I missed what happened earlier in the preshow Q & A but it must have had something to do with a guy asking about Dave's socks. Dave impersonates the guy, "Where can I get a pair of socks like that?" Paul laughs at the jowly shake of Dave's impersonation. "Where can I get a pair of socks like that?"

Did you watch the Academy Awards last night? Dave tells us what we already know: "In Hollywood, Oscar is king."

Tonight we have a guy on 53rd Street who will be performing snowmobile stunts for us all night long. He is Jay Quinlan, also known as the Godfather of Freestyle Snowmobiling. Jay is the first person ever to land a backflip in snowmobile competition and he is here with us tonight.

We look outside and see Jay Quinlan with his snowmobile and the jump. I laughed when the camera made it's way to 53rd Street as Paul played the theme to "The Godfather," as Jay Quinlan is known as the Godfather of Freestyle Snowmobiling. The ramp on 53rd Street is 10 feet high and 6 feet wide and the receiving ramp is a mound of snow 60 feet away. In order for Jay to accomplish his jumps, he will have to reach a height of 25 feet and a speed of 45 mph. I looked at the ramp during rehearsal and it appears to shoot straight up. I couldn't imagine the snowmobile flying through the air 60-plus feet after going off the ramp. It looked like the snowmobile would go straight up and then straight down.

Speaking of snowmobiling, Dave says he recently saw Gale Norton snowmobiling near his place out west. I laughed, realizing I only know Gale Norton as the Secretary of the Interior because she looks just like our Alan Kalter.

Jay is ready for his first jump. It is called the no-footed can. Prior to take off, Dave warns, "And before your jump, remember one thing . . . ." Most everybody on the staff mumbles, "Safety first." Dave must have known we all were thinking "Safety first," because Dave offers these words to Jay: "Oscar is king."

Jay attempts the No-Footed Can and while it looked great to the untrained eye, Jay says he came up a bit short. He blamed it partly on the snowmobile's engine not being warmed up enough. He may have had a point since it was originally planned for his first jump to be at the end of the ACT 1. Dave called for the first jump soon after Jay's introduction. While Jay recoups, Dave goes to the business at hand.

Dave noticed something odd last night during the Academy Awards. It was right before a commercial break and he wasn't sure he heard it right but he luckily has the TIVO which enables him to check back on what was just said without losing any of the programming. Dave relistened to the piece of tape and he was right. It was odd. He brought it in to share with us. Just before a commercial, the announcer says, "Coming up; Kate Winslet, the award for Best Original Screenplay, and two hours of your life you'll never be able to get back."

And this was Dave's favorite moment from the Academy Awards. Dave previews the clip we are about to see, mentioning the speech and how the speaker accentuates his final point. The speaker was Roger Mayer, receiving the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. We see the clip. As Mr. Mayer finishes a line of his speech, he pauses and gives a forceful sniff.
I really really don't know why I find these funny. It's just a guy with a sniff. But I did find it funny.

WHAT THE HELL IS GEORGE W. BUSH TALKING ABOUT? We see the President chatting with a woman.
Bush: "Do you have children?"
Woman: "We do. We have our daughter Jordan, is 12, right down in front."
Bush: "There she is, Jordan, waving. That's good."
Woman: "And our son Shane is 2 and we're expecting our third baby in April."
Bush: "Awesome. Yes. . . . . . . . . Georgia."
(Awkward silence)
Bush: "You're going to name it 'Georgia,' no?"

HUH?

Dave once again tells the President he should just stay home indoors. Don't come out. Just stay indoors for the next 4 years.

Back to Jay Quinlan out on 53rd Street. He's going to try the No-Footed Can once again. Before he does, Dave tells him to tell the folks watching the action behind him to beat it. Jay turns and is about to tell everybody to get lost, but then decides he can't do it. I guess Jay hasn't been in New York long enough to start acting like a New Yorker.

Jay tries his No-Footed Can once again and this time he nailed it. Nice job. We had the snow that Jay is landing on shipped in for today's jump. Where did we get it? Jay looks around, not sure, and offers, "We got it from somewhere." Ah yes, just as Dave thought. Dave knew we got it from somewhere. He was glad Jay was able to confirm that.

Back from commercial, we are about to see Jay try his next jump. But before he does, Dave instructs Jay to tell the person behind him with the umbrella that he has to close the umbrella. Dang it! I wanted to write about that very thing Thursday or Friday. Walking to my car in the snow after Thursday's show, I saw a guy with an umbrella protecting him from the falling flakes. This bothered me. I wondered, "Is snow so harmful that we need an umbrella to protect us from it?" I figured if the Mayor could pass a law making it illegal to smoke in bars, I think he should pass a law making it illegal to use an umbrella when it snows. I mean, are we really so far removed from seeing the world through the eyes of a child that we would want to hide under an umbrella when it flurries? Happily, Jay Quinlan agreed as he turned to the guy with the umbrella and told him to shut it down.
Jay's next jump was the Saran Wrap No Hander. Again it looked great, but Jay admits to waiting a little too long to let go. These eyes thought it was just fine.

THE ROCK: He's in "Be Cool" with John Travolta, Vince Vaughn, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, James Wood, Cedric the Entertainer, Danny DeVito, and James Gandolfini. Wow! I had to check twice to see if this was an animated feature. Dave says that after he watched the film, he asked who the big strong actor was who played Elliot. When told it was The Rock, Dave couldn't believe it. Describing the cast, Dave says "everybody in the film is a little bit peculiar." I like peculiar.
And adding to my files: The Rock does an impression of Clint Eastwood.
The Rock played for the Miami Hurricanes back in the early 90's and was a member of one of the national championship teams. As a member of the squad, he and his pals would often receive free meals from the local restaurants. Was this allowed by the NCAA? "Oh, no. No way" says The Rock. He says although the meal was free, they would leave a big enough tip on the table that would often cover the full cost of the feast. As they left the restaurant, The Rock would take the tip and put it in his pocket. He would then walk up to the waitress, take out the money as if it was his own, and personally hand it to her. It made The Rock look like a big shot to the waitress. And it probably would have gotten him a beating if his buddies found out. The Rock in "Be Cool" - it opens Friday.

ACT 4: It's the jump we've been waiting for; The Backflip. Jay revs up the snowmobile while Dave advises us the snow had been imported from Eastern Long Island. Jay drives down the runway, up the ramp and does a complete backflip in midair, landing safely on the mound of snow 60 feet away. During the ACT 5, we see it again and again. Then again. And again one more time.

SOLOMON BURKE: the great sound of Solomon, from his new CD, "Make Do With What You Got," Mr. Burke performed "I Need Your Love in My Life." Now that's music.

And that was our show for Monday, February 28, 2005. Wahoo EXTRA!

You can see more of Jay Quinlan and his crazy flying snowmobile as he performs at the Winter Gravity Games to be seen on the Outdoor Life Network, March 27th-30th.

I'm waiting on line the other day at a CVS pharmacy. As I am making my purchase, I hear behind me a father admonishing his 3-year-old son not to touch the candy. "NO" he boldly says with strength, "NO." He repeats his urgent plea, "NO NO NO." "Candy is not good for you," he continues, "NO." The child whines a bit but the father does not give in. "No candy," he once again admonishes. Eventually the boy seems to understand, taking heed to what his father said. He no longer dawdles near the candy. He's taken what his father has said to heart. I'm impressed by the boy and also with the father. Already at such a young age I can tell the boy looks up to his father, wants to please him, and wants to be just like him. I picture the boy growing up to be just like his old man; eating healthy, keeping fit, avoiding the candy. I receive my change from the cashier. I take a few steps and then hear the man say to the woman behind the counter, "Pack of Marlboros." DOOHHHHH!

The local school kids back home had a half-day on Monday due to the snowstorm coming in. My girls got the bus at 9:00 AM and were sent back home at 12:30 PM. They had all last week off for mid-winter break. I think if the school's called for the entire day off, moms would have stormed the administration building. The entire town was in need of a school day, even if just for a few hours.

I'm 47 and I've finally learned how to watch basketball. I've never played organized ball and I don't fully understand the game. To me, it's always been 10 guys running back and forth helter skelter; no rhyme, no reason. I understand picks and stuff, but the nuances of the game escaped me. Now I think I've hit upon something that has helped me enjoy my viewing. Instead of keeping my eye on the guy with the ball, I watch everybody else. My peripheral vision is more than enough to know what the guy with the ball is doing. By concentrating on the other players on offense, I can better understand how a "team" works. I tried this the other night watching a Knick game. I learned the Knicks run a two-man in motion offense. The guy with the ball moves, and maybe one other guy. The other three guys on offense stand around waiting for a pass in three-point territory. I now have a better understanding as to why the Knicks stink. Try this with your favorite NBA team. You'll probably see the team running on only 2 cylinders instead of 5. "NBA Basketball: We Give 40%"

THIS DATE IN NHL HOCKEY HISTORY
February 28, 1960 - In Lake Placid, New York, the United States Mens Olympic Hockey Team defeats Czechoslovakia 9-4 to win the Gold Medal. I know it's not NHL hockey, but this was way cool.
OK, OK, I was too young to know if the 1960 U.S. Mens Olympic Hockey Team Gold Medal win was "way cool", but this almost seems more amazing than the 1980 Gold Medal. At least by 1980 there was a strong hockey following in the U.S. Was there in 1960? Any readers out there who can give me the flavor of the moment from back in 1960?