the ultimate test of man versus man. What I can tell you with supreme confidence is the shore area is loaded with top teams, great individuals and probably the best group of coaches you will find anywhere in New Jersey.
Long Branch has finished the season as the top ranked team in the New Jersey Wrestling Coaches Association poll. The Green Wave join Jackson Memorial and Brick Memorial as the only shore teams to be ranked #1 in the final poll of the season. Long Branch went 26-1 and among their accomplishments claimed the Shore Conference and NJISAA Group 2 titles. Proving how tough the shore area is Brick Memorial, Southern and Jackson Memorial all finished in the state’s top ten.
From an individual standpoint 42 wrestlers will represent the shore at the state championships in Atlantic City this weekend and quite a few of them rate the role of serious title contenders. That group includes returning state champions Vinnie DelleFave of Toms River East and Jimmy Lawson of Manchester. Steve Santos of Brick Memorial and Southern Regional’s Glenn Carson lost in the finals last March and are good bets to go all the way this time around. Throw in wrestlers like Mike Morales of Brick Memorial, Dan Seidenberg of Raritan, Jon Robertson & Omar Akel of Long Branch and a host of others and its easy why some experts think as many as half of the champions crowned in Atlantic City on Saturday could be from Ocean and Monmouth County.
Ask those who have followed the sport for a long time and they will tell you the reason for all this success is the number of outstanding coaches who roam the mats. Danny George of Long Branch, Dan O’Cone from Brick Memorial, John Stout from Southern, Toms River East’s legendary Warren Reid, Ocean’s Ken Hoff, John Gagliano of Howell, Chris Madigan of Toms River North, Rob Nucci of Raritan and Central’s Mike Bischoff to name just a few. Plus the list of assistant coaches is every bit as impressive.
It all adds up to great wrestling and it’s right here every winter.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Praise For The Ritacco Center
Last week the Poland Spring Arena at the Ritacco Center hosted the Shore Conference Basketball Tournament and the Region 6 Wrestling championships which resulted in the building being busy every night from Monday thru Saturday. As if that wasn’t ambitious enough Saturday saw
A couple of thousand wrestling fans leave after the Region finals around 5:30pm and another couple of thousand plus come in for the Boys basketball championship 90 minutes later. What makes hosting events like these as well as a Wedding Show last Sunday and International Chefs Night Out tonight so amazing is that after each one crews get the gym set up for physical education classes the following day.
Clearly the Ritacco Center along with the John Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex (also known as the Bubble) have become the two most popular locations in New Jersey for high school sports during the winter. Not only has that been a boost for the school districts and its sports teams but it’s time someone recognized what it’s also done for the Toms River community.
At a time when businesses are struggling hundreds and often thousands of people make trips from around the state in the dead of winter to watch young athletes compete in Indoor track, wrestling and basketball in Toms River. Many will frequent local restaurants and other retail outlets while in the area and pump money into the local economy which is a high benefit often overlooked. The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association and the Toms River Regional Schools have nurtured a relationship that benefits both sides and includes the three Toms River high schools hosting state baseball and softball championships games in June which sends more visitors to Exit 82 on the Parkway.
The Toms River Board and Education and Superintendent Michael J. Ritacco deserve credit for having the vision behind this project but it takes dedicated and hard working people to pull it off and the school district certainly has that. I watched last week the group effort it takes from set up to selling tickets and it’s done smoothly and professionally. By the way as busy as last week was there is plenty more to come. The NJSIAA Basketball Championships come to the Ritacco Center in less than two weeks for five nights of games.
A couple of thousand wrestling fans leave after the Region finals around 5:30pm and another couple of thousand plus come in for the Boys basketball championship 90 minutes later. What makes hosting events like these as well as a Wedding Show last Sunday and International Chefs Night Out tonight so amazing is that after each one crews get the gym set up for physical education classes the following day.
Clearly the Ritacco Center along with the John Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex (also known as the Bubble) have become the two most popular locations in New Jersey for high school sports during the winter. Not only has that been a boost for the school districts and its sports teams but it’s time someone recognized what it’s also done for the Toms River community.
At a time when businesses are struggling hundreds and often thousands of people make trips from around the state in the dead of winter to watch young athletes compete in Indoor track, wrestling and basketball in Toms River. Many will frequent local restaurants and other retail outlets while in the area and pump money into the local economy which is a high benefit often overlooked. The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association and the Toms River Regional Schools have nurtured a relationship that benefits both sides and includes the three Toms River high schools hosting state baseball and softball championships games in June which sends more visitors to Exit 82 on the Parkway.
The Toms River Board and Education and Superintendent Michael J. Ritacco deserve credit for having the vision behind this project but it takes dedicated and hard working people to pull it off and the school district certainly has that. I watched last week the group effort it takes from set up to selling tickets and it’s done smoothly and professionally. By the way as busy as last week was there is plenty more to come. The NJSIAA Basketball Championships come to the Ritacco Center in less than two weeks for five nights of games.
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