Freddie P's Blog

September 5, 2007 @ 10:00

I heard about this video several times over the past week or so and finally got to see it.
Now you can.

Category: Video

September 4, 2007 @ 12:18

Just a reminder I'll be doing my weekly bit on the Rock with Craig Venn and Matt Dumouchelle tomorrow morning at 8:40

We'll be talking about the Leafs, the upcoming provincial election and a few other things.

After leaving the Derringer Show, Craig moved to Windsor to front his own show on 100.7 The Rock, which has a repeater in Chatham at 95.1

You can listen live. Please do so.

Category: Radio

September 4, 2007 @ 11:49

Nice stroke job by Steve Simmons in this mornings Toronto Sun. He devotes an entire column to the 15th anniversary of The Fan 590.

Last week I told you that this week marked the beginning of the all important fall "book" in Toronto radio.

So it doesn't hurt when you can get a columnist to give you what amounts to a free advertisement on the first day of ratings. It often happens if there's a good relationship between the columnist and someone at the station.

In this case Simmons reminisces about days gone by including his short lived time at the station when it quickly became apparent he had no business being on the radio.

Simmons also talks about others who've worked at the station but have moved on to bigger and better things.

Dan Shulman, Elliotte Friedman, George Stroumboulopoulos, Jim Richards, Jeff Marek and Jim Lang.

But there was one key omission. John Derringer. Derringer hosted the morning show at the Fan for five years, and next to Shulman is definitely the most successful former Fan guy.

You almost get the impression there might be some animosity between these guys.

Category: Radio

September 4, 2007 @ 11:47

I've got to be honest; I found today's news that the NHL had indefinitely suspended the Leafs Mark Bell very bewildering.

Apparently Bell will enter the league's substance abuse and behavioral health program and this carries an automatic suspension which means he won't be at training camp.

All the details haven't been released as to why, but you immediately have to raise the question "were the Leafs not aware of this situation before they agreed to the deal with San Jose?"

It's no secret now that in order to get Vesa Toskala, the Leafs had to take Bell as part of the deal with San Jose, but did they not know there was a chance Bell might not be available at the start of the season?

It leaves you shaking your head and repeating to yourself "only in Leaf land" would they make a trade like this for a back-up goaltender, overpay him and then not be able to use the other player they were forced to take to make the first part possible.

Up until last week all we heard from John Ferguson Jr. was how happy he was to have Bell, his life is turned around, and the Leafs expect big things from him.

How did they not know a suspension was a possibility?

Category: Sports

September 4, 2007 @ 11:46

I've had a lot of people reference last weeks story about "the mink." To tell you the truth, I don't really know where I stand.

When I arrived on Friday night the little bastard had returned and picked the trap clean.

I think the trap was a little too small so when he went and grabbed the fish guts, the trap door couldn't close so he simply backed out.

But to add insult to injury he decided to eat the fish in my boat, and of course follow that up with a big dump.

However, from what I could tell this probably happened early in the week because the poop was dried out and there was no other sign of him.

As a matter of fact I went right through the weekend without seeing him and there was no further mess in my boat.

Then yesterday I got report of a mink like rodent that was found further down the lake, floating dead with his back ripped open. He had either been hit by a boat or chewed by a muskie.

Whatever, I can only hope if it was a mink, it was my mink and this story has come to an end.

Category: Stuff

September 4, 2007 @ 11:45

A fabulous Labour Day Weekend weather wise, but it was a bag of mixed emotions at the trailer.

Last Wednesday night an electrical storm blew across the lake and some big time damage for a few of us.

I lost my satellite dish, my satellite receiver and a new television set. From what I can gather, lightning hit the dish on top of a hill behind by trailer and traveled down the line through the receiver and into my TV.

It doesn't amount to a lot of monetary damage because I have a spare receiver and spare dish and there's a pile of television sets around my house. It's more the aggravation.

My buddy Darren lost his satellite system as well but it was my friends Mike and Pam Kimber who took the worst of it.

The entire 12 volt electrical system in their trailer was knocked out and it cost several hundred dollars to replace.

This storm was so violent it blew out strings of lights at Kimbers site that weren't even plugged in. They were just lying on the ground, but the combination of the rain and the lightning bolt sent a pulse through the air that wiped out everything.

My misfortune had an attachment to it on Sunday. While riding my bicycle between my place and buddy Bruce's to test some equipment, I lost control of my bike on a hill and wiped out.

I was left with the road burn, or gravel burn or whatever the hell you want to call something that usually happens to seven year olds.

I was going down the hill, not very fast, and I could feel myself losing control in the soft dirt but before I could correct myself it became apparent that I was going lose it, so I put my arm out to brace my fall.

The result is an ugly scrape and a sore muscle in my chest that hurts every time I get up, or laugh, or cough or fart.

I should tell you there were some good points to the weekend besides the weather.

On Saturday night we put my new natural barbeque to the test and it was great.
It's a fire pit that has a removable grill above it and you can cook big hunks of red meat over naturual firewood. It was great.

On Sunday we used the smoker again, the one I featured on video a couple of weeks ago.

This time we did a leg of lamb and we removed it at precisely the right time. It was so good, I got permission to pick up the ravaged leg at the end of the night and gnaw on it much like a dog would.

I'll leave you with this. One of the best features of my piece of paradise, but time is running out.

Category: The Trailer