Yesterday Buzzard President Kevin Bixby had the honor of interviewing hockey legend Ray Getliffe. The London, Ontario resident is the oldest living winner of the Stanley Cup. Getliffe was born in 1914 and won Stanley Cups with both the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens. He also was one of Canada's top golfers, playing in two Canadian Opens in the 1930's. The interview will be published in a future Hershey Bears game program as a part of the "Where Are They Now?" series. Getliffe only played 4 games with the Bears in 1939.He was sent down from Boston as a part of a rehab assignment for an injured knee. Getliffe also spent time in Hershey when the Bruins held their Fall camp in Central Pennsylvania in 1938. The Bears are slated to play their 5000 game Wednesday evening in Albany.
Five days after the exchange and it is no better. The strawberry beer was horrible. There is a good chance remnants of the case will still linger when wiffleball season opens in May 2007. Beer and strawberries sounds like a bad mix from the beginning. According to newcomer Jeff, "This guy brings this crap and in return gets good beer? No wonder he didn't show up." You may recall Moran's beer Xingha also rated as the worst beer in the 2005 Exchange. "The only thing worse than this beer is Morrow's batting average," admitted Moran in an exclusive interview. According to Engleberg, "We have decided to drop the complicated application process and concentrat on getting Moran to bring a better beer. I am leaning toward Morrow having to certify and recommend his selection for 2007." (photos: George reacts to his first sip of Strawberry Wheat Beer. Engleberg moments before a strawberry vomit.)
Just when neighbors were beginning to become a little worried about Rafael's toned down behavior, The Buzzard has uncovered a shocking story. While The Buzz is reporting on last week's North Ridge Beer Exchange, The Buzzard has learned Rafael is earning a little extra money for the holidays be performing as "The Exotic Dancing Elf" at office parties. "Once again, The Buzzard has gone undercover to break a great story. It appears he is especially busy the time of the year and has rented a dog from the local pound," according to a statement released by The Buzzard Investigative Team. "I think he really looks good in that outfit. It is a look I could never pull off," stated Engleberg. Once again we have proved The Buzzard is the only blog you need for up-to-date local news. The Buzzard will also be selling photos and booking bachelorette parties featuring the almost famous 'Exotic Dancing Elf.' Of course photo prices vary by size and The Elf charges by the hour. The Buzzard always is in good taste and has decided not to publish the photos that were taken 25 minutes after this one - once the party really got started.
THIS IS A TEST OF THE EMERGENCY BLOG PUBLISHING SYSTEM, THIS IS ONLY A TEST. IF THERE WAS A REAL BLOG PUBLISHING EMERGENCY YOU WOULD RECEIVE IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON THIS PORTION OF THE BLOG. THIS IS ONLY A TEST* *Please note, this is a random picture and has nothing to do with anything.
The 2006 North Ridge Beer Exchange is history. There was no unshoveling. There was no Santa running down the street getting hit by snowballs. There was no putting a neighbors house up for sale. There was no obnoxious late night Christmas caroling. Finally, there was no Chuck Moran. The 2006 event proved to be a relaxing and enjoyable evening. It seems all too apparent that Moran quietly was the instigator of previous ill-fated events in the neighborhood. The 2006 Exchanged kicked off with each member trying some Belguim-style Ale (Three Philospohers-pictured above). From there the group swapped out the beers and began testing the fine selection.
The 2nd Annual Beer Exchange Top 5 1. Top Beer - Edmund Fitzgerald Porter (Calzada) 2. Worst Beer - Strawberry Wheat Ale 3. Best Dress - Mike Frutsche 4. Most Surprising No-show- Pastor Dan 5. Top Drinker - Chris Morrow
The Buzzard will publish individual articles on each of the participants - a beer report card so to speek. We will also have a special blog on the now infamous Strawberry Wheat Beer.
Jeff lives at the crossroads of Regal View and Skyline View. It is still unclear what side he will support in the ongoing battles between the two factions. For his initial beer exchange, Jeff went with the popular Yuengling variety pack. The pack includes the less popular but better beers Lord Chesterfield and Black & Tan.
Mike was clearly the best dressed for the annual event, borrowing a sweater and necklace from his wife. Mike also sported a lightup beer cap that completed the outfit. Mike got his first taste of the neighborhood at last year's event and couldn't wait to attend this years gathering. Mike brought a Samual Adams Winter Ale along with some Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. The beers proved to be a nice combination"I wanted to go with an east coast - west coast type case. It keeps everybody happy."
Rafael scored the top spot with the Cleveland brewed Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. It is the second year in a row Raf has brought a beer from the Cleveland area. Both entries scored very well.
In breaking news, Calzada has pledged to take part in the February Polar Eskimo Challenge in the Susquehanna River.
Chuck came through a second year in a row with a quality beer- selecting Smithwicks. The beer was well received and scored high marks from the beer judges. Chuck went with an old school Pittsburgh Steelers Jack Lambert jersey- showing he will stick with the Steelers even if they are the worst team in the NFL. Chuck quietly started the controversy over the Strawberry Wheat Ale with two simple sentences. "This doesn't smell right" followed by the infamous "This is bad." The rest is history....
It was tragic. If you left too early, you missed it. Bread Dip did the unthinkable. It was midnight in the Engleberg garage and things were winding down. Rather than make two trips, Bread Dip tried to balance the remains of the bread dip tray on a case a beer. The box gave way sending broken glass and bread dip everywhere. "I no longer deserve the name. How could I drop it? I will never forgive myself, " stated Bixby Shiner Bock was the beer selection from Bixby. A beer that is seldom seen in Central Pennsylvania but is popular in the South and some parts of North Dakota. The beer faired well with the North Ridge participants.
The quote rang out throughout the night, "George dropped another plate on the floor, watch the backdoor." Nobody seemed to understand what it meant, but it seemed disturbing anyway. When The Buzzard asked for a comment, George's only response was "I'm behind all of these guys and that is all you need to know." From the beer front, George made an excellent choice with the Newport Storm - Hurricane Amber Ale. The beer made the top 3 according to beer judges Morrow and Bixby. The soft spoken and shy George indicated he will be trying to get a monthly poker game off the ground in 2007. Of course, the Penn State - Tennessee football game was also a topic of conversation at the 2nd Annual Beer Exchange.
A.J. decided to be fashionable late to his initial beer exchange. The rookie beer exchanger had to take care of some business in or around Harrisburg prior to attending the event. Once the streets of Dauphin County were cleaned up , A.J. was in route to Carlisle. "I think we should start calling him A.J. Hooker, like the former TV cop show T.J. Hooker. You know the one with William Shatner," according to Morrow A.J. arrival was accompanied by a case of Saranac's 12 Beers of Winter. The selection rated well with the group. A.J seemed to loose a little credibility when he endorsed the Strawberry Wheat Ale as a quality beer. He quickly retracted the statement, but it was too late.
As much as The Buzzard hates to admit it, Morrow got it right this year. Morrow brought along the popular and tasty Old Leghumper. The selection may have taken the top spot, but since Morrow was a beer judge, the beer was disqualified. The Leghumper seemed to win over each drinker, even those who do not like a darker brand of beer. Making the evening even more surprising was Morrow's refusal to bite on any of the anti-Beatles trash talk thrown around by Dr. Kevin Bixby. Morrow also walked away with the top drinker award as it seemed apparent that he probably had a few prior to his arrival at the 2nd Annual North Ridge Beer Exchange.
Hours before the 2nd Annual Beer Exchange Engleberg decided to knock out a wall to give the boys a little extra room. Engelberg did an excellent job showing his carpentery skills. The Buzzard , however, wishes Engleberg put as muchtime and effort into his beer selection - ButtMonkey Ale. The Wilkes-Barre beer appears to have been produced by the same crew that brought us Lionshead. After some organizational issues and some doubts if he would ever get the 2nd Exchange off the ground- he came through. Plenty of manly food and give Engelberg a big thumbs up for purchasing a backup case (Yuengling) for the event.
The Buzzard has uncovered four previously unpublished photos from the 2005 Beer Exchange held in North Ridge. Due to mismanagement by Engleberg, details for the 2nd Annual North Ridge Beer Exchange appear unclear. To date, The Buzzard has determined Lori has squashed any attempt by Chuck to attend. High Ball Chuck, on the other hand, is ready to go and promises to be in rare form (if the event ever gets off the ground). Local kids have contacted The Buzzard to request evening beer caroling like 2005 (if the event ever gets off the ground). If the event happens, the question remains who will play the role of Santa Claus.
The Buzzard has selected Shiner Bock will The Buzz has selected Lancaster Strawberry Ale for the 2nd Annual North Ridge Beer Exchange. However, the event has been hampered by the mismanagement of Dave 'Engelberg' Orr. According to AJ Somma, " I submitted the application some time ago and I haven't heard a thing. This thing has been very poorly run from the beginning." Orr could not be reached for comment. According to Dr. Kevin Bixby, "This has become a joke. How am I suppose to prepare my famous bread dip if Orr has fallen off the face of the earth."
Numerous North Ridge Families welcomed Santa at the North Middleton Township Complex for the annual tree lighting ceremony. The Crestview Elementary 4th and 5th grade chorus welcomed Santa as he arrived on a North Middleton firetruck.
The North Ridge Buzzard received a tip last week that Chuck Moran was close to being banned from the 2nd Annual Beer Exchange. The Buzzard investigative team went into action to determine if Moran would be allowed to attend the annual event. "We got a tip from one of his close neighbors who indicated there was a strong possiblity Moran would not be permitted to attend. The neighbor (who we will call Chris) stated there was evidence in the kitchen area which inicated Chuck was close to being denied access to the party," according the a Buzzard investigative reporter. "We sent a junior reporter in with an undercover camera and she was able to obtain the above picture. So I think it is clear - Chuck will not be at the event. We expect Chuck will come up with some reason why he can't attend the can't miss party of the year, " stated the Buzzard.
(Photos: undercover photo of the Moran frig.... undercover camera used to obtain the photo.)
The North Ridge Wiffleball Association goes to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. NRWBA President Dr. Kevin Bixby presented the Hall with an official game used 2006 Wiffle Ball. Hall officials immediately placed the artifact over the locker of famed Yankee slugger Lou Gehrig. President Bixby (pictured above) was also asked to discuss the importance of Wiffle Ball in North America. A crowd of 47 attended the discussion which also included a question and answer session. "We are pleased the ball will be on display thru December 8th at the Hall. Of course, we expected it to be displayed with or around Babe Ruth artifacts, but Lou Gehrig is certainly special for us. This really puts North Ridge Wiffle Ball on the map," according to Bixby NRWBA records indicate this ball was used in numerous events, including:
Chris Morrow singled to right with this ball, breaking a 0-13 streak
Rafael record setting homerun distance ball
Believed to be the ball from the infamous "Cat Fight"
Skyler hit his 4th homer in a game with this ball
The Hall is slated to send the ball back by special courier so it will be present for any neighborhood events on or about Decemeber 9th. The Ball will be returned to the Hall on December 11th.
