In a past blog (http://blogs.foxtoledo.com/2009/05/18/berkman-building-momentum/), I wrote about how Derrek Lee’s progress was there, but wasn’t quite Lance Berkman-esque.

Fast forward a little over a month, and Lee has surpassed Berkman by leaps and bounds.

While Berkman’s still getting used to whatever spot in the lineup Cecil Cooper puts him in, whether he’s in front or behind Carlos Lee, Derrek Lee is developing a rhythm in Chi-town.  Of course, it helps when the Indians come to town, but fantasy owners frankly could care less.  Bottom line – he’s producing.

Lee’s currently on a 20-game hitting streak.  Over that stretch, he’s hitting .370 with 6 home runs and 18 RBI.  As long as the Cubs start winning, Lou Piniella’s going to stick with what works: Lee batting cleanup.

I feel like the only person in the world who hasn’t weighed in on the Jon and Kate split.

I bet you are wondering: Why should I care about what some news guy thinks about Jon and Kate. Well I feel like some of this will come back on the TV business in general.

I say that because there are so many people asking the question now: Did the TV show ruin their marriage.

Now I know that my form of TV is very different from the show TLC is putting together, but too many people think TV is TV.

The evolution of Jon and Kate is interesting. I remember my wife watching the show many years ago when those kids could barely walk, and could not talk. I happen to catch an episode where the kids visited Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA (a place I used to work). So I got into the show to some degree and one the girls shares my daughter’s name.

The paparazzi and tabloids have gotten a hold of the show now. That’s pretty much in part to an affair that may or may not have happened. The coverage and the attention has changed. It’s no longer about cute kids growing up. It’s about adults growing apart. If your marriage is falling apart would you have pulled the plug on the show? It’s a tough call because by some reports the couple gets $75,000 per episode. It goes a long way to feeding 8 kids.

I don’t blame TV in this instance. I believe there are many things we don’t know about this family. And I think we should keep it that way.

~Julia talks Cherry Fest, Easter Seals, and Contest Countdown!~

My longest weekend of the year as the Face is definitely Cherry Fest weekend. And this year it even began a night early! The 157th Annual Northwest Ohio Firefighter’s Convention was in town, so the festivities began on Thursday evening. I was shocked at how many people were already meandering around Whitehouse Park! Then on Friday night, I helped out from 6pm – Midnight, making announcements, giving out free stuff, & mingling with the crowd. I returned early Saturday at 9am & didn’t leave until Midnight. Did I mention that I’m completely addicted to carnival food? Most would have exercised greater restraint, but the smell of deep fried foods just does something to me, I guess. What an amazing festival this has turned into! Even since last year it has come such a long way. I’m so impressed with how everything went so smoothly and how huge the crowds were. I hope you’ll make a point of attending next year if you missed this one!

After helping out with countless Easter Seals events over the past year and three quarters, I was asked to join their advisory board! I was so honored to be considered, and I attended my first meeting in June. I’ll be helping out with new ideas, promotions, and doing some volunteer work. Easter Seals is such a great organization…they help everyone from the very young to the very old. For instance, they may assist a family in getting an expensive car seat for their handicapped child, or they may help out an infirmed elderly person by assisting them in their daily activities. The organization is even launching a speech therapy program for youngsters this summer. I’m so excited to help in any way I can! I’ve never done anything quite like this before, so we’ll see how it goes.

Well, I guess it had to end sometime. I can’t be your Face forever. Sigh. I wish I could, but the contest is due to start later this summer, and any brave, enthusiastic individual is welcome to come and try to fill my shoes. Will I be sad to give up my title? Of course. This job has been so much fun, and I’ll miss it terribly. However, even though it will be incredibly bittersweet, I’m looking forward to seeing just who will take over for me. In the meantime, I plan to live out my final three months with vim and vigor, and I promise to enjoy every moment! The whole community has been so good to me….I don’t know what I’ll do without all of you. But onward and upward: there is something else for me out there that I have to do. I just don’t know what it is yet!

Recipe Corner

Funky Fun Pizza Dip

1 cup light Mayo
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped pepperoni
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese
1 minced jalapeño
1 minced red pepper
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper as desired

Mix all together & serve with crackers or Fritos Scoops!

Okay…so after years and years of fighting with myself and others I’ve decided to take the plunge and get braces.  Yeah I said it…braces (sometimes I can’t even believe it).

(more…)

Wow! What a weekend! After putting in a 16 hour day at Cherry Fest on Saturday, I was exhausted. But what a fun festival! You’ll definitely have to put this on your calendar for next year.

This past week, I interviewed Joe Wurzelbacher – a man perhaps better known, as “Joe the Plumber.” Before the 2008 presidential election, Wurzelbacher was, more or less, unknown. But after essentially being at the right place, at the right time, he asked President Barack Obama a question that gained him national attention. Since then, he has not gone back to his “common guy” role as a plumber. He now makes his living traveling around the country, speaking at largely conservative-themed rallies.

What do you think of “Joe the Plumber?” Do you think he was just at the right place at the right time? Or did he ask an intelligent question that earned him the national attention and current job of speaking around the country?

Click on Joe the Plumber to see Fox Toledo’s coverage of the Holland, Ohio man.

He’s still batting under .200, but Mr. Fantasy is sold on Chicago’s Gordon Beckham.

It obviously didn’t take much.

The main thing is, I’ve seen this guy play.  He is legit.  I won’t go into detail because I talked about this subject to a degree in my previous blog (or the one before that), but Mr. Fantasy’s only seen Marcus Thames and Jay Bruce dominate at Fifth Third Field the way Beckham did.  Seriously, the guys was spanking minor-league pitching like it was batting practice.

Beckham’s not going to give you home runs, or even much speed.  He’s more of a gap hitter.  He’ll get a bunch of extra-base hits, drive in runs, hit for average, and really help your total-bases category.

Right now, he has hits in 6 of his last 7 games.  Over that time, he’s raised his average 125 points.  He’s hitting .348 over that stretch with 8 RBI.  Get the jump on Beckham now before it’s too late.

And did I mention he qualifies in Yahoo leagues as BOTH a third baseman and a shortstop?

Pick him up if you need guys at those positions.

Whitehouse is one place to be this weekend (June 19 and 20, 2009) for food and fun. Of course I’m talking the one in Lucas County, Ohio, not Washington, D.C.

FOX Toledo will have people, including myself, Bruce Slusher and Face of Fox Toledo Julia Johnston there for the parade and other events on Saturday.

Hope to see you out there. Here’s their website if you’d like to check the events schedule. Be prepared to walk a few blocks from where you park.  FYI– This one has fireworks.

http://www.whitehousecherryfest.com/

This week I caught a nasty cold. You see I hate being sick and here’s why.

My throat starts to tingle then my stomach hurts.
I’m up all night coughing and gagging – so therefore I can’t sleep.
My nose starts running. I can’t swallow pills, so I have to crush them up and put them in apple sauce – yuk.
I tie a sock around my neck to help the cold (I don’t know why I do that, it’s an old Southern remedy)
I’m dizzy because I’m doped up on Tylenol, Dimetapp, and Robitussin.
I can’t make any tea or soup because I’m too dizzy.
Then everyone wants to call me, but I can’t talk because my throat is sore.
I can’t watch TV because the noise hurts my head.

So I’m left sitting in the dark – AND I HATE THE DARK!!!

I have a great event for you if you do not have any plans yet for Friday night. The 5th annual Napoleon/Henry County Rib Fest is set for 5:30pm to 10:30pm in downtown Napoleon. There will be plenty of food and drinks, and entertainment will be provided by The Menus.

I saw the city crews getting the barricades ready today to block off downtown and prepare for the thousands of people who are expected to show up for some finger licking fun.

13 non-profit groups are preparing more than 8,000 pounds of ribs for the events. I can tell you for a fact that the Henry County Red Cross Crew has been working on its special sauce all week. The event is a big fundraiser for all of the organizations.

So, I hope to see you all there. Be sure to stop by and tell me “Hi!” I’ll be serving up ribs and pulled pork sandwiches in the Red Cross booth all night. (I’m on the Board of Directors.)

(I just hope the weather holds out. I’ll have to talk to Doug Moats about that.)