Ron & Jen’s Great Escape – Jan. 11, 2023 – Ron St. Pierre and Jen Brien

by Ron St. Pierre & Jen Brien, contributing writers, commentary

Check your lottery tickets!

My guess is many of you reading this ran out and got your MEGA MILLIONS tickets yesterday. I know I sure did! We all drive away with them securely in our pockets daydreaming about which lawyer to call should we win. (I love my brother… but… )

We think about all the people we can help, the house we could buy, the vacations we could take. I’m sure many of you have thought about way more intense things, but that’s where I daydream.

Wanting to buy my “Clark Kent house”… and buying an Airstream and traveling through this great nation visiting Dollywood , THE WORLD’S “BIGGEST BALL OF TWINE” and MOUNT RUSHMORE. These are my dreams. For real. 

Naturally, as soon as I round the corner in my dense neighborhood and open the door to my tiny apartment, reality smacks me in the face. The litter box stinks, the dog has to pee, and bills came in the mail. Such is life. Meh, no matter. I can see the sunrise out my window, the Cardinal sitting on the fence, and “I’m glad from the inside out. I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope”. I really mean this. I’ve learned to be overflowing with gratitude for the little. How in the world could God trust us with 1.1 billion dollars if we have forgotten what a blessing it is to have a hot shower, a roof over our heads, and a warm bed. 

Hey… for those that played, grab your Dunkin’ and go peek at your ticket. 

Money isn’t bad, the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Just saying.

Viva Las Vegas! 

Till next week my friends…

Jen

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My Name Is Talking Tony

Most Patriot fans knew their team was in an almost impossible situation last Sunday. Facing a team far superior to them on that team’s home field was challenge enough. Factor in the unparalleled atmosphere at Buffalo’s Highmark Stadium, with the Bills taking the field for the first time since Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest incident, and the mountain to climb became even steeper. As we know, on the opening kickoff, the Bills’ Nyheim Hines sliced through the Swiss Cheese Patriot special teams defense for a 96-yard score. 72,000 fans went bananas with a week’s worth of pent-up emotion overflowing. Veteran CBS play-by-play guy, Jim Nantz, knew enough to let the picture and crowd reaction do the talking after he called the play. Too bad analyst Tony Romo didn’t follow suit. After the TD, Romo released a stretch of unnecessary drivel that must have had the CBS control truck people tearing out each other’s hair. Finally, Romo clammed up (likely because the director got into his earpiece) but far too late. Games and situations such as these are often once in a lifetime moments for announcers, requiring delicacy and discretion. The network certainly had to be aware of the level of sensitivity this game presented. They must have had a detailed pre-game meeting to discuss how to handle possible emotional scenarios both on camera and on mic. Do you think Al Michael’s iconic call “do you believe in miracles” when the USA beat the heavily favored Soviets in the 1980 Winter Olympics was off the cuff?  It takes a true wordsmith to prepare the right way for such a situation. Shame on CBS and Nantz not to put a muzzle on Romo. What’s to fear? His name in Talking Tony NOT Talking Tina!

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Have Our Politics Changed Forever?

A New York Post article suggests they have – after that undistinguished battle on the floor of the House of Representatives leading up to the eventual naming of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. Columnist Rick Lowry argues that political party establishments in general (and the GOP in particular) have lost the solid control they once exerted over their members. In an age of social media, the internet and wall to wall media talk shows, he suggests a politician can establish a brand, raise money and influence supporters now without any assistance from the party, allowing a small fraction of ultra conservatives to tell their party to take a hike.

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Ron St. Pierre is a veteran broadcaster whose career has spanned over four decades. Ron has programmed, performed on and managed WHJJ, WPRO, WWRX, 790 The Score in Providence, as well as WBZT and WKGR in West Palm Beach and WABC in New York City. Ron also anchored sports on WPRI Ch 12 in Providence. He is a member of both the Rhode Island Radio and Television and the City of Pawtucket Halls of Fame. He was born and raised in Pawtucket.

Jen Brien has over 20 years of radio broadcast experience having hosted shows on WPRO and WHJJ with Ron as well as her own shows on WRKO and WBZ in Boston, WXTK on Cape Cod and WHAM in Rochester, New York. Jen was born and raised in Woonsocket and served six years in the Army MP Canine Unit.

Hazel, Ron’s dog, makes regular appearances.

“Ron and Jen’s Great Escape” podcast, a more lighthearted look at the events happening around us, can be found on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts, with new episodes premiering each Wednesday and listen to Ron and Jen’s Great Escape call in radio show Friday afternoons 2 til 4 on 101.1 FM, 1540 WADK and streaming everywhere on WADK.COM.

Go here to read all Ron & Jen’s columns: https://rinewstoday.com/ron-st-pierre-jen-brien/

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