Thanksgiving Memories

I told this story this morning on the air but it’s a favorite in my family.

In 1998, my wife and I had been married for a little over a year.  It was the first Thanksgiving that we had to spend without any other family as I was working in Texas and was actually working the holiday and the day after.  In any case, we had no idea what we were getting into.

We handled the basics okay – mashed potatoes, a can of cranberry sauce (I don’t like the berries), green bean casserole (love the little crunchies on top – but then came the turkey.

Neither of us knew how to make a turkey – though we had bought the bird and were ready for the task.  In 1998, the internet was very new and it wasn’t easy to just log on and find out how to cook a turkey.  So, my wife, Julie, decided she should call her mom.  The conversation went something like this:

Julie: “Hi mom.  Pete and I are about to cook the turkey for our Thanksgiving meal and we don’t know what to do.”

Mother in Law: “Well, how big is the turkey?”

Julie: ”It’s about a foot.”

It’s a story that was not only funny at the time, but is one that’s continuously told at every Thanksgiving gathering since. 

Do you have any unique holiday stories?  I’d love to hear and share them.  Go ahead and click on the comments link below, to share.

Thanks,

Pete – kenworthy@newsnet5.com

Big Three Bailout

How much is too much?

Years ago, when the government bailed out Chrysler, there were concessions made by the company.  Now, as CEOs of the big three plead their case to lawmakers, what are they giving up in return?

Every day, we hear commentary from congressmen and senators who either agree or disagree with bailing out automakers.  Those against the bailout argue that the companies made their own beds and should suffer the consequences.  Those for the bailout talk about the enormity of the companies and the affect it would have on America if the three corporations were allowed to crumble.

The number that we keep hearing is that 1 in every 10 American jobs is tied to the auto industry.  So, if they were all to fail, we’re not talking about thousands of jobs or even tens of thousands of jobs – we’re talking about MILLIONS of jobs – think about that for a minute.  We think things are bad now?  What if 5 or 10 million more people were out of work?

So, what’s the answer?  Bail them out – or let them die?  If you have any thoughts, please click on the comments link below.

Pete

Economy

I’m 37 years old – so I’ve never worked through something like what the country is going through right now.  It’s scary and nobody is immune.  A good friend of mine recently lost his job and has been looking for work for the last month.

What I try to focus on is the fact that I am 37.  There is plenty of time for the economy to turn back around before I retire.  My dad was recently cleaning out my grandmother’s basement and found a newspaper from 1982 – the headline read, “Dow Jones goes below 800.”  800?  And we now worry about it nearing 8,000!  It’s hard to focus on anything positive from a financial standpoint – but what choice do we have?  Where we are now is 10x where we were 26 years ago.

Thoughts?  Please add your comments in the box below.

Pete

Favorite Baseball Memory

With Cliff Lee about to win the Cy Young Award, I started thinking about my favorite baseball memory.  I’ve long been a big baseball fan and so cannot limit my memories to just one – instead, I have four.

1. I don’t remember the year and I don’t remember where we sat, but I do remember being about 7 or 8 years old when my parents took me to my first ball game.  Since I mostly grew up in Philadelphia, the game I went to was a Phillies game.  What I remember from the game is that legendary lefty, Steve Carlton, was on the mound and that the Phils beat the Atlanta Braves by a score of 17-4!  What a great first game to go to!  I don’t remember much else about the game, but when I think back on all the times that the Braves have since beaten the Phillies, I love to bring back that memory.

2. In 1993, the Phillies were on the brink of the World Series.  Having not been since 1980, they were a win away from beating the Braves (again!) and moving on to the promised land.  A friend and I decided to head down to Veterans Stadium around noon to take in the entire day.  I think the Phils had a 3 games to 2 lead and so didn’t have to win it on this day, but they did.  I don’t remember the final score or which pitcher won the game for the home team – what I do remember is hugging random people in the stands.  The sense of comradery is one that I had never felt before or since.  It was as if we, as Phillies fans, were one big family.  Incredible.

3. This one came not long after number two.  The Phils were now in the World Series and my dad was lucky enough to get a couple of tickets for one of the games.  I remember Curt Schilling striking out the first 5 Blue Jays he faced (at least I think that’s how it happened).  Then, the Phils were up 14-9 with just two innnings to play – and blew it.  Toronto won 15-14.  The great thing was that it didn’t matter.  Being at that game with my dad was something I’ll never forget.  His dad died when he was in college and I know how much moments like that night meant to him.  It may not have meant as much then, but looking back, it means a lot to me too.  It’s hard to realize when you’re in one of those moments – but what I’ve learned is to look for them and cherish them when they happen.

4. Finally, this year.  I can’t get being a Phillies fan out of my blood.  If you’re a sports fan, you understand – it’s not easy to just switch teams.  Watching the Phils beat the Rays was pretty surreal.  I watched the game with my wife.  At the end of the game, I was standing in front of the TV – it didn’t make sense – watching the Phillies in a dog pile in the middle of the field – it didn’t add up.  This is a franchise that hasn’t had much success – in a town that doesn’t win many titles.  It was great to watch with my wife who was just happy to see me happy.  I got to talk to my dad on the phone.  Another one I’ll never forget.

 

Do you have a favorite baseball memory?  I’d love to hear it.

Pete – kenworthy@newsnet5.com

Could This Be The New First Dog?

 Coming up Thursday on “Good Morning Cleveland” we’re going to be talking about the dog in this picture. His name is “Ears” and he’s a four-month-old Peruvian hairless puppy. His breed is also the national dog of Peru. News reports say the Peruvian Government has offered the dog to the Obama family. You may remember President-Elect Barack Obama promising his daughters a dog to take to the White House. Unfortunately, the oldest daughter, Malia is allergic to certain dogs so they would need to find a puppy that is hypoallergenic.  Peru’s government officials obviously think they have the perfect dog and have offered “Ears” to the Obamas. Since the dog is bald, they won’t have to worry about it shedding. Also, the breed is often toothless so they won’t have to worry about it biting anyone like President Bush’s dog Barney did a couple weeks ago.  What do you think? Should the Obama’s accept Peru’s offer and make “Ears” the new First Dog? Tune in to Thursday’s edition of ‘Good Morning Cleveland’ and let us know what you think. Or post a comment below.

Kimberly Gill

AIG-Enough Is Enough

You may have heard this morning on Good Morning Cleveland about how our sister station’s news cameras caught AIG executives once again living it up at a fancy resort in Phoenix. Supposedly they were having a meeting. AIG instructed the hotel to keep everything secret so, no signs with its name were allowed.  Representatives from AIG claim that this time around product sponsors were paying $320,000 of the total meeting cost of $343,000. All this after the United States Government expanded its bailout of the insurance giant to $150 billion dollars. I guess $85 billion wasn’t enough. Even if product sponsors are paying for this so called “meeting” shouldn’t they be embarrassed to be spending that type of money pampering themselves after the Government is digging so deep to bail them out? Does this anger anyone else? I’d love to know what you think.

Kimberly Gill

Voting Stories?

I’ve been pretty fortunate in my years of voting.  I’ve never run in to any problems.  Typically, I walk in to my polling location, tell them my name (show ID if necessary), and vote.  However, I know that there are problems.

As I type this, we are getting word that four ballots were handed out in Shaker Heights that did not include the presidential race – the problem was quickly fixed but it begs the question – with so many people expected to vote today, can we expect things to run without error?  We all hope for that, but even with the best training of poll workers and voters, mistakes will happen.

I’d love to hear what happened to you on voting day.  Did anything discourage you?  Did something happen that makes you question the process?

Drop me a note at kenworthy@newsnet5.com

Pete