Life and Stuff

As I am writing this, I'm listening to the online stream of my old stomping grounds WMLN-FM on the campus of beautiful Curry College in scenic Milton Massachusetts. In four short years, I went from being an obscure early morning DJ who no one listened to, to one half of the campus phenomenon known as "Durka Days with Pieroni's People." Through that program, I became an iconic figure in the minds of those who listened to the show week after week. Although it personally hurt me that I never got the credit I felt I deserved for our success, I miss that show like you wouldn't imagine. I have always loved making people laugh and entertaining them while they were doing something. Radio is a two-way process, you're always doing something while you listen. I'm extremely grateful for the fact that people listened to me while they were doing everything from driving home to cooking dinner. The 6 months worth of Fridays in which I was fortunate enough to host that show convinced me that I had the stuff to make it in the industry through my infectious personality and quick wit. However, making that show a major success was a daunting task and I took a lot of crap from other DJ's who were jealous of my success. Many people felt I was over promoting the show on other programs, most notably the Sports Corner. It was never my intention to upset people, I did it because I knew that our show was the best on the air and I wanted to get the biggest audience possible. The success of the program was a tremendous boost to my ego and I know it made me popular with some people, but I regret nothing. I say this because I had worked my butt off for that station for three years and got no respect for it. Now that I was a star, people grew jealous of me because of it. I regret two things about my time at the radio station, the fact I did not apply to become a director after my junior year, and the fact that I used my radio show to express my anger at my fellow sports directors for not thanking me for my hard work at last year's awards banquet. Although I once said that there was little I was going to miss about the station, as I look back on my time there, I feel like I'm missing a major part of my life. As I listened to part of the the afternoon drive slot Friday afternoon, I felt a tad nostalgic. Here was this guy sitting in the same chair,and playing the same ads I was playing as little as four months ago. How could you not miss that? There are several other things I miss about my time at the radio station and I would like to share them with you.

Perhaps most of all, I will miss the people who treated their time at the station as a springboard to a professional career within the radio industry like I did. These were folks who truly put effort into their shows and because of that, I immediately bonded with them. People like Jadd Naamani, Travis Libman, and most of all, my own on-air foil Alex Durka, made me laugh out loud and always made a conscious effort to make their shows better week in and week out. I think the effort we all put in made our station better as a whole. I will also miss the constant encouragement I received from the station rock of stability Prof. Alan Frank, who was very encouraging to me and countless others who have honed their craft in the little brick building next to State House. I miss how my voice would constantly be hoarse because of the hundreds of Eddie Andelman imitations I did for people who asked me to on a daily basis. Finally, I regret that I will no longer be around to see people like Dan Mazella and Paul Varga become as popular on air as yours truly did a year ago. I consider the two of them my mentorees , because they were both inspired to do their respective specialty shows in large part because of my success. I will be listening to them from home, but in all honesty it would have been better to be apart of the show from an on-campus or directorial perspective.

There were numerous amounts of people who would just leave an album on continuous play for the duration of their show. There were people that were not as talented or dedicated as I was that were promoted above me because they knew how to kiss ass. There were people who did not do as they were told during my one year as a director, leading a rather large amount of gray hair to sprout upon my head. There were people who disrespected me and were never grateful for my efforts, but these negative experiences made me a more tolerant person and taught me that not everyone thinks like you, even if your way is the right way. In truth, my time at WMLN was fun, productive, and frustrating at the same time, but I would not trade it for the world.

The long wait and anticipated debut of the 'The Buddy Cianci Show" finally happened this morning at 10 AM on WPRO-AM in Providence. To be honest, I was surprised at what I heard. To me, Buddy was always a loudmouth, dishonest politician who would always favor the poor and elderly over the hard working, blue collar Joes who worked to make his city better. His reputation finally caught up with him 5 years ago when he was convicted on a Rico conspiracy charge and sentenced to five years of hard time at the Fort Dix correctional facility on the south shore of New Jersey. Most public officials are ignored once they leave office for good or return from a prison sentence, but not old Buddy. What set him apart from other public officials was a larger than life personality, and a penchant for witty one-liners in the most difficult of situations. That is probably the most likely reason why Buddy was welcomed back with open arms when he made his triumphant return to the airwaves this morning.

To be fair, Buddy did seemed more subdued and humble than in years past. The way he spoke gave me the impression that he really seemed sorry for what he did and that the time he spent in jail made him a changed man. What bothers me so much about this program is that it is hosted by a convicted felon that had a notorious reputation for using people to get what he wanted. Normally, people who are convicted criminal in any capacity are disgraced felons who are forced to take a job as a civil servant or minimum wage employee, not Buddy. Buddy was immediately given a cushy job which will keep him in the public eye for much longer than he deserves, and why you ask, it is all because of ratings and who he is. It is as if his prison term never happened. Several callers were more than willing to call into the program and tell him how much they loved him and what a thrill it was to hear him on the radio. Thankfully, for detractors like myself, the only people who called in were either senile or a personal friend of Buddy's, leading me to conclude that most of the state could care less about the hoopla.

Maybe things will change in due time, the program might attract a wider audience full of different cultures than anticipated. However, one known truth still remains. Buddy is not a buddy of the majority of the state, and because of that, he'll have difficulty getting calls from all over. However, I believe the show will succeed in large part because the controversial nature of its star. I don't like him, but I have to admit he roped me in. Best of luck to you Buddy, just don't ever run for mayor again.

• I'm having so much fun because this is my first date since the Carter administration.
• I don't want to offend you, but I have difficulty chewing with my mouth closed.
• When I'm nervous, I pick my nose and then smell my fingers.
• You're the most beautiful girl I've never seen, except for my Mother.
• I've got tickets to an Annie Lennox, concert wanna come with?
• I gave up a fantasy football draft for this?
• I spend all my free time eating paste and playing "Dungeons and Dragons"
• I'm a card carrying member of the Communist Party

For my preface this week, I'd like to address two issues. First of all, I'd like to say that the New England Patriots are admitted cheaters that went over the line and got caught for it. Although I am somewhat bothered by the fact that this happened, I would like to point out a simple fact of life, everybody cheats. I've cheated on tests, some of you have cheated on your significant other, and football and baseball teams always elect someone to try to steal the signs. In essence, what the Patriots did was take the signal stealing act one step further, they used a video camera to steal the signals which is a clear violation of league rules. There is no doubt in my mind that the team should have been punished, but leave it to crybaby Mangini to be the one who blew the whistle on his former boss and yet still not be satisfied with the verdict handed down by Roger Goodell. Now, the Jets are alleging that the Patriots used illegal radio frequencies to help them acquire the Jets plays. Through talk radio, I have heard that there is an NFL official on the sidelines at all times whose job it is to monitor the radio frequencies. Knowing this, it is hard for me to believe that the Patriots were cleaver enough to steal the Jets signals through radio waves. I believe Eric Mangini is trying to look for a scapegoat to try to explain the reasons behind his team's poor play. Since using his former boss as a target made sense, he chose to blow the whistle. Mangini will never fully admit that he's the problem because he see himself as the wonderkid who was cast in the shadow of Belichick and has earned the right to be respected based on his coaching pedigree.

Secondly, I'd like to answer a question posed to me by a reader who wishes to remain anonymous. They asked me for my playoff predictions. I think it is far too early within the season to make any sort of playoff prediction, however I can almost guarantee you that the Patriots and the Colts will be there. Prefaces are sometimes fun and cathartic, but it's now time to get down and dirty and do what I do best, telling you about the way things ought to be in the National Football League!

• Much like "Full House" reruns and that great aunt that never comes to visit you yet still finds the time to send you and ugly sweater every Christmas, Morten Andersen will not go away. To celebrate his recent signing, the Falcons have installed an AARP booth in the Georgia Dome and have implemented an Early Bird Special that consists of a hot dog, French fry puree, and a cup of diet Jell-o for only $2.95! Must be 65 to order.

• Word is the Falcons are looking to sign Byron Leftwich, he'll be an upgrade over Joey Harrington but with an aging running game and no sign of s passing game, its going to be a rough go.

• Hustler of the week goes to the Texans DeMarcus Fagans, who could not keep up with Steve Smith, but did force a fumble to help his team to victory.

• The definition of quickness in the NFL is Steve Smith.

• Chad Johnson's leap into the Dawg Pound was like playing with fire, and a predictable outcome ensued. I have no idea what made him do it, maybe he wanted a dog biscuit, arf, arf!

• At what point in the Browns Bengals game did both teams resort to playing arena football?

• Is it me or does new Steeler coach Mike Tomlin look like he's up for a role in a blaxplotation movie?

• The Saints/Bucs game was one of the rare circumstances in which the teachers beat the students. In this case, a bunch of geezers beat a club considered by many to be the best young team in the league.

• I think the luck has run out on the Saints for two reasons, last year they were able to ride the wave of Katrina to a successful year and they had a lot of flashy young players that defenses had great difficulty getting reads on. With the memory of Katrina quickly fading into the gone but not forgotten stage and Colston and Bush getting off to slow starts, the ride is quickly coming to an end.
  

• Saints coach Sean Payton says he's disappointed and changes have to be made.\, this has been another pearl of wisdom from the people who brought you duh.

• The personification of toughness this week was 49's RB Frank Gore who lost his Mother Liz to kidney disease earlier in the week yet still found a way to score two touchdowns and lead his team to a win.

• If there is an NFL fountain of youth, Brett Favre is its poster child. He threw three TD passes while becoming the all time wins leader for quarterbacks. Amid all this hoopla, he acted as if it was just another day at the office.

• If you were able to hear Bob Costas's horrid imitation of Howard Cosell, you'll know why I had to vomit before I wrote this sentence.

• Devin Hester has already broken the Bears career mark for punt and kickoff return TD's. At the rate he's going, not even the Roadrunner can catch him.

• Without the reliable foot of Jason Elam, the Broncos would easily be0-2 right now.

• I'm kidding myself here, but maybe John Kitna was right, maybe the Lions can win 10 games, although I would not bet on it because of the high turnover rate.

• If I'm Wade Phillips, I'd rather have TO feel like he's worth a million bucks and happy than feel like he's been shortchanged and deserving of more money.

• I agree with Mr. Goodell on his stance on the videogate scandal. The intent was to send a message that this sort of behavior will not be tolerated by the league office. The loss of a draft pick and the subsequent fines against the Patriot organization and coach Belichick was enough to send that message.

• Cheating, we don't need no stinking cheating! If the Charger are truly the best the AFC has to offer, it's going to be an easy go of it for the Pats.

• Eagle fans need to stop picking on Donovan McNabb, just because he's the face of the franchise, it does not mean that he deserves all of criticism. Granted he hasn't been sharp for the first two games, but the lack of a strong offensive unit has continued to bite the Eagles in the rear, and that is what is deserving of your complaints.

• I'll end this week by expressing my sincere thanks to the King of the weekend warrior DJ's Jadd Naamani for endlessly plugging this column on both of his radio shows this past weekend. To return the favor, I urge you to visit his Myspace page at Myspace.com/Jaddon theradio and hear his incredible work, gracias amigo!

• Until next week, help control the pet population, have your pet spayed or neutered. Goodbye everybody!

Random thoughts I Had while just watching the Emmys. For the record, I DVR'ed them, for the sake of my core audience of football fans and drunken college kids.

• Seacrest looked great in the Tudor outfit, he looked just like a British pimp.
• Robert Duval had guts and determination to pitch his miniseries to a few interested buyers, it paid off last night.
• If Elaine Strich is nominated for an Emmy and you have to make a wager on the outcome, put your money on her.
• My reaction to Lewis Black's rant is just to say, amen brother amen.
• Let me get this straight, Ricky Gervais won the Emmy, but Steve Carell walked off with it, did I miss something there?
• Alec Baldwin is the single reason as to both why "30 Rock" is still on the air, and how it somehow beat "The Office" for best comedy series.
• I'm sick of someone always tarnishing the evening by making an anti-war statement as part of their acceptance speech. Sally Field ought to have her Emmy revoked for making an ass out of herself, like she needed another award anyway. Kudos to Fox for cutting away from that nonsense.
• Lou Gosset Jr hit it right on the money when he talked about "Roots" having the power to both educate and enlighten the television audience.
• "The Sopranos" winning best drama series was as sure of a thing as death and taxes.