Thursday, March 29, 2007

Why Being a Video Game Geek Isn't Too Bad After All...(Part Trois)

G4 seems to have the formula down. Gaming and tech info, and lovely ladies:

Morgan Ailis Webb (born October 5, 1978, near Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is co-host and senior segment producer of the G4 television program X-Play and "The Gaming Goddess" of FHM, where she used to contribute a monthly video game column.

Kristin Holt (born August 17, 1981 in Plano, TX) is a television personality and entertainment news correspondent. She is most noted as the current host of G4's Cheat!, a television show dedicated to video game cheats and strategies; she also substitutes hosting roles for the network's other shows. She also was an American Idol semi-finalist during its first season. In the second season of American Idol, she was hired by FOX to replace Brian Dunkleman as co-host, however, on premiere night, she found out that the producers edited most of her footage out of the show, and she was later credited as correspondent for the show instead.
Blair Butler (born in Fairway, Kansas) is a dedicated comic book aficionado, a stand-up comic, and a host for a segment called Fresh Ink on the G4 program, Attack of the Show. Butler is also a stand-up comedian featured on Premium Blend on Comedy Central and appeared in the Top 10 Games special on MTV.


TomC

Tessie - Dropkick Murphys

"Tessie" is the title of a Broadway song, as well as another song about how the singing of "Tessie" helped the Boston Red Sox win the first World Series in 1903. The name Tessie itself is a diminutive form used with several names, including Esther, Tess, and Theresa.

The original version of "Tessie (You Are the Only, Only, Only)" was written by Will R. Anderson and was featured in the Broadway musical The Silver Slipper, which ran for 160 performances between October 27, 1902 and March 14, 1903. The song was about a woman singing to her beloved parakeet "Tessie".

While a popular tune, the song gained greater notoriety when it was adopted as a rallying cry by the Royal Rooters, a collection of loyal Southie fans led by Michael "Nuff Said" McGreevy, owner of the 3rd Base saloon. (McGreevy earned his nickname "'Nuff Said" due to the way he kept peace in his bar; when he grew frustrated with arguments over the Red Sox and the Boston Braves, he would pound his hand on the bar and declare "Nuff Said!") Boston Mayor John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, grandfather of President John F. Kennedy, was another member of the Royal Rooters.

After the first four games of the 1903 World Series, Boston was down 1-3 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. (It was a best of 9 series; 5 wins were needed to win the series.) The Royal Rooters began rallying their team with every song they could think of; ultimately "Tessie" helped win the day. Pittsburgh outfielder Tommy Leach credited at least part of Boston's win to "that damn 'Tessie' song." He continued: "It was a real hum-dinger of a song, but it sort of got on your nerves after a while." (Boston won Game 5 and went on to win Games 6, 7, and 8 to win the series 5–3; however, Boston only won two out of four at home and three of four at Pittsburgh, so the true impact of their home-town fans' song is uncertain.) There are stories that the Royal Rooters actually traveled to Pittsburgh and hired a band to play Tessie to annoy the Pirates even at their home field.

The chorus to the original "Tessie" goes:

Tessie, you make me feel so badly.
Why don't you turn around?
Tessie, you know I love you madly.
Babe, my heart weighs about a pound.
Don't blame me if I ever doubt you,
You know I wouldn't live without you.
Tessie, you are the only, only, only.

In 2004, the Boston-area punk rock group Dropkick Murphys recorded a cover of "Tessie," released on an EP of the same name. The Murphys said it was their intent to "bring back the spirit of the Rooters and to put the Red Sox back on top." The goal of the Murphys was realized when later that year the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years. The song is also featured as the bonus track on their June, 2005 release, "The Warrior's Code" with a lead-in from the WEEI broadcast of the final play in the 2004 World Series:

"Swing and a ground ball, stabbed by Foulke. He has it. He underhands to first. And the Boston Red Sox are the World Champions. For the first time in 86 years, the Red Sox have won baseball's world championship. Can you believe it?" -Joe Castiglione

The second "Tessie" — which featured backing vocals from Red Sox players Johnny Damon, Bronson Arroyo, and Lenny DiNardo, Red Sox Vice President of Public Affairs Dr. Charles Steinberg; and Boston Herald sportswriter Jeff Horrigan (who co-wrote the new lyrics with the Murphys) — has become a theme song for the Red Sox and tells the story of how the Royal Rooters stormed the park one time when they found the game was already sold out:

The Rooters showed up at the grounds one day
Found their seats had all been sold
McGreevy led the charge into the park
Stormed the gates and put the game on hold

The chorus to the Dropkick Murphys' version of "Tessie" goes:

"Tessie, 'nuff said" McGreevy shouted
We're not here to mess around
Boston, you know we love you madly
Hear the crowd roar to your sound
Don't blame us if we ever doubt you
You know we couldn't live without you
Tessie, you are the only, only, only




Enjoy and GO SOX!

TomC