I’m Getting Old

Just got back from my 20th high school reunion in the Chicago area. A bit of trivia: Ferris Buehler “went” to my high school in the sense that they shot Ferris Buehler’s Day Off in the hallways when I was a senior. It’s also the (fictional) high school in Breakfast Club. For what it’s worth.

Anyway, I have decided I have been very lucky in the hair department. Time has not been kind to my football buddies, who are all sorting that “monk” look. I also ran into a teammate who is now working at McDonald’s. This would sound like a bit of a sad career move, but it’s not. McDonald’s (McDonald’s’s ?) headquarters is near my hometown and the fellow works there as the guy in charge of the toy in the Happy Meal. How strange a job is that?

Other than my bald schoolmates, I can point to other evidence I am getting old: I was in Target the other day and the young clerk asked me if I was “that guy on TV.” I get that a couple times a day, and responded yes indeed, I was the guy.

“I’ve been watching you since I was a little kid,” he said.

Yikes.

Lastly, I went to Parent’s Night at my son’s middle school. That I have a middle schooler is probably evidence enough that I’m middle aged, but it wasn’t until I met some of his teachers that I really felt it. I was expecting OLD teachers. You know, like Mr. Hand from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Not to be — I seem to be older than most of them. That’s disconcerting. You want teachers (and surgeons and airline pilots) to be older than you are. It’s just the rule.

You’re welcome to comment on this posting. Use big type as my eyes aren’t what they used to be.

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Scott McGrew
NBC11 Business & Tech Reporter

Ready For Some Football?

Are you ready for some football? I am in the mood for my favorite sport. Every year about this time I feel the anticipation building. I like just about all football, but I really love college football.

A few days ago, I interviewed former 49er running back Roger Craig and it really brought back memories and got me excited about a new season. Craig played at Nebraska at the same time I was at Colorado. During our interview, I joked with him about the time he was tackled and slid out of bounds. I was warming the bench and his helmet hit my shin. It hurt like heck. We had a good laugh over that, but it sure caused the memories to come flooding back. I can remember it so well. A cold October afternoon in Boulder. We were under new head coach Bill McCartney. We were a vast underdog, even though the game was at home for us. Nebraska was loaded with talent. The media guide hyped players like Mike Rozier, Turner Gill, Irving Fryar, and perhaps one of the most decorated offensive lineman in college football history, Dave Remington. There was little mention of guys like Roger Craig and Tom Rathman – both of whom went on to big things with the 49ers in the NFL. That’s how loaded Nebraska was with talent. We were down 20 to 14 in the 3rd quarter. We had the ball, and if we scored we would take the lead against the dreaded “Big Red Machine.” Instead, we threw an interception. The “Huskers” turned it into a TD. They kicked off, and we fumbled. They recovered and got another quick score. Suddenly, the game was out of hand and Nebraska went on to win 40 to 14.

I can’t wait for all the great match-ups coming this season, including Cal vs USC, Michigan vs Ohio St. Notre Dame has a lot of good games including match-ups with Michigan, USC and Stanford. So much football – so little time! Bring out the brauts and fire up the grill.

Brent Cannon
NBC11 Anchor

New Guy

There’s a new guy in my life. Yes, that’s right, I said it and I mean it. His name, is Chip. Brent knows all about him. He’s cool with it too. In fact, he introduced us. We met over the weekend and I fell head over heels in love. I fell fast and I fell hard. Chip’s got me wrapped around his finger, except, well, it’s more like he has me wrapped around his paw. All 1/2 an inch of it.

Chip is the newest addition to the Cannon household, 1.8 pounds of pure Yorkie heaven. Who knew something so small could melt a heart so quickly? I didn’t think I could ever love like this again (wait a minute, that sounds like some crazy love song) but seriously, I’ve turned sappy over this yapper! After losing my beloved “Scout” (14-year-old Yorkshire Terrier – God Bless her) last February (you probably didn’t notice but I wore black for a few weeks I was in such mourning, I’m surprised I can even write about her now!).. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get a new dog for a while. She was, and always will be irreplaceable.. and I think that was my hang-up. I had to convince myself I wasn’t replacing Scout, just sharing the love
for a new little pup, and boy do I love Chip. So much so, that I’m losing sleep over him. Quite a bit in fact. For you HDTV’ers you know what I mean, check out all the concealer under my eyes to cover the dark circles! I’m getting up every three hours at night to try to housebreak him, and while it’s working, I’m dying!! But something about that little furry face and puppy breath takes all the pain of it away in a flash. That warm little nose on my chin and just that “happiness to see you” look he gives me at two in the morning makes it all worth it. It’s paying off too! Did I mention he’s brilliant? Ok, ok I know every pet owner thinks their pet is the end all – but bear with me.. just look at our first “family” picture!! What’s even funnier about it is I actually got Brent to sit in one of those picture taking kiosks at the mall usually filled with teenagers to take it!! He didn’t even hesitate. He knew I was high as a kite with my new little Chip on my shoulder!

So, the next time you turn on the TV and think, geez she looks a little more tired than normal, or if I stumble on a few words here and there, I know you’ll see past the dark circles and see the eyes of one happy girl, with a new little Chip in her life.

Laura Garcia Cannon
NBC11 Anchor

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It’s a New Day!

It’s a new day!! Perhaps you’ve heard the catchy jingle on NBC11? It is a new day, and there is a new girl in town, and her name is Meredith!

Brent and I recently had the pleasure of flying to New York to meet with the newest member of the “Today Show” team, Meredith Vieira. It was really nice to get a chance to sit down with her to get to know her personally before she starts on “Today” this fall. We’ve all come to know her through some of her work on “60 Minutes” and more recently hosting “The View” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” but it was interesting to see her side-by-side with her new co-anchor Matt Lauer.

She’s very funny, with a quick wit and inquisitive nature. Her first question to us was, “How do you work with your spouse every single day?” (That will take a whole other blog – ha ha)

She told us how excited and honored she is to be working on “Today,” but how she was also a bit nervous when she first met Matt last December. Matt told us how he decided to call her and invite her over to dinner at his house to see if the two would have anything in common, let alone be able to anchor together. Meredith quickly interjected to say she didn’t know what to wear, what to bring, and after worrying for a bit, she decided just to be herself. She said, “I just have to be me. If he likes me, he likes me.” She says she threw on something casual and brought a cake, and gave a sigh of relief when Matt opened the door and was wearing jeans. They both said they hit it right off and talked for hours. They knew right then, they could easily work together and get along.

Who couldn’t work with that team, however? Matt, Ann and Al are really genuinely nice people. Brent and I have had the pleasure of meeting with them several times before and they’re always so welcoming and accommodating.

Meredith will be starting in the fall, but says nothing will change because of her. She says she doesn’t want to make it “The Meredith Show,” it’s the “Today Show” and she’s just honored to be a part of the team. She did say she suggested a segment similar to Matt Lauer’s infamous, “Where in the World is Matt Lauer,” but she wants hers to be called, “Who in the Heck is Meredith Vieira?”

Meredith will start in September, it will be great to be the local news leading up to her debut!

Laura Garcia Cannon
NBC11 Anchor

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Wheeling and Mealing

I’ve got to be honest, I’m not really a racing fan.

I don’t dislike racing, I just don’t follow it closely enough to call myself a fan.

In fact, this year’s San Jose Grand Prix is only the second race I’ve seen live (the first being the 2005 SJGP.)

The Champ Cars were truly impressive with their surprisingly loud engines and even though I didn’t know the drivers well, it was easy for me to root for the hometown favorite A.J. Allmendinger after hearing about his past few months.

With that said, the weekend wasn’t just about the Champ Cars. If you came down to the event, you’ll know what I mean. There was activity on the track from the moment construction was complete to the final checkered flag.

One of my favorites was the “Drift Racing” with its artistic, almost balletic, skidding, sliding and “drifting” down the course. Basically the drivers would get “squirrelly” thru the city streets. You can see samples of the weekend fun visiting our Grand Prix page but you can slide on over to some cool drifting video by clicking here too.

One other SJGP activity I really enjoyed was hosting “Meal or No Meal” (our version of the NBC game show “Deal or No Deal”) at the NBC11 booth that weekend. While I enjoy giving away great meals to fantastic eateries at festivals all around the Bay Area, this one was an extra special treat for all involved.

Howie Mandel has his “Deal of No Deal” entourage and we were fortunate enough to get our help from nineteen contestants vying for the title of “2006 Miss San Jose Grand Prix”. As an added treat, Amanda Scott (2005 Miss San Jose Grand Prix) also came to lend a hand. Check out the slideshow. (Jennifer Field, our number fifteen, won the title of 2006 Miss SJGP later that evening.)

As you can tell, we all had a great time and we gave away some great prizes: a couple hundred bucks to eat at some great San Jose restaurants and a bunch of tickets to see “Champions on Ice” at the HP Pavilion.

We’ll continue to have a ton of fun and give away some more cool stuff at other events throughout the year. Check our schedule and remember to swing by the NBC11 Peacock Pavilion (our booth) and ask what’s going on. My next stop? The Fremont Festival of the Arts.

See you there.

Deal?

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Mike or No Mike
NBC11 Traffic Anchor/Game Show Host