ODDS AND ENDS, PART 6

THE SOPRANOS

Recently, I watched a segment of "The Sopranos" for the first time. Even though I have had HBO for some time, I have not been attracted to the program based on reports I had heard from friends. The program is not half bad.

With the advent of High Definition, I added a feature to my cable service known as "On Demand." One of the HBO series on OD is the Sopranos and I have started watching the five segments that are available to date. The most recent one I watched shows 2004 on the credits so I imagine it was shown at the regular time spot on HBO earlier this year.

Which leads me to relay a couple of comments by a principal on the program about North Carolina that you might find amusing. The first one is fuzzy and I will have to watch the program again to determine exactly what was being referred to but a comment was made that "they probably don't even have that down there." Doesn't matter, I get the point. We are backward in N.C. particularly when viewed through the eyes of a gangster who is hauling a truck load of stolen televisions to Raleigh for disposal. Oh, and he had a map to assist him in finding Raleigh and he concluded he could take I-95 down to his destination. Hope he likes eastern N.C. Maybe he can get a little BBQ while he is trying to find his way to Raleigh. The final crack was referring to people in N.C. as "red necks" a term I have adopted as a title of honor even though I don't meet many of the criteria for qualification. I have to wonder, however, if the speaker would be offended if I referred to people in New Jersey as "greaseballs." Enough on the subject.

Ramfanatic note:

It has just occurred to me that I neglected to mention that one of the Soprano's sales representatives mentioned going to Winston-Salem after he unloaded the TVs in Raleigh for a cigarette deal. He later mentioned when he got back to New Jersey that he had made a deal where someone in WS was going to supply him with $20,000 worth of cigarettes a week. The character doing all this was the one with the long nose who is trying to work his way up in the family hierarchy. I'm afraid I don't have all the names of the family members memorized yet.


CONSPIRACY?

Watching the two head coaches meet to shake hands before the women's national championship game caused me to wonder if all the so called animosity between the two was not a figment of the media's imagination or better still a conspiracy on the part of the two to spice up the final game. Some rather ugly things were said by the coaches in the days leading up to the finals, but there didn't seem to be the bitterness you might expect if there really was a feud going on. Pat Summitt whispered something into Aeriano's ear when they met and she smiled broadly after doing so. This prompted me to wonder if there is a possibility that she said something like "we pulled it off." The effects of a so called feud would carry over to next year, and I have to admit, it adds a little excitement to the U. Conn.-Tennessee matchup.

While we are talking about U. Conn, has it ever occurred to anybody other than me that U. Conn. which is pronounced the same as Yukon, might have something to do with the fact that a huskie is the school's mascot? Just a thought.

VITALE PREDICTION

I can't believe what I have read about Dick Vitale (ESPN) picking the Heels to win it all in basketball next year. Vitale has seemed to have been warming up to the Heels for some time now, but this is unbelievable until you note that Vitale has been correct in picking the following year's winner 4 out of the last 6 times he has attempted to do so. Lord knows I would like for it to become true, but I can't see it at this time. Katz (ESPN) picks us at Number #6 so it's unavoidable that high expectations will exist next year. Seems like old times.

I have a few more odds and ends, but they will have to wait until next time since I'm running out of space.