Thirtysomething on the 30th + Cats, Bats (baseball) & Draft (NHL)

I never watched this TV show between 1987 and 1991. Did you? It was before my time I guess. I didn't turn 30 until 1994...

That clip has just over 30, 000 views.

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Meanwhile, Taylor Swift played BC Place last night and celebrated hitting 30 million Twitter followers:

In Vancouver- just realized you guys got my twitter up to 30 million followers?!?! So cool considering I only tweet about my cat and food.
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) June 29, 2013

One of my top blog posts came in the summer of 2010:
The CATS are in charge!
It ended with these famous words:
No, I am not on Twitter yet. Once my cat, Bunzo, is on there, I will consider it:)
For the record, I officially joined Twitter in early March of 2011:)

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The major league home run leader reached 30 with two yesterday. Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles actually played for our Kelowna Falcons a few years ago.

I was at the Kelowna Falcons game this past Wednesday with my daughter and tweeted out a picture of NHLer Jordin Tootoo throwing out the first pitch. By the way, Jordin Tootoo is 30 years old. I almost won the $760 dollar 50/50 jackpot at the game:) A lady two rows in front of us won as my ticket was just two numbers off:(

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The NHL Entry Draft has been taking place this afternoon. Flashing back to 2001, Jordin Tootoo was taken 98th overall in the fourth round by the Nashville Predators. Today, Nashville picked fourth overall and added to their depth on the blueline with Seth Jones. Colorado picked first. In the Avs' situation I would have picked Jones. Seth learned about hockey growing up in Denver, where his dad, Popeye, was a pro basketball player. The marketing wheels were in motion but MacKinnon was Colorado's man. Congratulations Nathan and all NHL draft picks!

Happy Canada Day tomorrow! 

BC History Is Made & Plenty of Dancing (cue Phil Collins!)

Happy 30th Birthday yesterday to BC Place in Vancouver!
Last night, the Vancouver Whitecaps soccer team celebrated the occasion with a 3-1 win over Chivas USA.

21 years ago this month I got to enjoy Phil Collins and Genesis at BC Place. Here are some #ThrowBackThursday items:

This is a limited edition lithograph for "We Can't Dance." There is an autographed one somewhere in our house - but in our move six years ago, it got lost in the shuffle:)

**Want to throw your back out on this Thursday? Then try some of the moves in these 77 memorable and not so memorable Hollywood movie dance scenes.**

You can also watch Phil Collins (when he had hair!) on "I Can't Dance." His best moves are saved for the end after being upstaged by a lizard at the beginning...

Cue the J's: Jaromir Jagr, the Stanley Cup coaches and my sons!

Jaromir Jagr is in the Stanley Cup final tonight for the first time since he and the Penguins defeated the Blackhawks in a four-game sweep in the 1992 Cup final. Jagr lines up with the Boston Bruins tonight.

Neither of our sons (Justin, far right below or Jordan, rockin' the red) were even alive back in '92. But our daughter was:)

Congratulations to Jordan for graduating from high school this month and Happy Birthday tomorrow to Justin! I am very blessed with Father's Day on the way!

Maybe my wife is cheering for the Boston Bruins as she sports a bit of yellow? I think Jordan's red ties in with going for the Blackhawks. There is no way he could be a Bruins fan after they knocked his team (Toronto) out of the playoffs in round one.

I am going to pick coach Julien and the Bruins to beat coach Joel and the Hawks in seven.

• One of them will become only the fifteenth coach in NHL history to win two or more Stanley Cups. Their roots go back to junior hockey with the Windsor Spitfires, where both were defencemen. The 54-year-old Quenneville played three seasons with his hometown Spitfires between 1975 and 1978 before turning pro. The 53-year-old Julien was traded to Windsor from the Oshawa Generals early in his second year of junior in 1978-79, the season after Quenneville had left to play for the Maple Leafs. 

Nine other cool Stanley Cup tidbits about the Blackhawks and Bruins were mentioned in the same article by CBC's Tim Wharnsby.

Hockey, Pizza & Mics: Can't TOP Chicago!

Detroit visits Chicago in an exciting game seven western conference semifinal tonight! If you are a fan of pizza, pick the Red Wings. Their owner, Mike Ilitch, started Little Caesars in 1959.

Who is having pizza for dinner? Frozen? Herman @gocomics - gocomics.com/herman/2013/05… #herman #GoComics #FoodForThought
— Ralph Hass (@RalphH_VO) May 28, 2013

As a voiceover talent, I like mics. Now, besides owner Mike Ilitch, Detroit has coach Mike Babcock and right winger Mikael Samuelsson. However, he has a pectoral injury so he should not be in the lineup tonight.

More Mics on Chicago too. In game six on Monday, Michael Frolik scored his third of the playoffs on a penalty shot while Michal Handzus had his first. The Blackhawks also have Michal Rozsival on defense.

I am picking Chicago to top Detroit tonight on home ice!
Just a warning for you: Watch your pizza toppings!

Click here.

Iceman, Birthday Girl and Humility from San Antonio's Spurs

Our daughter, Ashley, turns 22 today - so Happy Birthday!
How about Happy Spurs-day!

George "Iceman" Gervin presents the Western Conference Championship Trophy to the @spurs!twitpic.com/ctqpra
— NBA (@NBA) May 28, 2013

Ashley is going from one number to another...

The Spurs go about their business humbly. They are Classy, Not Sassy.

Maple Leafs, Barenaked Ladies and Classic Bikes

As a hockey fan living in British Columbia, and with a provincial election tomorrow, here is who we should be voting for on the ice tonight in these crucial game seven playoff matchups:

• Toronto over Boston (the Bruins beat the Canucks for the Stanley Cup in 2011)
• Washington over the New York Rangers (NYR won the Cup in 7 games against Vancouver in 1994)

Toronto last won the Stanley Cup in 1967! Here is a flashback with yours truly on my bike in the fall of 1967 in northwest Calgary. PS Had a great lunch and dinner and family time with my mom yesterday for Mother's Day!

(L - R) the late David Hass, Marianne Hass & Ralph Hass (1967)

Below is a photo from 1994 when I was working for Warner Music Canada in promotions, sales and marketing. It was to draw attention to Barenaked Ladies' new album "Maybe You Should Drive."

Kamloops This Week writer Warren Footz (standing) & Ralph Hass (1994)

Barenaked Ladies are BIG Toronto Maple Leafs fans! You can see that here with a cool offer now at their website:

Control Your Speech. Be positive - NOT negative

Wise words from Pastor Tim in his newspaper column this week and he issued a challenge:

See how often you can incorporate the following phrases into your language and just watch your environment change:

"I believe in you."

"I trust you."

"I am proud of you."

"I respect you."

"I love you."

"You can do this."

Tim has hockey in his blood and he references Roberto Luongo in his column. We should build people up rather than tearing them down. My two cents? Please apply this to social media too.

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Be careful what you say. 

Case in point from Derek Chappell: 

You Mean You Can’t Say !@#$%^&*???

• Blackhawks' Duncan Keith claims no disrespect to female reporter.

• Winnipeg Jets coach, Claude Noel, has a way with words. Call it an honest approach:) A Top 10 list starring Noel made it on Sportscentre last night as the coach takes shots at his team, players and...his clothing. Watch all the way to #1 right here for that "line of clothing"...

Boston Strong! Chicago Voice Pat Foley

BOSTON STRONG indeed!
Check out the link from voice talent DB Cooper.

The powerful voice of the Chicago Blackhawks is Pat Foley. He was honored for thirty years of service before last night's 5-4 overtime win against Nashville. Hat tip to Adam Santic for the link!

Our cat, Bunzo, might prefer a headline like Hass-Pawer?

2013 Buffalo Sabres Sports Imaging = my Verbal Fastball?

The 1970 expansion cousins in the NHL just played on a Saturday afternoon. The Buffalo Sabres won, 1-0, against Philadelphia while the Vancouver Canucks lost, 4-3, in Colorado.

Maybe you heard me on the MSG-TV broadcast in Buffalo?


Did you know today is National Scrabble Day? I love Scrabble! I came out ahead (324 to 288) last night playing my wife:)

Baseball announcer Tim McCarver probably has Scrabble nightmares. Read this excerpt from the latest Sports Illustrated:

Tim McCarver's 31 year broadcast career will come to a close after he works his 24th World Series this fall. Are you a fan or not of Tim? Who do you like behind the mic for a baseball game?

Seattle versus Kelowna Was A Modern Day David versus Goliath

It was a "David versus Goliath" matchup in their opening round WHL playoff series for the Kelowna Rockets. They finished a whopping 50 points ahead of Seattle during the regular season! And I guess their answer to Goliath would be Golbourne, who had a team-leading 135 penalty minutes during the season. But we all know how that Bible story ended...

Seattle started strong in the series - winning the first three games against the Rockets - ALL in overtime! But in an epic comeback, the Kelowna Rockets won four straight (including overtime last night!) to advance to round two!
This had happened only once in league history - when current Detroit Red Wings coach, Mike Babcock, coached Spokane in 1996.

Overcoming a 3-0 playoff series deficit has never happened in the NBA and only three times in the NHL (Toronto in 1942; New York Islanders in 1975; and Philadelphia in 2010). By the way, the largest point differential overcome in the NHL playoffs was 48 - when the LA Kings beat Edmonton in the 1982 playoffs. The "David" was Daryl Evans and, of course, the "Goliath" was Gretzky!