Ridley Raiders

By Samuel Mattei

The Ridley Raiders took the court against their most heated rivals the Interboro Bucs, Friday night at Ridley High School in the first of two games this season

The game took on a mind of its own during the third intermission, with both teams yelling obscenities at each other despite the fans watching on the bleachers. Fouls by Interboro were taken to win but they weren’t enough to take down the Raiders.

After a heated game, Ridley took a last second three pointer by starter Matthew Hilbern, giving Ridley the final points needed to take the game from the Bucs with a score of 89-86.

With the bleachers filled on both sides of the gym, the squads made their way to the court. The game started out more like a chess match, with both teams playing it safe, going back and fourth.
The momentum shifted in the second quarter when Bucs Center Marcus Walker had a rarely seen slam dunk, bringing the Interboro fans to their feet and the score to 38-32.

Coach John Fanning of Ridley called a timeout to get his team in order. Ridley came back fired up with four minutes left in the half. With a few more points under both teams belts, they took to the locker room with a score of 49-47 Bucs.

Ridley came out of the half fired up, their fans on their feet in support. The teams were treating the second half as a different game. Interboro knew they had the lead and had the smarts to outplay Ridley if they chose to do so.

The third quarter started with Ridley hitting two unanswered three pointers, giving Ridley the lead 54-49.

Interboro didn’t let this happen long. Starting a more aggressive approach to the game gave them another advantage against the Raiders.

Interboro went with a four-man offence, giving them opportunities to get in the way or block Ridley players.

With 01:54 seconds left in the third quarter, Fanning called a timeout. Seeing that his team was starting to fall behind, he put in his second string defense. The rejuvenated Raiders came out ready to stiffen the weakened Bucs.

At the ending buzzer of the third quarter, the Raiders were up 69-67.
Tensions grew before the third quarter with players from each team yelling profanities at each other, almost causing penalties.

Both teams had weakened tremendously since the start of the first quarter. The players were slowing down. Off target shots were being taken left and right.

With the Raiders up by a few points, Fanning decided to play the clock. Ridley wound the clock down to mere seconds before shooting.

With minutes left in the game, the score stood at 85-84 Ridley. Still playing the clock, Ridley decided to keep holding on to the ball as long as possible, until Bucs defensemen Kevin Mckenzie fouled Ridley’s Hilbern. The foul by Interboro gave Ridley two foul shots.

Ridley took advantage of the foul shots, making one of two, putting the Raiders up 86-84. Interboro drove up the court with a fast paced two points to tie the game at 86. With 20 seconds left, Interboro was taking their best shot at sending the game into overtime.

Ridley drove up the court slowly taking 10 seconds off the clock. All they needed to do was hold on to the ball to go into overtime. A pass into the paint and out again gave Hilbern one last chance for a shot from the outside line. With five seconds left Hilbern took a daring 3 pointer to make the game 89-84 Ridley.

With three seconds let in the game Interboro attempted a full court shot and failed, giving Ridley its fourth consecutive win.

“This is why we practice so hard every day,” Fanning said. “So we can come out with a hard
fought victory.”

Showtime for McGee

By Samuel Mattei

Brian McGee will never forget the time he met Carlos Alazraqui and Cedrec Yarbrough from Comedy Central’s Reno 911 show.

“I was with them backstage and they asked who I was,” McGee recalls. “I told them my nickname that I have gone by for the last 10 years now, which is Goo. They looked at me and started laughing. When they went on stage to perform their act they started with” “'Lets have a big round of applause for Goo'.”

When the lights go down and the music starts up, the performers take the stage in front of a crowd of two thousand plus people. For the next three hours people will forget their worries and enjoy the show.

What they don’t see is the work. He does the work that goes on before and after the performance. At East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania the Campus Activity Board makes the decisions.

The process starts out with figuring out who the East Stroudsburg students want. Will they want to see music or comedy. What genre? Anyone specific? Next board members like McGee attempt to book the desired artist. The board members must then figure out their budget, tickets sales and stage setup.

Brian McGee entered East Stroudsburg University in the Fall of 2006 to major in exercise science. To make his resume look better, he volunteered for the CAB, he says.

McGee’s first job is to figure out the budget. He must make a list of prices that include how much money it will cost to set up the stage, advertise and to have anything the performer may request during the day of the performance. “The budget the school is willing to give the CAB per semester is now what you would call huge,” McGee says. “Sometimes we can only get enough money for two performers at a time.”

Once an artist is booked, McGee must start the advertising process. To sell tickets he sets up a team of students to hang flyers in stores around the campus and at the local high school. The shows prohibit the use of alcohol, so this opens up ticket sales to students of any age.

Since the shows are all indoors they start building the stage inside the gym. The stage alone takes a full day to bring in and put together. Everything that the school has inside of the gym must be taken away. The stage is a 30’ by 20’ foot pieced together wooden stage. McGee and his crew must help to move in the lights, instruments and stereo equipment.

“The acts we have are great,” McGee says. “It’s so much fun when we meet these people and their always so genuine to everyone helping to run the show.” Since he has started the his volunteer work in the CAB he has met members of bands such as Lifehouse, Clutch, Emerson Drive and O.A.R.

“The music shows are great, McGee says. “But what I really enjoy are the comedy performers. Along with Carlos Alazraqui and Cedric Yarbrough, Goo has also met Jim Breuer and Dave Coulier from Full House.

“The only downside besides the stage setup is when some of these bands come here who are used to stadium accommodations,” McGee says. “Lifehouse came here in 2006. It was my first semester doing this job and they had some big hit on the radio. Here come these famous rock stars who expect to be catered to the entire day. I was sent to the Acme five times in one day and twice to the local wine shop. They were not my favorite performers.”

“All of the work comes down to the night of the performance,” McGee says. When things fall apart it’s a complete disaster,” he adds.

At the end of the night some performers will stay and sign autographs. Whether or not they decide to is up to them. McGee and his team must work with whatever instructions they are given.

Usually McGee won’t return to his dorm until three or four in the morning. “After the show is over we have to clean the gym,” says McGee. “We hope that we get home before the sun comes up.”

Valentines Day Love Triangle

By Samuel Mattei

The Borders Book Store in Springfield had one table left. The table was in the corner with the setting sun peaking through the window. The scheduled meeting time had come and gone once the clock struck 8 p.m.

At 8:10 Christine McKenzie walked in the door. She explained that her train at Temple had been late. Christine majors in pre pharmacy at Temple University in downtown Philadelphia.
Growing up with a single mother and younger sister in Drexel Hill meant she had no money for college. Her only way to get through school is to go every other semester through borrowing loans from the bank.

With Valentines day coming up Christine has a choice to make. She has a caring boyfriend named Greg who she has spent a short but loving relationship with. According to McKenzie Greg is a full time employee at Boeing with a sure future ahead of him. She said she also has a new, more interesting option in a newly acquired friend Kowal. Kowal is a student at Williamson Trade School who aspires to be a painter.

Q: First off, I would just like to say thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice. The time was not too much of a problems was it?

A. No. Not at all.

Q. Great. So Valentines Day is on the rise. Are you excited?

A. Excited might not exactly be the right word. But it will definitely be a special day.

Q. Has Valentines Day always been a special day for you?

A. No not really. I have had Valentines in the past, but none that have been extra memorable or special.

Q. Why not?

A. Because I never do anything special. It always ends up being, here are some flowers or candy. Never anything very spontaneous.

Q. Is this year an exception to that rule?

A. Yes. This year I’m supposed to celebrate Valentines Day with my boyfriend Greg, which is fine because Greg is a great guy and I really feel like I love him. But there is Kowal with whom I have I started a secret relationship with, honestly I would rather spend the day with Kowal.

Q. Do Greg and Kowal know about each other?

A. Well, Kowal knows about my boyfriend Greg, but Greg has no idea I am seeing someone else.

Q: If your feeling are stronger towards Kowal then what’s your reasoning for not breaking it off with Greg?

A. I’m afraid I would hurt him too much. He has been calling me telling me that he has been shopping every day buying me gifts and that he can’t wait to see me. I don’t know how to break it off without really hurting him. But I feel like I should make a decision before Valentines Day.

Q: What is it that you find so much more appealing about Kowal?

A. He seems like he will never give up on me. He knows I have a boyfriend but he is so consistent with trying to get me. He calls me, texts and talks to me more than Greg does.

Q. Do you see any chance of your relationship with Greg lasting much longer?
A. Not really. He works so much that I only see him once a week, but I see Kowal nearly every night. When I do get to hang out with Greg he ignores me and talks to his friends at the bar and other girls.

Q. When did yourself and Kowal start this secret relationship?

A. About two weeks ago, which is about three months after Greg and I started seeing each other.

Q. So as of right now what are your plans for Valentines Day?

A. I am supposed to go out with Greg, dinner and movies maybe. My dad told me his is planning on proposing to me sometime soon. I am nowhere near ready for that.

Q. What would you do if he popped the question to you on Valentines Day?

A. I would cry and have no idea what to say. It’s way too soon to even think about marriage. I have school to worry about and I am still so young.

Q. How is this Valentines Day going to stay in your memory over the next few years?

A. As a much more interesting one. Things change so much that who knows where I will be this time next year. I just hope everything goes well and all of these problems fade away.

Scott Weiland Happy in Galoshes Album Review

By Samuel Mattei

Scott Weiland 41, has released his second solo album titled “Happy in Galoshes.” The album is a glimpse into the mind and soul of a mentally disruptive artist. Over the years Weiland had demonstrated problems throughout all of his musical explorations.

Photo taken from http://www.newwestrecords.com/

Weiland is best known for his work with Stone Temple Pilots (STP). STP had huge hits through the nineties such as “Creep” and “Wicked Garden,” although critics said Weiland was trying to cash in on the grunge rock movement.


Weiland denies copying anyone’s style from the grunge range such as Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) or Layne Staley (Alice in Chains). He claims that his biggest influences come from David Bowie and Jim Morrison.

In 1997 STP had to cancel their tour due to low sales. Weiland later made a solo album titled “12 Bar Blues” which flopped. The other members of STP found a new lead singer in Dave Coutts and formed the band “Talk Show.” “Talk Show” did not have any more luck with the record than Weiland.

Right around the release of “12 Bar Blues” Weiland received his first arrest for allegedly attempting to buy heroin. Weiland has since admitted that he was using illegal drugs at the time, including while “12 Bar Blues” was written.

In 1999 Weiland was out of prison and said to be clean of any past drug habits. He rejoined STP with their hit album “No. 4” which featured the smash hit “Sourgirl.”
Back on tour Weiland found out first hand that old habits don’t always die hard. He started using drugs daily. Because this caused miscommunication with his band mate, STP would once again go their separate ways.

In 2003 Weiland joined the rock super-group Velvet Revolver, made up of the founding members of Guns n’ Roses (not including Axl Rose). The band was a success in the United States and Europe with hits like “Slither” and “Fall to Pieces.”

During the peak of Velvet Revolvers success, Weiland was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. The charges were eventually dismissed after he completed rehab.

After five years of touring with Velvet Revolver, Weiland became irritated with his band mates Slash and Duff. He started walking off stage before the shows were over, or he would not show up.

Once night during one of Weiland’s last tour dates with Velvet Revolver he decided to make a statement to the crowd without any input from his band. During the performance Weiland stumbled to the microphone. “You guys are witnessing history right now,” Weiland told the audience. “This is the last Velvet Revolver show.”

In 2008 Weiland once again reunited with STP, this time hoping everything would go smoothly. No one seemed to take into account that Weiland’s drug problem had become increasingly worse.

Weiland started arriving late to shows, forgetting lyrics and fighting with members of his band. Rumors started circulating on the radio stations that the tour would not last.

The tour did manage to last through the final date, but ended with the announcement of another hiatus, though a 2009 studio release is in the works.

In mid 2008 Weiland signed a publishing deal with Bug Music. They agreed to help finance Weiland’s new studio album.

On Nov. 25, 2008 Weiland came out with his second solo album titled “Happy in Galoshes” which translates to “Happy in Rain-boots.”

“Happy in Galoshes” is an album that truly does pull influences from all types of music. The album includes punk, folk, funk and alternative with some bras instruments thrown in in with the guitars and drums.

Weiland claims to not have any drug influence during the production of this album which is difficult to believe. Many of those songs have an echoing voice-over quality similar to that of a Pink Floyd album.

With only four of the 12 songs worth listening to, Weiland has put out a half hearted attempt to
show is talent. In fact some songs, such as the David Bowie over “Fame,” will make the listener cringe before quickly skipping to the next song.

For these reason and more Scott Weiland’s “Happy in Galoshes” receives five out of 10 stars.