Happy Halloween!

This has become an annual thing for me to post Vincent Price reading Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" in a way that only the master of horror can.

Happy Halloween!

Pete Townshend On Purcell

Fascinating radio interview here with The Who's Pete Townshend in which he discusses the influence that 17th century composer Henry Purcell had on his musical career. Townshend discusses the evolution of his music beginning with the band's first album all the way to his present day work and how Purcell's compositions impacted Townshend's work. The interview took place on a show called "Baroque and Roll," a radio program on BBC Radio 4.

Here's what RadioTimes.com wrote about the interview:

Why should it seem surprising that Pete Townshend of rock group The Who should name the 17th-century British composer Henry Purcell as one of his greatest musical inspirations? Snobbery, perhaps. But just listen to the organ intro to "Won't Get Fooled Again" or "I Can See for Miles" and you can hear Purcell's harmonies transmuted into the pop sounds of the 20th century. And it's not simply the music that Townshend is responding to, but also the "tragedy of mortality" that Purcell evokes in such sublime works as "When I Am Laid in Earth" or "The Gordian Knot Unty'd." In this miniature autobiography, Townshend tells us not only the who, but also the how and the when of his musical development, and why he identifies strongly with a long-dead composer whose feelings about the things that really matter so clearly echo his own.

Radio Times reviewer - Laurence Joyce

Odds & Sods

Twice in a week....maybe this should be called the "what the hell is so funny" edition for all you laughaholics out there.

NEWS
If the H1n1 is such a big deal and the government knew it was going to be so wide-spread, then why didn't they order way more of the vaccine then would be needed?

Here's something shocking, the government overstated the amount of jobs created by the stimulus. I guess that requires a LOL!

The Internet turned 40. LMAO!

SPORTS
The low class behavior continues, today I saw someone write that they want the Yankees to fly their own private planes to Philly because "Yankees are such great pilots." Just way out of bounds.

Henrik Lundqvist was in a one-car accident on the Saw Mill River Parkway on Tuesday and was supposedly not hurt. His Lamborghini, however, had to be towed because it could not be driven.

Phil Mushnick agreed with my email that the constant showing on t..v. of Rudy Giuliani at Yankee games is excessive. He mentions it in his column today.

I sent Mushnick an email regarding the new book by Irv Muchnick on the Benoit murders, since Phil wrote the book's foreword. Phil said in his email to me that Irv knows more than most. One reviewer said the book is a "flawed but valuable resource."

I will give Phil some applause for writing about Bill Chadwick's passing.

MISCELLANEOUS
Michael Jackson's "This is It" made over $20 million on day one. Meanwhile, his father said Michael is worth more dead than alive. Y'all stay classy now, ya hear.

Bragging Rights/Monday Night Raw/T.N.A. Thoughts

A few days late but...

Bragging Rights Results
John Cena beat Randy Orton for the W.W.E. Title.
Team SmackDown beat Team Raw after Big Show double-crossed Triple H and Team Raw.
World Champion The Undertaker beat CM Punk, Rey Mysterio and Batista.
U.S. Champ The Miz beat Intercontinental Champ John Morrison.
Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix and Natalya defeated Melina, Kelly Kelly and Gail Kim.

Point of View:
- I like long title reigns and am hopeful that Cena keeps the belt for a while.
- Big Show explained the double-cross by saying that he did it so he could get a shot at Undertaker's World Title. *SPOILER ALERT* Funny thing is though, that he and Chris Jericho will face 'Taker at next month's Survivor Series for the belt.
- Batista turned on Rey Mysterio, which should set up a good feud. Mysterio can have good matches with anyone so I am looking forward to a Mysterio-Batista match.
- Miz = Whatever.
- Does Gail Kim ever win a match?

Monday Night Raw
- Decent job by the race car drivers, Kyle Busch and Joey Lagano, this past Monday night –despite Busch referring to Kofi Kingston as "Kofi Johnson."
- Next week, Raw is hosted by Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne.
- It was announced that Shawn Michaels and Triple H will face John Cena at Survivor Series for the W.W.E. Championship. So much for elevating new talent.

T.N.A. Wrestling
T.N.A. did a nice job of introducing Nigel McGuinnes to its fans by having him beat up Kurt Angle. But in typical T.N.A. fashion they have the two facing each other last night in a “street fight” match. Note to T.N.A.: those gimmick matches are usually the finale to a feud. T.N.A. just loves to make wrestling storylines much harder than need be.

I saw on YouTube this morning Desmond Wolfe (formerly Nigel McG) put Angle out with a vicious clothesline. I also read that T.N.A. waited until the end of the show to air highlights of Hulk Hogan's NYC press conference from this past week in which he announced his partnership with T.N.A. So really they kept fans waiting for....nothing!

Fakebook Faux Pas

This morning I couldn't believe the amount of venom being spewed by some people on Fakebook toward the New York Yankees. For example, calling for certain broadcasters to slit their wrists, wanting the stadium to get bombed, etc. Just low class. I mean at a certain point the whole Yankees hatred thing gets really tiresome. The way some people dump on Alex Rodriguez just reeks of jealousy. For the life of me, I really have no idea why people have such hatred for him. There's jabbing and ribbing and then there comes a point where it just goes way over the top and is out of line.

More importantly though...

"I guess you've just gotta find something you love to do and then... do it for the rest of your life. For me, it's going to Rushmore."

Thoughts On Sports and Game 1

I watch football and there is Keith Olbermann; the man that declares anyone that disagrees with his usually incoherent ramblings as the “worst person in the world.”

Riiight!

I watch baseball and I see FOX showing Rudy Giuliani over and over and over and over again. Who cares? He’s just another fan. By the way, I would really love to know where he made all of his money that he can afford such great seats at Yankee Stadium and membership at various upscale country clubs in the area. I'm sure it was all as a result of blood, sweat and tears.

Again, riiight!

It's cool that the Obamas throw out first pitches, go on expensive dates in New York City and campaign for other politicians in the tri-state area. But, once, just once, can they visit Ground Zero?

A lot of people are calling for Nick Swisher to be benched but I think Joltin' Joe Girardi is too loyal to sit him. But I'm sure the Yankees' manager will ask his computer first.

A new season, yet it is the same old Knicks (Miami 115, NY 93).

There Goes The Pain

The Brock Lesnar-Shane Carwin match scheduled for November 21 has been moved to January 2, due to Lesnar suffering from an undisclosed illness. Some have speculated that it is swine flu, or H1N1, but UFC President Dana White has shot down those rumors. Still, Lesnar says that he has never felt this sick in his whole life and has been unable to train.

Hulk Hogan Signs With T.N.A.

Hulk Hogan has signed with T.N.A. wrestling and will be appearing on tomorrow night’s show on SpikeTV. Hogan’s business partner and former W.C.W. head Eric Bischoff is also coming along and there is speculation that some other big names such as Ric Flair – could be following Hogan. Hogan has a new book out and funny enough the W.W.E. is scheduled to release a new Hulk Hogan DVD in the next month or so. I wonder if that still stands now that Hogan is working for the competition.

My point of view on this is that Terry “Hulk Hogan” Bollea is back where he belongs and that is in the wrestling business. Hogan has told some tall tales over the years, but there is no question that the last couple of years for him have been tough. I hope he is able to get some level of normalcy back in his life.

From a wrestling standpoint, Hogan will help T.N.A. in terms of visibility and exposure, but the bigger piece of this deal is Bischoff. He is partners with Jason Hervey of Wonder Years fame and has put together some reality shows over the years. There has been talk of a Hogan-Flair reality show and perhaps this deal opens things up for Spike to air that show.

BetweenTheRopes did a good job of covering the story on last night's show.

Odds & Sods

A few random thoughts...

NEWS
Larry David thinks it's funny to urinate on a picture of Jesus. Sarah Silverman and Bill Maher like to insult Catholics. Just me wondering, but why don't they go insult Muslims or urinate on a picture of the Prophet Mohammed. The story is here. I've already sent a complaint to HBO here.

October is now the deadliest month in Afghanistan since U.S. forces entered that country eight years ago with 55 soldiers having been killed so far this month.

Meanwhile, Nero is still fiddling while Rome burns.

SPORTS
There’s nothing worse in sports than fans that throw tantrums when their team loses but then rub it in everyone’s face when their team wins. Even worse are people that constantly blame the refs. I see this at every level and in my 12 years of covering high school football in various capacities, it is insidious. Certain high schools never lose because the other team is better, no, it has to be the refs.

Riiight...

Before the pundits anoint Mark Messier as the G.M. of the Rangers, I have one question, is Mess going to scout potential draft picks at a game between the Windsor Spitfires and Owen Sound?

When I think of the N.B.A. right now, I have a vision of Bruce Springsteen yelling "is there anybody alive out there?"

Crickets.

Yankees in 4.

MISCELLANEOUS
The best living American author, Anne Rice, released a new book yesterday, Angel Time.

Speaking of books, I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of Swimming with Piranhas by former National Wrestling Alliance president Howard Brody. The plan is for Brody to come on my show in late November.

Roger Daltrey says that "The Who: Rock Band" is in the works for next year.

W.W.E. Bragging Rights Preview & Predictions

The W.W.E.'s latest pay-per-view, Bragging Rights, takes place this Sunday night. Although the premise of this show doesn't make sense due to guys changing brands so frequently and thus there really isn't any loyalty to one particular brand over another, I do think it is a solid show.

W.W.E. Champ Randy Orton vs. John Cena in 60-minute Anything Goes Iron Man Match
The other stipulation to this match is that if Cena loses he has to leave Raw. His loss to Triple H on Monday night sets up Hunter as the new number one contender. By the way, a very misleading remark by Jerry Lawler on Monday night saying that Cena and Hunter have only faced off one on one four times. While true, everybody knows that they have faced each other a gazillion times in triple-threat and fatal-four-way matches. Meanwhile, Orton will probably go on to feud with Ted DiBiase. Bottom line: good match with Cena taking the title.

Team SmackDown vs. Team Raw
Team Smackdown made some changes which will become evident on tonight’s show. In is Finlay, Matt Hardy and the Hart Dynasty; out is Dolph Ziggler, Cryme Tyme, Eric Escobar and Drew McIntyre. I like the insertion of the Harts over Cryme Tyme, but Matt Hardy and Finlay don’t do a whole lot for me. Nonetheless, they will join Chris Jericho and Kane against HHH, Shawn Michaels, Mark Henry, Jack Swagger, Cody Rhodes and Kofi Kingston. If done right, this match could be very good, but they have to leave enough time for it. I think a feud between Cody Rhodes and Shawn Michaels comes out of this match. If I had to pick, I'll take the Raw team as the winner.

World Champion The Undertaker vs. CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Batista
I can't stand the fact that the titles change hands so frequently, but I think it is going to happen again, this time with Dave Batista coming away with the gold. Undertaker is too banged up to carry the belt; Mysterio and Punk are presumably still in the doghouse for their recent transgressions and so that leaves Batista. I can't see any other reason why he was moved to Smackdown from Raw.

U.S. Champ The Miz vs. Intercontinental Champ John Morrison
This is the least talked about match, but could be the best with Morrison coming away as the winner.

Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix and Natalya vs. Melina, Kelly Kelly and Gail Kim
I have no idea how this match will end, probably with a Smackdown win.

Best "Mad Dog" Russo Impression

The above video is one of the best impersonations of sports talkie Chris "Mad Dog" Russo. Classic! It's over eight minutes long, but worth it! Fast forward to around 5:40 when the impersonator tells "Pac Man" Jones to "go to hell." Funny stuff, although a serious subject. Russo was asked about it here and gave a favorable review.

The original rant that the guy is imitating is the second video.

Truly an unbelievable impersonation...even the shirt is a close match!

Get A Life Titans' Fans!

Some fans of the Tennessee Titans are upset that Jeff Fisher wore a Peyton Manning jersey at a charity event at Lipscomb University. Basically, Fisher, the coach of the 0-6 Tennessee Titans, said he wanted to feel like a winner and thus revealed the jersey of Manning, QB of the 5-0 Colts.

Fisher has said since that he would do it again and if you are offended you've go to recheck your priorities. Amen to that! Lighten up!

Pacquiao/Cotto 24/7 Debuts Tomorrow On HBO

HBO debuts Pacquiao/Cotto 24/7 tomorrow night at 10 as the cable channel gears up for the November 14 HBO pay-per-view match between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto. They replay it a bunch of times during the week, so if you are interested click this for times and such.

The 24/7 series that HBO does is first-rate; although I think when the match rolls around it will be the Pac Man in a laugher.

UFC 104 Means....

We are that closer to UFC 106 on November 21!

Tomorrow night's show features Lyoto Machida defending the light heavyweight championship again Mauricio Rua. I'm curious to see how the pay-per-view will do and if it will be impacted by the New York-L.A. playoff game.

Incidentally, UFC 105 takes place on November 14 and is going to air on SpikeTV. That card will feature a light heavyweight bout between Randy Couture and Brandon Vera.

But the big event is UFC 106 which features Brock Lesnar putting the UFC Heavyweight Championship on the line against the undefeated (11-0) Shane Carwin. Carwin has been outspoken about Lesnar, which doesn't bode well for the challenger. See Frank Mir for how well that tactic worked out.

Rock Hall Celebrates 25 Years

I guess what has spurred on Rachael Ray to get Hall and Oates into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is that the Hall of Fame is celebrating 25 years with a pair of concerts next week at Madison Square Garden and she noticed that the duo are not in the Hall of Fame. Could also be that they have a new box set out and are coming on her show Nov. 6, just a guess. In all seriousness, I totally agree with the chipmunk-cheeked Ray that Hall & Oates should get inducted.

Ray, though, inspired me to look at the nominees for 2010: ABBA (performing their 1975 hit, "S.O.S." above); The Chantels; Jimmy Cliff; Genesis; The Hollies; KISS; LL Cool J; Darlene Love; Laura Nyro; Red Hot Chili Peppers; The Stooges and Donna Summer.

This stuff doesn't really get me bent, but, unless I've overlooked something, The Shadows are not in the Hall and are not on the list of nominees. What?!!!! How can that be? The Shadows, and in particular their guitarist Hank Marvin, have influenced everyone!

I'm gonna start my own petition!

Rachael Ray Wants Hall & Oates in Rock Hall of Fame

Rachael Ray has started a petition to get Hall and Oates into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You can read about it on her blog here.

On a side note, have you ever noticed the similarity between the opening to Hall & Oates' "I Can't Go for that (No Can Do)" and Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean;" both videos are posted below. Hall addresses the likeness of the two songs here by saying:

“No question about it,” Hall agrees. “Michael Jackson once said directly to me that he hoped I didn't mind that he copped that groove. That's okay; it's something we all do. [Eddie] Van Halen told me that he copied the synth part from ‘Kiss on My List’ and used it in ‘Jump.’ I don't have a problem with that at all."

Kanye West Chimes in on MLB Playoffs

Courtesy of http://imaletyoufinish.com/

Inside The Squared Circle: Danielson/McGuinness Update, Hogan's Book, Health of Jim Ross

Credit Jason Powell of ProWrestling.net for getting to the bottom of the Nigel McGuinness situation. McGuinness was not offered a contract by the W.W.E. after he failed a screening test.

McGuinness said he signed with T.N.A. because the W.W.E dragged their feet on getting a deal done. Powell, however, said it is not a drug failure but rather something else such as some sort of pre-existing health condition. The wellness test in 2007 did find an issue with M.V.P.’s heart which could have been disastrous if not discovered and now is controlled with meds. Let’s hope that the issue with McGuinness is not something that is life-threatening.

Although I look forward to seeing McGuinness on T.N.A. wrestling, couldn't they have come up with a better name for him then Desmond Wolfe?

Powell also says that Brian Danielson is set to debut with W.W.E. shortly.

Hulk Hogan has a new book coming out and is doing the rounds on the media circuit. He said that during the height of his family troubles he was set to pull the trigger on a gun and end his life, when Laila Ali called him on his cellphone. I feel for him if he was in that position, but Hogan also has a history of stretching the truth.

Announcer Jim Ross wrote this on his blog:

"I saw my neurologist today in Norman and had a long consultation and some testing. He diagnosed me, as expected with full blown Bells palsy. It is on the right side of my face and has adversely affected my vision in my right eye more than previous bouts. We are concerned about the cornea in my right eye being damaged which is why I am using a ton of artificial tears and having to tape my eye shut at night to sleep along with using a gel in my eye under the eye patch. For those fans that think that this is the end for me or the end is near I suggest you rethink your position. I won't allow your views to adversely affect me because I still love to play the game. I am an old school guy who still loves calling wrestling matches and sitting at ringside soaking up the adrenaline from the fans."

Hopefully J.R. gets well soon.

Danielson/McGuiness TNA Bound?

Jason Powell of ProWrestling.net is reporting that Nigel McGuinness is backstage today at the T.N.A. t.v. tapings. He is also saying that Bryan Danielson may be following suit. Of course, the big story for the latter part of the summer was that the two were leaving R.O.H. and coming to the W.W.E. The two had agreed in principal but did not sign with the company. Powell is saying that both wrestlers are tired of waiting for a formal contract and are looking to join T.N.A. McGuinness told Alfonso Castillo of Newsday's Steel Cage blog before his final match for R.O.H. that he had not officially signed with W.W.E., though many thought it was just a formality. Click this for that story.

The question becomes, is T.N.A. being used as bargaining leverage or are these reports accurate? Whatever company ends up with one or both of these guys has hit the lotto, no question about that.

Roger Daltrey "I Want it All"

I came across "The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert" on VH1 Classics Sunday night and remembered that the above song, "I Want it All," with Roger Daltrey doing the honors on lead vocals, is from that show. I only caught the finale on Sunday - with Liza Minnelli (who is probably the only big-time singer I've met) leading all of the concert's performers in "We are the Champions." The concert was held at Wembley Stadium in London and from what little I've seen, must have been an amazing experience in person! What is really cool about this video is upon introducing Roger, the band played the beginning of "Pinball Wizard."

Keith Moon Movie On Hold For Now

Roger Daltrey was interviewed last week by Westword - a Denver music blog - and the subject arose about a potential Keith Moon biopic. Essentially, Daltrey reiterated what has been said before: that there is difficulty in coming up with the right script. The full interview can be read by clicking this. Mike Myers of Austin Powers' fame has been cast to play The Who's late drummer.

The Last Hope For American Heavyweights?

Vitali Klitschko has agreed to defend his W.B.C. Heavyweight Championship against Kevin Johnson, - an American! The match will take place on December 12th in Switzerland. Johnson is 22-0-1 with nine of those wins coming by way of knockout. Klitschko is 38-2, with 37 knockouts. This will be the third time in 2009 that he has defended the belt.

Mark Rosen on The Sean Kilkelly Show

Mark Rosen, formerly of WGCH and a huge college football fan joined me in the first half of the show last night. We discussed college football from top to bottom. The link to the show is here.

Lou Albano Dies

Captain Lou Albano died today at the age of 76; the cause of death was not disclosed. Wrestler's Resuce reported yesterday that Albano was ill and was under hospice care. The group is collecting donations to be forwarded to the Albano family for medical expenses. Information on how to donate is on the charity's MySpace page here.

For me, I'll always remember Albano as the manager of tag team champions, at least 16 depending on whom you ask. Such great teams as the Moondogs, the Wild Samoans, Barry Windham/Mike Rotundo and the British Bulldogs to name a few. He also managed Ivan Koloff when the "Russian Bear" ended Bruno Sammartino's reign as W.W.W.F. Champ in 1971 after nearly eight years as the title holder.

In many ways, the current stars can thank Albano for the money they are making today, because the Captain helped to bring wrestling to greater heights during the 1980s in association with MTV and the famed rock and wrestling connection.

Albano was also a heck of a football player in the 1950s at Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, N.Y.

Click this for more on his career.

Uncertain Girl

While checking out Pete Townshend's version of "Bargain" that I posted below, I came across this song "Uncertain Girl" which I was unfamiliar with. After googling, I found that it is an unreleased song and was part of Pete Townshend's 2006 rock opera, The Boy Who Heard Music which became the album, Endless Wire.

Pete's "Bargain"

I liked Roger Daltrey and Eddie Vedder's version of "Bargain" (posted here) and was curious to see Pete Townshend's spin on the song which he signs In The Attic.

Blue, Red and Grey

Before he started his current tour Roger Daltrey promised new takes on some songs that The Who hasn't done in a long time or that the band never did in concert. In the first two shows of his solo tour, Daltrey breaks out the ukulele for his version of "Blue, Red and Grey." I'm curious to watch a video of this, although there isn't one on the Internet as of yet, but I saw a couple of reviews in which the critics applauded his rendition of the song.

The above video is Pete Townshend's version of "Blue, Red and Grey." In my opinion, Townshend can make any instrument sound great. The only other ukulele player I know of was the late Tiny Tim, who strangely is somewhat of an Internet hero these days.

"Blue, Red and Grey" is off the By Numbers album, which has always been one of my two or three favorite Who records (a dated word, I know).

Eddie Vedder Shows Up At Roger Daltrey Show

Roger Daltrey's solo tour kicked off on Saturday night in Vancouver; followed up by a stop in Seattle last night. Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder joined Roger for a couple of songs last night, including "Bargain"which I unearthed on the fab YouTube and posted above.

Both setlists are below (courtesy of TheWho.com).

SEATTLE
PICTURES OF LILY
GOING MOBILE
A SECOND OUT
TATTOO
I CAN SEE FOR MILES
GIMME A STONE
FREEDOM RIDE
GIVING IT ALL AWAY
SQUEEZEBOX
DAYS OF LIGHT
BETTER MAN (with Eddie Vedder)
THE REAL ME (with Eddie Vedder)
BLUE RED & GREY
WALK ON WATER
YOUNG MAN BLUES / SHAKIN' ALL OVER
BABA O’RILEY

ENCORE
JOHNNY CASH MEDLEY (FOLSOM PRISON, RING OF FIRE)
BARGAIN (with Eddie Vedder)

VANCOUVER
Who Are You
Pictures Of Lily
Going Mobile
Blue, Red and Grey
Boris the Spider
Days Of Light
A Second Out
Walk On Water
Freedom Ride
I Can See For Miles
Young Man Blues
Tattoo
Johnny Cash Medley: I got Stripes/Ring of Fire
2000 Years
Squeezebox
Give Me A Stone
Baba O'Riley

ENCORE
Cache Cache
The Real Me

Rangers Over Caps

As far as big wins go at this time of year, last night's victory for the Rangers over the Caps is as big as it gets. But keeping it in perspective, it is very early in the season and there are as many positives as negatives with the Rangers right now. But the good news is that New York has a defense and some forwards that can actually defend sans Michal Rozsival who is abysmal right now.

Inside The Squared Circle: Frequent Title Changes, The Guest Host, Roddy Piper Rumors, Big Returns

Kevin Eck over at The Baltimore Sun's Ring Posts blog has posted his thoughts on the frequent title changes in the W.W.E.. I know we will never go back to the days of Bruno Sammartino holding the belt for nearly eight years, but what was the point of taking the title off of John Cena just three weeks after he beat Randy Orton? The championships have become nothing more than props.

I've stated my feelings on here about having a guest host of Monday Night Raw; once in a while it would be OK, but as a recurring occurrence, I dislike it immensely. Having said that, Ben Roethlisberger was one of the better hosts this past Monday night. So far it's Shaq, Freddie Prinze Jr, Bob Barker and Big Ben. Nobody else - in terms of celebrities - is even worth mentioning.

Rumors that Rowdy Roddy Piper's cancer has returned and is terminal have been debunked.

Umaga and Booker T are reportedly headed back to the W.W.E.

Rob Van Dam is trying to decide if he will work for the folks in Stamford, Conn. or join Dixie Carter and T.N.A.

Scott Steiner is supposedly on his way out of T.N.A.

Finally, I have to "put over" the guys at Between The Ropes. This week they had Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer as a guest. Meltzer is one of the best sportswriters out there.

Whatever!

'Whatever' was recently voted the most annoying word. I don't know of anyone that voted or was asked to vote, kind of like Gallup polls I guess. Speaking of whatever, how about the fact that Strawberry Alarm Clock's "Incense and Peppermints" hit number one in 1967? Whatever indeed. That's why I don't put much stock into rankings and such.

I have to credit this one to Bill O'Reilly as I finished his book Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity last week and he listed this song's success as something that he never understood.

Again, whatever.

75 Grand For the NWA Title

Highspots.com, a pro wrestling memorabilia Website, is auctioning off Ric Flair's National Wrestling Alliance World Championship belt, which he held through much of the 1980s. The bidding starts at $75,000.

Sure the championship does trace its lineage back to the beginning of the last century and has been held by Harley Race, Bobo Brazil, Giant Baba, and Danno O'Mahoney (the inventor of the "Irish Whip"), but $75 grand? I can't see it.

But here's why this is all occurring: Ric Flair has major financial trouble and earlier this year was loaned money by Highspots in advance of some appearances, which Flair reportedly never fulfilled those appearances or paid back the money.

That's how the story goes, so who knows if it is all true or not. The belt is up for auction so I believe it. Flair's financial troubles have been well-documented. It is pretty well-known that Vince McMahon has bailed Flair out of some serious tax trouble on at least one occasion.

Sad story. Ric Flair's personal life is tragic and in many ways is looking more and more like Mickey Rourke's broken down character in The Wrestler.

Remembering John Entwistle

The late bassist for The Who, John Entwistle, was born today in 1944. "The Ox" passed on June 27 2002. Above is a video of the band performing one of Entwistle's tunes, "Heaven and Hell," in front of over 600,000 people at the Isle of Wight Music Festival in 1970. By the way, I use this song as the theme to my show on BlogTalk Radio.

Roger Daltrey Giving It All Away

If Roger Daltrey is looking for ideas for some songs from his past to perform on his upcoming solo tour perhaps he will revisit Leo Sayer's "Giving it All Away," which Daltrey sings in the above video.

Roger Daltrey Begins Solo Tour

Tomorrow Roger Daltrey hits the road in Vancouver to kick off his "Use it or Lose It" solo tour. I posted a couple of videos above; the first is Roger talking about Jim Morrison. The Who used to tour quite a bit with The Doors back in the day. In fact, the song "Sally Simpson" which is on the Tommy album is about an incident that occurred at a show in which a woman was violently thrown off the stage by The Doors' security after trying to touch Jim Morrison. The lady ended up with some pretty bad cuts and the like.

The second video is of Roger Daltrey and Peter Gabriel appearing on "Fox and Friends" on the Fox News Channel back in 2005. The two were talking about some new DVDs that were being released - a Tommy/Quadrophenia DVD and Peter Gabriel's Africa Calling. The interviewers - E.D. Hill and Brian Kilmeade - were absolutely appalling and ruin a golden opportunity to talk with Daltrey and Gabriel. Really that's why I am posting the video, because Hill and Kilmeade are so horrible. Journalism professors around the country should use this video to illustrate how bad t.v. commentators can be.

Nick Fox on The Sean Kilkelly Show

WGCH sports reporter Nick Fox joined me in the latter portion of my show last night to discuss the W.W.E. and the new direction of T.N.A. wrestling. The link to the show is here.

Bob Heussler on The Sean Kilkelly Show

Bob Heussler joined me in the first half of the show last night. We discussed the Mets; M.L.B. in general; the WNBA and the state of the league and also Fairfield Basketball. Bob is the play-by-play commentator for the Connecticut Sun, Fairfield Stag's Men's Basketball team and is the long-time update guy at WFAN in New York. The link to the show is here.

The N.H.L. is Back!

The N.H.L. opened the season last night with four games and Joe Sakic getting his jersey retired in Colorado. Today St.Louis plays Detroit in Stockholm, Sweden while Florida and Chicago get together in Helsinki, Finland. The Rangers begin tonight in Pittsburgh and then all three of the New York locals are at home tomorrow.

It should be an interesting season. Fifteen years ago I could name the top eight teams in the league, but now there are so many similar teams, it's really hard to predict who will be standing alone with the Stanley Cup in June.

The season is condensed due to the Olympics in February. I hope that this is the last year that the NHL sends its players, because although the action is great, I don't think it has helped the league. This year the Olympics are being held in Vancouver so it makes sense for the pros to be there from a t.v. standpoint with time zones.

Thus as a result of the Olympics I'm going to say that we will not see Detroit (the oldest team in the N.H.L.) and Pittsburgh in the Finals for the third year in a row. Both clubs will be heavily represented in February and both teams have played a lot of hockey over the last two years, which can't be discounted.

I think it would be hard enough for either team to get back to the finals, but with the Olympics it makes it damn near impossible.

So who is ready to rise in the N.H.L.? I love Chicago and with the additions of Marian Hossa and John Madden they could be ready to take the next step in the playoffs. The Hawks are also the youngest team in the league, which usually I don't put all that much stock in, but with this year's grueling schedule youth is more of a factor. Calgary should be fun with Brent Sutter taking over as head coach. As far as rookies, look out for Swedish right wing Nicklas Bergfors of the Devils and of course the Islanders number one overall pick in this year's draft, John Tavares.

In regards to the Rangers, I don't really know what to expect from them. Head Coach John Tortorella has to manage Henrik Lundqvist's playing time, because "The King" will be a major factor in the Olympics for Sweden. I'm not sure about the team's on-ice chemistry and I wonder if Dan Girardi will be better in the regular season then he was during the pre-season. I like their blueline overall, but it may be a bit inexperienced. Up front, Marian Gaborik has to stay healthy for this team to have any shot.

Some things to watch...
Phoenix Coyotes bankruptcy situation. Ah whatever happened to the days when the Yotes were the Winnipeg Jets and winning Avco Cups in the old W.H.A?

How much of a factor will the Olympics have in terms of injuries?

The salary cap is expected to be lowered significantly after this season, so that will definitely impact trades, etc.

What coach gets fired first? Wayne Gretzky doesn't count. If either of these two teams gets off to a slow start, I think Randy Carlyle in Anaheim or Claude Julien in Boston could be walking the plank. Lindy Ruff in Buffalo is also a possibility.

Where to go...
I thoroughly enjoy Michael Landsberg's Off The Record show on TSN. For reading, Andrew Gross does a nice job covering the Rangers here and then there is always Hockey 24/7. Don La Greca and E.J. Hrdaek and company break the game down on NHL Radio here.

One thing you may not know...
In the N.H.L. general managers refer to one another as managers.

About That Keith Moon Movie

I have no idea what the status of the Keith Moon movie starring Mike Myers is. Last I read it was in production and slated to be released at some point next year.

By the way, Roger Daltrey who is hitting the road for some solo dates wrote and performed this song in 1978 in honor of Keith, "Under a Raging Moon."

The song features drummers: Martin Chambers (The Pretenders), Roger Taylor (Duran Duran), Cozy Powell (The Jeff Beck Group, Black Sabbath), Stewart Copeland (The Police), Zak Starkey (The Who, Oasis), Carl Palmer (Emerson, Lake and Palmer) and Mark Brzezicki (Big Country, The Cult).

More On Bret Hart Possibly Returning

The news that Bret "Hitman" Hart could be returning to the W.W.E. is perhaps the biggest story of the year in wrestling. If you have listened to Bret over the years or even read what he wrote in his autobiography, you know that Hart has some severe hatred for Shawn Michaels and Triple H.

I’m trying to think of someone in sports, movies, politics etc. that has exhibited so much hate for something for such an extended period of time and then gone back to it and I can’t think of anyone. I don’t begrudge a person for making as much money as they can, especially if they are doing something they love, but if Bret does go back to working for Vince McMahon he would prove to be the very thing that he has railed against for years and that is a hypocrite.

Bret Hart, though, should never have left W.W.E. for W.C.W. because as Vince McMahon so rightly predicted, W.C.W. would have no idea what to do with Bret Hart. If he does come back, perhaps, he can have a great sendoff, which would make up for the final time we saw Hart in the ring - on the bad end of a brutal kick to the head from Bill Goldberg which gave Bret a concussion and ended his career in 2000.

Below is an excerpt from the last page of Bret's book, Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling:

“To me, Shawn will always be a phony, a liar and a hairless yellow dog. …I’ll never forgive Shawn, or Hunter, for killing the business that so many of us gave our lives for.”

Shawn Michaels and Hunter Hearst Helmsley (Triple H) are still very much employed by the W.W.E. The book was released at the end of 2008, could Bret's feelings have changed that much?

Inside The Squared Circle: Raw Hosts, Returns, Etc.

The guest host thing on Monday Night Raw has really worn thin for me and apparently the fans also showed their displeasure with this past week’s show (hosted by Al Sharpton) which was the lowest rated Raw of the year. So far the only Raw hosts that have been worthwhile are Bob Barker, Shaq and Freddie Prinze Jr, other than that they’ve all been pants.

Next Monday, Pittsburgh Steelers’ QB Ben Roethlisberger is hosting the show and all of the sanctimonious types are up in arms. According to the AP, the Steelers have a team meeting on Monday and then have off on Tuesday. So what gives? If he gets involved in the ring, then you have an argument, but until then, lighten up.

Roethlisberger, a huge wrestling fan, is doing the spot to promote his charity The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation, which is mainly geared toward helping cops and firemen around the country. Is that really such a bad thing?

Oh yeah, and “Big Ben” is bringing the entire Steelers’ offensive line.

I guess retirements are never final...

Ric Flair has agreed to wrestle Hulk Hogan on his upcoming “Hulkamania” tour of Australia.

Bret Hart – who has ripped Vince McMahon and the W.W.E. for the past decade – is reportedly in talks for a return, though the extent of what his role would be is unclear. Hart wrote in his autobiography that he would never forgive Shawn Michaels and Triple H for "ruining the wrestling business." Of course, this all goes back to the Montreal Screwjob. I can't see why Hart would return other than to help out his nephews.

D’Lo Brown, who two weeks ago announced his retirement on the Between the Ropes wrestling show heard on ESPN 1080 The Team is now working behind the scenes for T.N.A. Brown also says he will may make the occasional in-ring appearance for the company. He even said that owner Dixie Carter is taking the company in an entirely new direction, but he wouldn't elaborate.

Interestingly enough, but D'Lo stated that there is a part of him that thinks the "Montreal Screwjob" was a "work." Brown was using the same locker room that night as Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels and got a first hand look at what happened between Vince and Bret, i.e. a black eye for McMahon.

If it is indeed a work, then Bret "Hitman" Hart is the greatest conman of all time.

Boxing Thoughts

I watched Vitali Klitschko toy with Chris Arreola for 10 rounds last Saturday night – OK Arreola got some shots in during the eighth round – but later had his nose broken in the ninth round and thus Vitali retains his W.B.C. Heavyweight Championship.

HBO did the smart thing by showing a replay of the Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez bout before the Klitschko fight and they even interviewed Mayweather from his Las Vegas home. I’ll give credit to Mayweather for not calling out Shane Mosley who interrupted Mayweather after his win in a Kanye West fashion. Anyway, we all know that boxing wants Manny Pacquiao to beat Miguel Cotto on November 14 and then the "Pac Man" and Mayweather can fight a dream match – possibly at Yankee stadium sometime next year.

Back to Klitschko, unless he is going to fight his brother Wladimir, the holder of the I.B.F., W.B.O., I.B.O., I.B.M., AT&T and Ring Magazine world heavyweight championships, I have no idea why he is still boxing.