On The Sly

The summer of 2001 was a turning point in my life, and a bonanza for my little television business. That was the summer that Butch Hendrie saw me strolling the grounds of the Clinton County Fair and asked me about videotaping the fair's demolition derby.

I knew who Butch was and Butch knew who I was, but we had never really spoken to each other until that moment. He said, "Did you ever think about videotaping a demo derby?" I replied that even though I had grown up in the North Country I had never even been to a demolition derby before. Now Butch is a strong man, one of the toughest guys I know, but I think I saw his knees buckle in disbelief. Butch has been around race tracks and demo derbies since he was a kid.

He suggested, "You oughta try it."

"Would I sell any videotapes of the event?" I asked.

By now Butch was staggering at how naive I was. He smiled and said, "Oh, yah, you'll sell some tapes. I can guarantee you that you'll sell some tapes."

And that was the start of a whole new part of my life. That summer I set up my tripod on the last day of Clinton County Fair and I made sure I had plenty of videotapes and plenty of battery power. I was on the stage about five feet from the track. I had no idea what to expect. Well, I'm not entirely stupid, I knew cars would be crashing but I thought they would be racing around the track and crashing into each other.

If you have never been to a demo derby you should know that all the action takes places in a small portion of the race track and cars go every which way including loose to crash into any other car on the track. I was ready, but I had no idea what I would experience. My first demolition derby began when Butch, the derby promoter, organizer and chief official, waved the green flag. The engines roared, the dirt started flying, metal was crashing into metal, and the hairs on my arms stood up on end. I couldn't believe the sights and sounds of a demolition derby. Trying to outshout the dozen cars and cheering of over a thousand spectators, I kept screaming, "I can't believe it" into the tv microphone clipped to my shirt.

I wouldn't say it was a religious experience, probably not equal to the lights of heaven that I'll see someday, but it was exciting, action-packed, fun and did I say exciting? That summer and the summers following I met the North Country's demolition derby stars, like Brian Criss in his #98, Joe Warren, Jeff Warren, Harold Garrant Sr. and his son Harold Garrant Jr. in the double-zero car, Buck Brown, Keeseville's Dennis Joy, the Macey boys, Wild Bill McNamara, Toby Ebersole, Hank Hutchins, Choo Choo Charlie Farnsworth, Mike McCray, "Rockpile" Kyle Wrisley and, of course, the legendary Wayne Seymour and his Team Seymour relatives. There are thousands of men and women who have driven in a demolition derby in the North Country, and hundreds took to the track this summer, at either the Clinton County Fair or the Essex County Fair.

As the older drivers retire, young new stars take to the track. Drivers like Jason Seymour and Cory Seymour and Zach Seymour, the nephews of Wayne Seymour, Tommy Beshaw, Randy Martin in his #77, the Garsow boys, the Mashtare boys, Justin Cayea, who went wild this year in his mini-van, Jimmy "Shrevezy" Shreve, following in the footsteps of his demo derby dad Steve, the St. Mary boys from Malone, and wearing the tie-dyed shirt, Chico Martineau. This year high school kid Cody "The Killer" Kilburn drove in his first demo derby. As luck would have it, he faced mostly veterans and "heavy hitters" in his heat. But it didn't faze Kilburn one bit. He fearlessly crashed into the big boys and finished third in his heat, a remarkable achievement for his first try. You can bet he will be back next year!

And don't think the ladies don't love it as well. This year Peru's Tonya Goucher, Plattsburgh's Tammy Pulsipher and Melissa "Muffy" Brown had great derbies. If you ask long-time derby spectators, they'll tell you that Florence Rivers was the first female derby star in the North Country. She blazed the trail for the young ladies who have followed. Now a senior citizen "Aunt Flo" never misses a Clinton County Fair derby and takes pictures of all the winners.

If you have never seen a demolition derby please join me next summer at either the Clinton County Fair or the Essex County Fair. Get there early because the grandstands get packed early, and both derbies this year had standing-room-only crowds. If you really want an up-close view, let me know and I'll try to get you on the stage as one of my television technical advisors. But be ready to be hit by mud and be ready to duck flying car parts.

Those demolition derby drivers, male and female, are a unique breed. When the summer ends they starting buying cars for next summer. They start dreaming of first place trophies and, better yet, first place money. And then in the middle of winter, they grab one of Foxy's demo derby videos and relive their amazing crashes and the fun they had at a demolition derby.

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 5:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

First of all, this is the 100th "On the Sly" blog, since it hit the www in December. Thanks to the readers who have added almost 600 comments during that time. Thanks to the people I meet in the community who tell me that they read every blog, and check each day to see if there's something new.

My thanks to the Editorial Staff at the Press-Republican for the invitation to be a part of their website. I have to admit I've had fun and a lot of laughs.

But I'm a little concerned about something and I may need your help. As people get older we sometimes worry about their memory. Maybe you know someone in their eighties who has gotten forgetful. You know, maybe a phone call at 10 in the morning to ask you something, and then another phone call two hours later to ask you the same question. Or maybe you're with them at the doctor's office and they left an important paper back on their dining room table. So you drive across town, look for the important paper on the table and can't find it. So you drive back to the doctor's office only to find out it was in her purse all along.

I guess it's normal for older people to become forgetful, and those of us a little younger have to just be patient and accept it.

But let me tell you what happened to me last Friday night. I was sitting at home watching baseball, with my kitty Lily happy to be attached to my lap for the past 45 minutes, when the phone rings. It was a friend, let's call her Trish, inviting me to meet her and her husband, let's call him Patrick, at Meron's for a few cool liquid refreshments. I liked the idea, and agreed to meet them there in just a few minutes.

As soon as I put the phone down, it rang again. This time it was my brother, let's call him Moose, wanting to fill me in on a few items from his busy day. We talked about baseball, his work and touched on several other topics, covering about 30 minutes of conversation. I hung up the phone and headed upstairs.

Passing through the kitchen I realized I hadn't eaten dinner, so I checked the refrigerator. Aha! a bowl of cooked potatoes, perfect for potato salad. And some fresh-from-the-deli ham. I grabbed the mayo, chopped an onion and proceeded to make a great batch of potato salad.

The baseball game was still on, so I filled a dinner plate with potato salad and slices of ham. A picnic in my living room. Rejoined by Lily we partyed in the quietude of my living room. Following the mini-banquet I found a popsicle in the freezer. Root beer! the best!

At 10:45 the phone rang. Uh-oh. It was Trish -- remember Trish? She shouted into my ear, "Where are you? We've been waiting for almost two hours!!!"

All I could utter was, "I forgot! I forgot!" I don't think she heard me because her non-stop banter didn't give me a chance to speak.

I reaffirmed that I would be there right away. I was embarrassed. How could I have forgotten, in the time of one phone call, that I was supposed to meet them at Meron's? It seems as though as soon as I hung up the phone from Trish's original call that I forgot about it!

I need some help here! Is there anyone else out there who is forgetful like this? Am I spiraling into the world of dementia? Do I have to start writing everything down? Including something I'm going to do five minutes from now? What was this blog supposed to be about?

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Life has a way of making us scratch our head. People sometimes pass in and out of our lives like cars at a busy intersection. My daily strolls around the Clinton County fairgrounds last week led me to a new friend and the chance meeting made a connection to a night in downtown Plattsburgh 21 years ago.

Back in 1985 I was going through some troubled times. At the age of 37 and alone for the first time in my life I was having a particularly lonely night in my quiet apartment. I decided to have a drink and listen to music at the Monopole in downtown Plattsburgh. It was early in the evening and there was plenty of room at the bar. The music of the Doors was blasting from the sound system and I ordered a beer from Noel.

I noticed an older man sitting a few bar stools away on my left. As I pondered my life and Jim Morrison noted that "people are strange," I glanced at the old fellow, adorned in a scraggly beard and old black trench coat. He was staring at me. Before long I couldn't help but notice that he was making a sketch of me on a sheet of white paper. I kept to myself, sipped my beer and contemplated my life.

Minutes later the man leaned to his right and slid the paper down the bar towards me. I looked at it. It was an interesting black ink sketch of my profile, capturing my own thick black beard and black cap perched on my head. I liked it. It made me smile, my first smile of the day. I thanked him and told Noel to pour the artist a beer.

Upon receiving the beer the old fellow leaned once again towards me, took back my sketch, and he asked, "What's your name?" Trying to be heard over Jim Morrison I yelled, "Foxy!" The guy gave me a grin and went back to work on my sketch. A minute later he slid the sketch back towards me. I looked at it. He had signed it. And in large black letters above my cap he had written "Boxie."

Apparantly I hadn't done a good enough job of outshouting Jim Morrison. Most people would think, oh, no, now it's ruined. Or perhaps shouted back, "You fool, I told you it was Foxy, not Boxie." But I found this error terribly funny. I began smiling and I smiled the rest of the evening, thinking about this unusual man who I had never encountered before.

For years I've kept that sketch on a wall in one of my rooms. Last year I moved it to my living room wall to replace the photos of people I no longer know. For years I've had that story to tell of that simple encounter from 1985.

Back then when I told this story to my friend Dick Trombly he almost fell on the floor with laughter. Weeks later I started receiving catalogs of all kinds addressed to "Boxie Gagnon" or "Foxy Boxie" or other Boxie names. I knew that Trombly was behind that joke. And the way companies trade address lists the Boxie name appeared intermittently in my mailbox for years.

So last week while at the fair to make a TV show about fair vendors, I came upon a man drawing caricatures for a small fee. I talked with him about his work and, with the camera running, wondered how long it would take to make a black ink caricature of me. He offered to do one of me with the camera rolling. So while I interviewed him and Cortney videotaped, R. J. Duffey the artist worked on my sketch. In less than five minutes he produced a nice caricature of the Fox at age 58, ponytail and all.

I told Duffey that this chance meeting and his caricature reminded me of the old fellow in 1985. I told Duffey the story and he asked me the name of the artist back then. I said it was Jack something. Duffey asked if I could bring the 1985 sketch to the fairgrounds so he could see it.

The next day I showed Duffey my sketch from the Monopole. Duffey nodded his head and said, "That's Jack McDonough. I know him. I worked with him in Florida." Duffey told me that he had met this old fellow in a bar in Florida. McDonough was doing sketches of people, trading them for drinks.

It's amazing to me that my chance meeting with R. J. Duffey would have such a connection to an event in my life 21 years ago. How could this be? As the Beatles sang so long ago, it's a "long and winding road." Life is like that. People pass through our lives. My circle of friends today is so different from even five years ago.

We never know what new road lies ahead. My chance meetings of artists McDonough and Duffey, 21 years apart, make me wonder. On my living room wall tonight is a sketch by McDonough and next to it a sketch by Duffey. One says "Boxie" and the other says "Foxy."

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I'm just back home from my third day at the Clinton County Fair. With the weather cooperating, this event continues to be one of my favorite events of the entire year. To me the best thing about it is the people you see there. A simple stroll of the fairgrounds, the buildings or the midway will give you the opportunity to see friends, neighbors, relatives and, who knows, perhaps you will even run into that certain someone!

I can guarantee you that you will find something or someone of interest no matter what day you go to the fair. You want some examples? How about the daily specials at the Redford Diner (today it was roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes)? How about a tour of the buildings, getting free information about windmills, computer graphics, log homes, or a hundred other topics? How about stopping at the gazebo or one of the several stages for free musical entertainment?

How about a stop at McSweeney's? Tonight was the michigan-eating contest, which the Farrell brothers at McSweeney's have sponsored for the past several years. They donated $175 prize money to the three hungriest michigan eaters. Today returning four-time champion David Burdo of Plattsburgh won the $100 first prize by eating ten michigans in ten minutes. Next year I'm taking Burdo on, nose-to-nose, michigan-to-michigan, stomach-to-stomach, to try to dethrone this michigan-lover.

The rides at the midway are great, plenty of rides for every age, except perhaps for us senior citizens who get dizzy on a merry-go-round. Of course, you have the big shows at the grandstand each night and you have the Republicans and Democrats with their booths, offering pens, bumper stickers, buttons and handshakes to anyone willing to stop by.

And don't forget the food, ah, the food. I like to find some of the vendors and displays in the more out-of-the-way areas of the fairgrounds and this year I have found two winners. On opening night as I searched for something other than french fries and hamburgers, I saw a vendor way back near the grandstand, selling Crawdaddy. Well, that got my attention. I talked awhile with the young man from Syracuse who owns the business. He was selling Louisiana-flavored breaded crawfish, as well as fried macaroni and cheese. I purchased a $6 batch of crawdaddy and got more than I could eat at one sitting! Delicious! Different!

And today, on my way to the back parking lot, I heard some young ladies singing. I sauntered over and found the Lady Bugs, five talented, energetic sisters from Mississippi. Their free half-hour song-and-dance show is geared for children, but most adults would enjoy it as well. I got into the music fun and joined the act, doing the twist while Buttons the Clown videotaped my smooth moves. The Lady Bugs are making their first visit to the Clinton County Fair and I hope they return next year. If they do, I'd encourage the fair's board members to give the Lady Bugs a spot on the Gregory Supply stage next year, closer to the main thoroughfare.

There are three days left to head out to the Clinton County Fairgrounds, just outside of Plattsburgh, near Morrisonville. If you go, odds are that you will see me there. If you're trying to find me, check the food areas first. Before I left the grounds today, I bought my dinner, a bucket of wings from Owlyout. One of my traditions during the fair days is to hit Owlyout a few times.

Don't forget! The popular demolition derby is on Sunday, with two exciting shows. Organized for many years by Butch Hendrie, this show provides outstanding action all day and usually packs the grandstand like no other entertainment. You'll see me there on the stage videotaping the event. You can't be a full-fledged member of the North Country if you've never attended a demo derby.

This year's fair, thanks in part to the great weather so far, is truly "bigger and better than ever." Hope to see you there!

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 7:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Now that I'm retired I guess I could travel around the country, like some of my friends do, or even travel abroad. However, I have no interest in that. I wouldn't want to miss the North Country's four seasons. Most people probably think of the four seasons as spring, summer, fall and winter, but not me.

For me, the first season has already passed by, and that's rhubarb season. For countless years I have looked forward to doing all I can to search for stalks of raw rhubarb. When I was teaching, the season would be kicked off when Stafford Middle School secretary Katie Zuckerman would show up with a few pieces of rhubarb, neatly placed in a little baggie, all cleaned and ready to eat. She'd be happy to share, and my earnest search would be on. I'd beg students to beg their grandparents. In more recent years my now-departed friend Ray Lalonde gave me a free pass to his rhubarb patch on Sailly Avenue. I was a frequent visitor. I'd chop the big leaves off the end, peel the stalk, and eat that sour raw rhubarb generously sprinkled with salt.

We are now ready to begin the North Country's second season, and that's green apple season. I love those Lodis or early green macintosh apples. My friends Nina and Bruce Sullivan and their son Danny from Banker's Orchards have already brought me a bag of Lodis. I eat those green babies till I'm almost sick. One day in the crisper of my refrigerator makes these delicacies just right for eating. With salt shaker in hand, I can easily enjoy four or five green juicy apples at one sitting.

I've also made an agreement this season with my friend Tre Green of Chazy Orchards. I'm no dummy. Would I rather sell him a videotape of his daughter receiving a prestigious award or trade that videotape for green apples? There's no question. I've cut a deal with Tre for a few bags of those delicious early green macintosh apples from his orchard.

The green apples hold me over until the third season, and that's the garden-vegetable season. Just as apples are ripening and I've had my fill of spherical fruits, along come those delicious North Country fresh yellow beans, green beans, radishes, tomatoes, you name it! I find it impossible to pass by those local roadside vegetable stands that dot our North Country roads without stopping to buy something. I can create a banquet of slices of fresh garden tomatoes, alongside piles of tender yellow beans and fresh carrots. Swimming in butter and seasoned with salt and pepper they provide a treat that just can't be found in other parts of the country or the world.

And just when you think it can't get any better, along comes the fourth season, and, to me, the best season. It's the corn-on-the-cob season. You tell me what part of the country can produce sweet tender delicious corn like we find here in the North Country. Oh, my! The nightly ritual of three ears of fresh sweet corn, found in countless varieties, drenched in butter and, like my other treats, generously sprinkled with salt.

I've always read and heard that eating vegetables is good for you, and I sure want to do things that are good for me. But perhaps dousing my treats in butter and/or salt isn't the best way to go about it, but it's too late. I'm hooked! No wonder I stay in the North Country! Where else can you find four seasons that can bring such delight?

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 5:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

It was the middle of the night, I was snuggled nicely amidst my three king-size pillows with the fan on high, blowing air on my feet, when suddenly my front door was knocked down. The sound sent my kitten Lily scrambling for the back of the bedrooom closet. Standing there in my living room were two human-size mosquitoes, wearing football uniforms of the Tri-State Bulldogs.

Of course, I was dreaming, but I think it just goes to show you the impact these critters made on me and a few hundred people at Melissa Lahtinen-Penfield Park on Saturday night at the Lake City Stars football game. As a North Country native, I'm no stranger to mosquitoes or most other bugs, including the dreaded June bug. But these mosquitoes on Saturday night were something we had never contended with before. There were millions of them. I know you might think I'm exaggerating, but there were millions of them! And these were not your normal-size mosquitoes. The ones who showed up at Penfield Park last night were larger. They had fattened up on the downpours of rain earlier in the day. They were jumbo mosquitoes. I saw one carrying a lunch box.

In the years past while covering local sports events for public-access television we have battled the "Bailey Avenue Biters," the "Crete Center Critters," and the "Morrisonville Maulers." Sometimes we won, oftentimes they won. But battling the "Penfield Pickers" last night was a lost cause. In the press box we felt like General Custer must have felt in his most famous losing battle. Videographer Roxana went through more moves than a "So You Think You Can Dance" performer. I gave up the battle early, letting these female mosquitoes pick away at my arms and neck, trying to ignore their onslaught.

This is a serious problem. There are homes in the vicinity of Penfield Park and had we not been there as the mosquitoes' banquet on Saturday night, I'm sure these nocturnal creatures would have been visiting the neighbors. There is no way anyway could have sat outside on the warm summer night. Is it the city's responsibility to protect us from these blood-sucking mosquitoes?

This year, due to the increase in heavy rainstorms, the "Penfield Pickers" are bigger and in greater numbers than ever. Something must be done. Unless one douses himself in bug spray (use the whole can!) one has little chance of winning against these female flyers. Yes, females! It's the females doing the biting.

I have to return to Penfield Park in two weeks for another Lake City Stars football game. I may not be able to find a videographer willing to face the 2006 edition of the "Penfield Pickers." This is no joke. Does anyone have an answer for this "Penfield Pickers" problem?

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 6:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Apparantly my little kitty Lily is an American League baseball fan. How this happened amidst my collection of Brooklyn Dodgers and Los Angeles Dodgers memorabilia is beyond me, although my brother Goose, a diehard Yankees fan, has been spending some time alone with her.

Regulars to this blog might recall that a few months ago I purchased two-month old Lily, a tiger kitten, from a local pet shop. She's the first pet I've ever owned. Friends, especially a certain someone, told me that she would be a nice companion and give me love and friendship in the evenings. Yah, right!

What leads me to believe she is an American League fan, though, is that after spending all of Tuesday night watching the All-Star Game with my son Erik and me, my daughter, ahem, my kitten Lily, sweet little Lily, was planning a victory celebration like never seen on Saratoga Court.

While Erik, a forever Mets' fan, and I were inventing curse words for National League relief pitcher Trevor Hoffman, Lily was apparantly quietly laughing at our misery. Later, in the early morning hours with the house silent, except for the snoring of the two disheartened baseball fans, Lily took it upon herself to have a victory celebration. Her first move was to head for the bathroom and find a roll of toilet paper.

Observing a few sheets dangling from the holder Lily jumped up and clawed a sheet or two and decided to do a victory lap around the bathroom and into my bedroom, with a trail of another twenty yards of toilet paper following behind her. Kittens being the quiet folk that they are I had no idea that this hoopla was going on right under my snoring nose. She then decided to wrestle with the confounded toilet paper which had by now started to tangle around her. Shredding the two-ply toilet paper as if it were one-ply, she broke into some steps resembling the macarena.

By morning you can imagine the scene. Confetti-like pieces of toilet paper throughout the house. Spilled soda cans in the living room and overturned candy dishes with my Creme Savers under the couch and knocked into the kitchen.

And by morning there she lay, sprawled out on her back on the couch, like too many bottles of champagne had tossed her into a drunken stupor.

It's nice that Lily seems to love baseball so much. She is a Gagnon, that is for sure. But this American League fan business has to go. I've got three months to convince her that the National League is where it's at. After all, this is the year the Dodgers win the World Series!

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Now that my first prediction came true and Ryan Howard is the Home Run Derby champion (was there any doubt?) I've been asked to blog on the outcome of tonight's baseball All-Star Game. Before you even consider who will win (is there any doubt?) there are some far more important issues to consider.

Like where is Manny Ramirez? So his knee hurts. So does my Mom's, but that didn't stop her from climbing the steps at Guma's to have a grilled chicken sandwich for lunch today. The guy with the most All-Star votes, the guy that more fans wanted to see than any other big leaguer, will be home resting his sore knee. The same knee that was good enough to play 19 innings a few days ago. At least he should have been in Pittsburgh. I'm sure someone would have given him a nice recliner to rest in while he signed some autographs for the fans. If the knee wasn't good enough to even play one inning of the All-Star Game, maybe he could have just tipped his cap at the opening ceremonies.

The Yankees' Robinson Cano is on the disabled list, but he showed up. He was hanging around the other All-Stars last night at the Home Run Derby. He'll be there tonight when the players are introduced. And I'll bet that most of the old-time players showed up at the All-Star Game in the old days despite having injuries, aches and pains and upset wives. I just can't picture Mickey Mantle or Duke Snider or Willie Mays turning down a trip to the All-Star Game. And they made only a fraction of the massive paychecks this year's stars make.

Baseball has never been good at policing its own or making players accountable for their behavior. Baseball just nods its head when players slap the game in the face. At least there will be no ceremony honoring Barry Bonds for passing Hank Aaron on the all-time home run list. But you still have a guy who slugs a cameraman in the face one season, and starts the All-Star Game the next. Anyone ever heard of Kenny Rogers? No, I don't mean the guy who sang "You Took a Fine Time to Leave Me, Lucille." That guy had four hungry children and crops in the field. This Kenny Rogers has bruised knuckles and a wad of money in his back pocket!

Another issue is that now the All-Star Game "means something." Nothing like a slap in the face to the old-timers, who apparantly never tried to win. The winner this year, and last, gets home field advantage for the World Series. As the Fall Classic goes, that seems to be a nice prize, even though only a few players on each team will get to take advantage of it. To me it makes absolutely no sense to have a prize for the team that wins. These are players who baseball asks to play overtime, to promote the game, and says to them, "If you're lucky enough to win tonight, you might, maybe, just possibly, if your team does well in the playoffs, get a prize."

I've always considered the All-Star Game an exhibition game to entertain the fans. A chance to showcase great players from other teams who don't have big networks like Turner Sports or the Yes Network. And your big city favorites. It's just a fun game for bragging rights and you play your best to win, but when it's over you go back home for a day and then head off into the second half of the season.

Around 8:30pm tonight, when the introduction of the All-Star players begins, everything will come to a stop at 7 Saratoga Court. No answering the door, no talking allowed in the livingroom, no phone calls accepted (except from a certain someone!) and no crunching of potato chips or popcorn. Since I was a kid this was my favorite part of the entire evening. Listening to the introduction of the players, listening to the crowd reaction, looking at the closeup of the All-Star as he smiles into my livingroom. And when the Dodgers players are announced (starting pitcher Brad Penny and reserve Nomar Garciaparra) I'll applaud as if I'm there. It's my ten minutes of the evening to be a little boy once again.

And who's going to win? That's easy. The National League. I'd never pick against a team that has Luis Pujols on it. He is baseball's greatest player right now. What? You want the score? National League 8, American League 5. And my brother wants me to pick the Most Valuable Player of tonight's All-Star Game? It would be great if the Pirates' Jason Bay could be the home town hero, but we all know it will be Pujols. If you doubt me on this, go back and read my previous blog "The Home Run Derby." It will make a believer out of you!

ADDENDUM AT 11:30pm: "Oooops!"

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 2:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Sometimes it's difficult writing a blog. Every few days you have think of a topic to write about. Not only that, but you have to seem somewhat knowledgable when you write about the topic. That limits the subject matter somewhat, in my case. But not only that. You also have to be a little bit clever as you write to keep the readers' interest or else, into the trash you go, joining the Don Rickles Show and Right Said Fred as flash-in-the-pans.

So, this morning, knowing I'd be writing a blog today, I was tossing ideas around in my head while doing some grocery shopping. My ideas ran the gamut from green apples to the Mayor's Cup to favorite singers. Amidst my confusion, who do I run into as I'm leaving the store, but Tommy Adams. I tell Tom my predicament. I ended with, "Tom, what's on people's minds today?" He quickly retorted, "Write about the All-Star Game." I smiled and left the store feeling better.

Later in the day, I run into Jim Wells, back in the North Country from his warm haven in Florida. We talk about the blog. I tell him about Tommy Adams' suggestion. Jim agrees! So, there you have it! All-Star Baseball it will be! Let the record show that the Home Run Derby is about thirty minutes away. Baseball's power showcase, the Monday night Home Run Derby, is the media kickoff to the All-Star Game showcase tomorrow night. As an avid follower of baseball I'll tell you without a doubt who will win the 2006 Home Run Derby.

There are eight contenders for the power prize this year. Alphabetically, they are: Lance Berkman, Miguel Cabrera, Jermaine Dye, Troy Glaus, Ryan Howard, David Ortiz, Miguel Tejada and David Wright. The casual baseball fan most likely has only heard of one of them, David "Big Papi" Ortiz. He's on the Boston Red Sox. There are no New York Yankees participating. I wonder why.

All eight players are power-type hitters, and, among them, in regular season play, Ortiz, with 31 long balls, leads the way. However, Ortiz will not win the derby, even though, as a lefty hitter he'll have an advantage at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. I'm tossing out the righthanded batters right now.

The past two seasons the Home Run Derby champion has been a member of my Fantasy Baseball team, Foxy's Foxes. In 2004 Miguel Tejada won and last year Bobby Abreu slugged the most. I have Troy Glaus on my team, and if he hit from the left side he'd be a shoo-in this year. Instead, the winner will be perhaps the least known of all the competitors. Watch for Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies to bop his way to derby fame in thirty minutes! You can say you heard it here first! On Foxy's" On the Sly" blog.

Maybe ESPN or Fox Sports will hear of my skill at forecasting and offer me a job as an analyst. Yes, I can see it now: Foxy's Fearless Fox Sports Fantastic Forecasts! Yes, you can bet -- Ryan Howard will win it all tonight!

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 7:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

It is fitting that the new mayor of the city of Plattsburgh be Mayor Stewart. The city's transition from one mayor to the next just happens to be a transition from Mayor Daniel Stewart to Mayor Jack Stewart. I know the other men who expressed interest in the six-month interim position. Both Mike Drew and Clay Morris would have given the job an honest effort. Both run businesses of their own and have been involved in a budgeting process in one fashion or another, but neither matches the experience of Jack Stewart.

And Mayor Dan Stewart's tenure as the city's mayor has been a good one. He saw the city through a growing period and he was an excellent leader. As mayor, he was active in the community and had a sense of humor unlike any of his predecessors. He will be well-remembered by the city's historians.

You can bet that Jack Stewart will give 100% to the office of mayor. He's going to enjoy the challenge. He's been away from city government for awhile, he returns refreshed, and he has the perspective of being a retired educator and living on a fixed income (supplemented by his love of eBay). As he works on the city budget he will have the city taxpayer in mind.

Jack Stewart is a historian. He taught social studies in the Plattsburgh City School District for over thirty years and he has spent almost that amount of time sitting at the Common Council tables. He could have said no when he was approached about the mayoral position. He could have said no to the person, but not to the city. Jack Stewart loves the city of Plattsburgh. Ask him about the department heads and blue-collar workers who put their time in every day and Jack Stewart will get emotional. I know Jack Stewart and I know there is no way that he could have said no to the task. His sense of history and his love of the people of this city guided his heart in the decision to accept the challenge.

That's why I know he will give this short-term job a great effort. He will come up with answers. His experience and his desire for success will lead the way during the budget process, the main task Stewart is facing.

And you can bet the media will have plenty of quotes to use in their evening news reports and newspaper stories. Jack has never been accused of being a man of a few words. Joe Lo Templio, the Press-Republican's reporter for city government, better plan on extra time when he calls the mayor's office with questions. Several years ago I sat with Jack Stewart for a "Fox on the Run" interview. We talked about his childhood, we talked about his career as an educator, we talked about his career in politics and we talked about his family. It is the only two-hour "Fox on the Run" interview that I've ever done and I only had to ask three questions!

Mayor Stewart did a great job in the past! The new Mayor Stewart will do a great job in the months ahead. He's going to love every minute of it.

And let's not forget -- one of the first decisions Jack ever made in the city of Plattsburgh was to ask a Fox Hill girl to marry him. Years ago Lynda D'avignon accepted his proposal. He knew that you can't go wrong with a Fox Hill girl! She'll make the city a great First Lady.

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 6:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Now that I've dried off from Plattsburgh's Fourth of July parade I'll blog a few thoughts about this city tradition. I arrived at 4pm under sunny skies for the 5pm parade start, parking Goose's truck near the Beekman Street - Cornelia Street intersection, not far from the parade's starting point at Hawkins Hall. So that I could videotape the event for public-access television, my brother graciously provided the press box, the back of his huge truck. I set up my camera tripod and walked to the Hawkins Hall parking lot in hopes of getting a list of the parade entries.

I asked the first volunteers that I saw, Kelly Donohue and Scott Tetreault, and they pointed me over to the entrance of the parking lot. Arriving there, Stacia Arcarese and Brenda Garner immediately provided me with the exact list I was looking for. They even recorded the last-minute changes in the order of the units participating in the parade. Brenda is the Director of the RSVP program and was the coordinator of the parade volunteers. I left the area very happy with the cooperation I had received. On the way back I spoke with several people, such as Craig Matthews and the Garrant family, who were settling into their lawn chairs to enjoy the parade. Dave Brown, local photographer, was present, ready to capture some of the parade's magic moments.

As parade time approached I started watching for my videographer, Roxana Tiffer, and I continued to chat with people gathering to view the parade. Little did any of us expect what would happen in the next ten minutes.

At 4:45pm the sky turned cloudy and a few drops of rain fell on my tripod. I learned long ago not to set up the camera ahead of time because one gust of wind can send a $1000 camcorder to the ground in less than a second. At 4:50pm thunder rolled and the rain began falling. Umbrellas popped up around me and I noticed Craig Matthew's patriotic red-white-and-blue umbrella across from me. I headed for the shelter of Goose's truck.

I looked up and saw the police lights flashing as thunder and lightning and heavy rains swept up Cornelia Street. Oh, my, the parade was beginning early! I grabbed my camera, grabbed my clipboard with the list of parade entries, and dove for the front seat of Goose's truck. Leaning back, I began videotaping the parade participants as they passed by the open door of the truck. I was amazed as unit-by-unit passed by, most of the people smiling as if there were no major downpour in progress.

The Civil Air Patrol color guard, the grand marshall car, and the Red Hummingbird Foundation float all passed by before I could get the camera rolling. As I turned the camera on, slowly passing by was the Adirondack Brass Band, playing their trumpets and tubas amidst the torrent of rain. Musicians are a dedicated breed. I think they were playing "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head."

As I leaned back to keep my camera dry my lower torso was exposed to the elements and my jeans were quickly drenched. If there's a word to describe more than drenched that's what they were, too. I juggled my camcorder and the parade list, and I'm sure the videotape of the parade will be a dizzying experience to watch. But if the parade carried on, I was determined to carry on as well.

The parade continued, my videographer Roxana arrived, and the rain eventually diminished. It even almost stopped, allowing Roxana and me to relocate to our intended viewing spot, the back of Goose's truck. The parade had floats, musicians, prominent people, interesting displays and the usual array of fire-fighting equipment. Later I asked people what they thought of the parade and the comments ranged from "so-so" to "great."

I call it "great." The parade organizers could have called the parade off at 5pm because of the thunder and lightning. But too many people had spent too many hours preparing this event. Who made the decision that the parade must go on? That decision must have fallen to someone. With the mayor in Albany, I'm sure he didn't cellphone someone with the green light. Someone briliant said at 4:50pm, "Let's git 'er done!" Whoever made the call -- this is the person I'm supporting for the next mayor of Plattsburgh!

My own personal highlights of the parade: visits to my microphone from District Attorney Andrew Wylie and Democratic Party chairman Dr. John Gallagher and Lake City Stars football player, #2 himself, Matt St. Clair, the nearly one hundred Plattsburgh Little League baseball players, joined by president Brian Marino and several coaches, marching along in uniform, the convoy of classic cars displayed by the Champlain Valley Classic Cruisers Club, the group of go-karts from Veterans Speedway getting the green flag from chief flagman Bill LaMoy, the Peru Central marching band, proving even though it's summertime, schools can be involved.

It took about 30 minutes for the parade to pass by, but the aftermath of the parade provided me with a few sad observations. The front floor of Goose's truck was flooded with water. I hadn't noticed his CDs placed in an open compartment on the door. They were waterlogged. So much for his Gretchen Wilson CD. I think I owe him a new one!

My jeans, my best pair of jeans, were soaked. Two cycles through the dryer would not get these babies dry. I usually weigh around 200 pounds, but I'm sure I left the parade site weighing around 350. In my left pocket I always keep a stack of business cards, about 15 for North Country Cable and about 15 for my blog at this Press-Republican website. They were soaked to shreds. Into the trash they went. In my right pocket I keep my wad of dollar bills. On this day I had over $150 in tens and twenties. They were all drenched together, impossible to separate. Nothing could be done to save them as well. Into the trash they went. It, indeed, was a costly parade. But it's videotaped for history, and in the near future it will be shown on the local public-access television channel.

Congratutions to all involved in the 2006 Fourth of July parade. It was great and it was one we will all remember for a long time!

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 5:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I woke up this morning -- July 3 -- with several things on my mind as we begin "Fourth of July Week."

(1) Teeth - I had a tooth pulled (extracted sounds like much more of a procedure) last week and the vacant spot in my mouth is still sore. The doctor did a great job of getting this sore tooth out of my head, but I don't remember getting stitches back in the old days. This doctor, much younger than I, novocained my mouth to blissville and then pushed and then pulled, and, without any kind of wrestling match, the tooth cooperated and was free of its longtime home. I didn't feel a thing. Now I've got one less place to crunch down on all my tasty treats.

(2) The Mayor's Cup - This year it will be an abbreviated version of what I felt had become one of the country's greatest free week-long music festivals. My daily trek to watch and videotape the fun Mayor's Cup Idol show has been stopped. Instead of a daily hour-or-so event, the entire semi-final round will take place on one day, lasting about six hours. What a shame. Mayor Dan Stewart and Media Central had built this event into a great summer promotion for our city. But the lack of funds have cut much of the entertainment and left us with a few pieces of the pie we enjoyed. Will the winner of the Mayor's Cup regatta be presented half a trophy?

(3) Little League Baseball - I noticed in this morning's Press-Republican that playoffs have begun for Little League baseball. Wait a minute! School just got out! We used to play Little League baseball all summer. Now the regular schedule ends in June? I think playoffs are only for some of the teams. So, if you are on a team that didn't make the playoffs or your team gets eliminated early, you can hang up your glove and get ready for soccer or football or some fall sport. Or buy a skateboard. Because, for you, baseball has ended in early July. Oh, the founding fathers of Little League baseball would not be happy!

(4) Major League Baseball - Next Tuesday is the major league baseball All-Star Game. Times have changed and now the game "means something." Instead of it being a showcase for the best players baseball has to offer, or instead of it being a showcase for baseball's most popular players, it becomes a game you must win! Major league baseball has ruled that the winning league gets home-field advantage at World Series time. Forget that there is absolutely no connection between this once-a-season exhibition game and the all-important World Series at the end of the baseball season. This one makes no sense to me! No other sport has come up with such a concept! Let's ask the NFL to have a Punt, Pass and Kick competition to determine home-field advantage for the Super Bowl.

(5) The weather - I woke up to sunshine this morning. How long will it last? Have you ever seen rain for so many days? Does it have to do with global warming? Al Gore is doing cartwheels across every stage in America that will have him. He claims that he predicted this back in Chapter 3 of his best-selling book. I don't think it has anything at all to do with global warming. I think it's just the angels in heaven crying about my sore tooth and the shortened Mayor's Cup and the shortened Little Leage baseball season and the crazy major league baseball All-Star Game.

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 7:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)