Kevin is currently in his 30th year with WOBM and serves as the station's Sports and Community Relations Director. His daily The Hometown View which airs every weekday morning at 7:20AM .
This popular feature has been honored in 2000, 2001, 2002 & 2004 by the New Jersey Broadcasters Association for 'Best Public Service'. An eight-time New Jersey sportscaster of the year, Kevin also coordinates high school sports broadcasts on our sister stations WOBM-AM and Fox Sports 1310.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Love it or hate it the second season of “Jersey Shore” will debut tonight on MTV and quoting the network’s web site….”the eight housemates are back for another season of GTL, fist-pumping and battling grenades.” For those of you who do not watch or follow, GTL stands for gym, tanning and laundry which sums up the complex lives of these eight talentless individuals who have managed to carve out a nice living by being in the right place at the right time. Of the eight, six are from New York one is from Rhode Island and only Sammi “Sweetheart” Giancola is from New Jersey….Hazlet to be exact.
I’m assuming there are quite a few of you who really don’t know much about this and frankly don’t care so this morning’s segment is your Readers Digest version of what this is all about. The reality TV show was filmed last August in Seaside Heights and frankly most people did not pay too much attention as cameras followed these eight people around the resort town. They lived and partied in a house near the boardwalk and actually had to work shifts in a t-shirt store, again often in relative obscurity.
However that all changed with the episodes began airing in December on MTV. Some Italian-American groups expressed outrage over the way the show was promoted and the use of the word Guido. Seaside Heights officials said they had no idea the show would cast a negative light on the town and proclaimed not to cooperate in the future. None of that mattered
as far as viewers were concerned because the show became a hit, the cast members instant celebrities and Seaside Heights became known across the country. By the way there were only 9 original episodes but they garnered plenty of attention…so much so that the house near the boardwalk has become a landmark and tourist attraction.
Earlier this year MTV announced that there would be a second season of “Jersey Shore” but it would originate from Miami Beach. Original plans called for 12 episodes with half of them taking place in South Florida and then the other half would be back in Seaside. By that point borough officials were back on board because they realized it just might be good for business.
Anyway it turns out that there was enough Miami footage to get a full season of episodes and they begin airing tonight. Meanwhile the cast is back at the summer house in Seaside Heights and filming has begun for next year and reportedly they have a new cast member who is from New Egypt which I guess is about as close to the Jersey Shore as they’ll get.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ocean County will hold one of their major annual fundraisers Friday night at the Crystal Point Yacht Club in Point Pleasant. “An Evening with the Stars Cocktail Party and Casino Night” will feature a buffet dinner, beverages, dessert, cash bar, auctions and more…plus your $75 donation gets you chips to play casino games for prizes. Special invited guests expected to attend include football player turned announcer Tony Siragusa, ex-New York Jet Joe Klecko, former Devils hockey players Jim Dowd and Ken Daneyko, TV Anchor Jack Ford and author Mary Higgins Clark, who will be available to autograph books.
Friday’s event is in memory of “Jo Jo” Procopio, who was a staunch advocate and supporter for the work Big Brothers Big Sisters does in Ocean County. It’s not too late to purchase tickets for what should be a great night of entertainment…call the agency at (732) 905-5349.
The Jersey Shore Council-Boy Scouts of America will honor Vito Nardelli with their 13th annual Loyal Buffalo “Good Scout” Award next Wednesday (August 4th) at Six Flags Great Adventure. Nardelli is Executive Vice President and COO of OceanFirst Bank and there’s a good chance you’ve heard his voice on commercials that air on this radio station. A Wall Township resident, he is the former Chairman of the New Jersey State Chapter of the March of Dimes and President of the Jersey Shore Boy Scout Council. Among his affiliations are the New Brunswick Development Corporation, Catholic Charities, the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce and the Fordham University School of Business. Nardelli is a retired Lt. Colonel and JAG officer who served with the US Air Force Reserves. A pretty impressive resume for a man who oversees and directs all major bank business at OceanFirst.
Next Wednesday’s program at Six Flags will help raise funds for the Jersey Shore Council which serves some 11,000 scouts and volunteers. For information you can call (732) 349-1037.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
A few quick hitters on this Tuesday morning:
Tis the season for Little League Tournaments and the road to Williamsport continues later this week for Toms River National. The Section 3 champs are one of four teams that will compete in the state tournament which begins Friday at Van Horn Park in Hamilton. Toms River National will play North Hunterdon National in the first game and West New York American faces Northfield in the double elimination tournament which sends the winner to the Mid Atlantic Regional in Bristol, Connecticut. The Toms River 11 and 12 year olds put on a hitting display in winning the sectionals last week…scoring 52 runs in winning all three of their games. The Manchester Township Little League hosted the Section 3 tournament and by all accounts did a superb job. The facility on Route 571 could be a future site for the state tournament.
Meanwhile Berkeley’s bid for a Junior League sectional title came up just short as they fell to North Wall 9-5 in last night’s championship game at the South Wall Little League.
Ortley Beach won the team title at last night’s 23rd Annual Seaside Park Lifeguard Tournament. Ortley Beach used victories in the Iron Man Medley and 1000 foot row to take control of the 8-team tournament as they beat out Surf City with Ocean Beach II coming in third. The event was held in ideal conditions and as in the past was sponsored by the Seaside Park Service Center, Sawmill Café, Surf Taco and B&B Department Store. As I’ve done for most of the past ten years I was a lane judge and I’m happy to report there were no incidents of any kind.
In early June Rick Handchen was honored by his peers as the Ocean County Athletic Director of the Year but starting next week he’ll be working out of the area. Handchen is leaving Brick Township High School after many years to run the Athletic Department at Clifton High School. He’s making the move after the Board of Education eliminated his position which would have required him to return to the classroom. Handchen’s father Hank was the first-ever Athletic Director when Brick High School opened and it’s unfortunate he could not spend his entire career in Green and White. Good luck to a good guy!
Monday, July 26
Today I would like to tell you how I spent my summer vacation which officially ended at 3:05 this morning when my alarm clock went off. Actually one of the highlights was not waking up to an alarm clock for nine straight days, counting weekends of course.
For the most part my vacation was spent at the beach as my brother rented a house on the ocean in Seaside Park. He and his 3-year old son along with my sister and her 4-year old son were down for the entire week and I did get to spend a lot of time with them. I will say it was not always relaxing and it was another reminder of how difficult it is just getting little ones ready for a day at the beach with all the packing and planning necessary. However they also remind you that it’s sometimes the little things which provide great joy as my nephew Trevor would spend countless hours over the week collecting shells like they were some kind of treasure.
For the most part last week I just took advantage of not being on a schedule.
My wife and I rode our bikes on the boardwalk…I just got my mine fixed after not using it for years and it was great. We went to the movies twice….saw “Grown Ups” and “Inception” which are at the complete opposite end of the spectrum but we both good in their own ways. I was excited about being on vacation the same week the Mets were playing on the West Coast which meant I could stay up and watch their games. But the way they are playing all that does is make you fall asleep which I would do just about every night on the couch. A few times I woke up and would watch a movie I had not seen in a while…just the other day I stayed up until 4:30 in the morning to watch “Midnight Cowboy” with Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman. I can’t believe that movie is 41 years old.
Anyway it was a pretty good week with my wife and I celebrating our 29th wedding anniversary Sunday. I hit the beach by myself for a couple of hours in the morning but gave in to the flies. Later we joined many of our neighbors for a get together and dined on lobster…not a bad way to end the week and vacation.
Joe Daniels
