Big Leather Couch

Make sure you do not miss the BIG NEWS at the end of this post!

Have a good weekend? We had some baseball with Peter on Saturday and Sunday. A new team with an excellent coaching staff. Two brothers who do as much talking as they do on-field instruction. Working on basics...always giving advice.

They are playing in a wood bat tournament - PURE baseball! The team is struggling overall with their hitting, but the defense has been very good. Before Sunday's games, they have lost two.

Part of my history ends on Sunday. The last regular season game will be played at Yankee Stadium. ESPN is doing a 7-hour retrospective look at the 'Ballpark In The Bronx' and I will be TiVo'ing it. Then go in, drop the commercials and burn it to a DVD for history.

It is not only the baseball stadium to host the most post-season baseball games, after this year players will not run out to their positions and feel the presence of Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Roger Maris, Thurman Munson, Moose Skowron, Graig Nettles, Billy Martin, Whitey Ford, Phil Rizzuto and so many more lurking in the grass and dirt.

But remember...

• Four Popes have said Mass at Yankee Stadium...
• Arguably the best NFL game ever played took place on December 28, 1958 - the stunning 23 -17 win by the Baltimore Colts over the NY Giants in overtime.
• From 1925 - 1947 the Notre Dame/Army football game was held in Yankee Stadium and it was at the Stadium that Knute Rockne gave his 'Win one for the Gipper' speech.
• From 1971 until 1987 the Whitney M. Young Urban League Classic, a game between historically black colleges, often featuring Grambling State University of Louisiana, was held at Yankee Stadium each year.
• The first concert ever held there was an ensemble R&B show on June 21, 1969, put together by the Isley Brothers; the first rock concert held at the stadium was on June 22, 1990, by Billy Joel.
• U2 played at Yankee Stadium during their ZOOTV tour in 1992, Pink Floyd played two concerts at Yankee Stadium also in 1992.
• From the 1923 opening through 2007, the Stadium played host to 37 of the 85 World Series, with the Yankees winning 26 of them.

Was talking with my friend Dean and as of now, there is no word on what they will be auctioning off before the wrecking balls tear the rest down.

I thought about it and it would be so cool to have the awning that covers the Yankee Bullpen with the blue and white stripes and the New York Yankees on the front (yeah, it would be nicer without the Adidas logo) on a patio in my backyard (presuming I HAD a backyard!)...

We are planning a post about our trips to the stadium over the years.

Two weeks ago I received an advanced copy of the new AC/DC DVD No Bull - The Director's Cut. From the July 1996 Plaza De Toros De Las Ventas concert in Madrid, Spain.

I did not get a chance to review it until the other day and let me tell you it is terrific. The DVD is remixed in Stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound and features more than two hours of classic AC/DC music and bonus features, including "Angus-cam" songs putting you right on stage and 2 rare performances from the “Ballbreaker” tour.

The band consists of Angus Young – lead guitar; Malcolm Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals; Brian Johnson – lead vocals; Malcolm Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals and Phil Rudd – drums, percussion, and they are all at the top of their skills.

I have never seen AC/DC live, so this was a treat indeed.

The DVD debuted at #1 in 10 different countries. The United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, Ireland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, France. It debuted at #3 in Belgium and #4 in Austria and the UK. Pretty impressive stuff IMHO.

On October 28th AC/DC kicks off it's Black Ice tour in Wilkes Barre, PA. Tickets went on sale this weekend at the Bands Website and through TicketMaster.

More shows are going to be announced, so keep an eye on the website, but as of today here is what I know:
October 28 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - Wachovia Arena

October 30 - Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena

November 3 - Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse

November 5 - Detroit, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills

November 7 - Toronto, ONT - Rogers Centre

November 9 - Boston, MA - TD Banknorth Garden

November 12 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden

November 13 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden

November 15 - Washington, D.C. - Verizon Center

November 17 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center

November 19 - East Rutherford , NJ - IZOD Center

November 21 - Columbus, OH - Schottenstein Center

November 23 - Minneapolis, MN - Xcel Energy Center

November 25 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center

November 28 - Vancouver, BC - General Motors Place

November 29 - Seattle, WA - Key Arena

November 30 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome

December 2 - Oakland, CA - ORACLE Arena

December 6 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum

December 10 - Phoenix, AZ - US Airways Center

December 12 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center

December 14 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center

December 16 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena

December 18 - Charlotte, NC - Time Warner Cable Arena

2009 could be the YEAR OF AC/DC!...
SIRIUS XM Radio announced that AC/DC will host their own music channel on SIRIUS. The channel celebrates AC/DC’s iconic career and the upcoming release of Black Ice, the band’s first studio album in eight years. AC/DC Radio will be broadcast on SIRIUS channel 29 and debuted on Monday, September 15, 2008 at 6 pm ET, to run through January 15, 2009.

AC/DC Radio will air AC/DC music 24/7, including classic rock recordings such as “For Those About To Rock (We Salute You),” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” and “Back in Black” as well as new songs from their Brendan O’Brien produced album, Black Ice (Columbia). The channel will also feature AC/DC band members Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Cliff Williams, Brian Johnson and Phil Rudd describing their singular rock & roll career spanning more than 30 years and sharing their personal insights into their music.

Now the BIG NEWS! I have a copy of the DVD No Bull - The Director's Cut for one of you, my wonderful guests.

You know the drill...use the comment area and tell me why you think you deserve this fun prize...I mean, who does not want to allow a grown man wearing shorts cutting loose on guitar into their living room ! Huh? Huh?

We will announce the winner on Wednesday...

Gee.....What should we play today?????

Hummmmmmmmm....bwahahahahahaha

Week #8 for Roger's Creative Photography Contest...click on the banner above if you want to learn more and enter or just feel like sliding around the Bloggosphere and checking out some really fantastic photos...

This was taken back in 1986. At the time I was selling printing for a NY company and one of my accounts was Rockefeller Center Management Company. They managed the entire Rock Center complex. One of their products was a monthly magazine that I printed.

One month they announced a contest that entailed people submitting their photographs of the Rockefeller Center complex and the winner would get the cover of the publication.

As I was working with them, I could not submit a photo under my own name. I had spent a few days at lunch wandering the complex and shooting many different objects (including the reflection photo I used in THIS POST).

The photo below is the one I submitted. When I sent it in I used my brother in laws name and home address.

During a meeting one day, the clients were going through the submissions and showing me the group that were finalists. I held my tongue as each person made their comments and selected their favorite.

When the final result was agreed upon I smiled, as they had selected my entry.

I went into the office of my main client along with their creative director and let them in on my secret. They got a big laugh out of it and insisted that I still win.

So, what you see is actually scanned from the cover of the magazine.

It is the ball of flame that Prometheus holds in his hand as he guards over the ice ring there in Rockefeller Center. I have added a photo below to show you the full statue in case you are not familiar with it.