Jeff Genung

• “Chenango sees double-digit sales tax increase.” Always nice to write a good news headline on a Monday. You’ll have to read the story to find out what the county treasurer attributes it to, of course. Or you can read only the headline, and come to the conclusion, as did one ‘30 Seconds’ poster, that “Sales tax is up because of Agro Farma. Duh. What a bunch of genius.” Indeed. Someone’s eating a hell of a lot of yogurt in Chenango County to cause a double-digit sales tax increase!

• Proud to say I did not follow the lemmings and watch the Super Bowl yesterday, even if just for the commercials. Or Madonna and M.I.A. Yikes. When was the last time we had a good, family-friendly halftime show that everybody liked? I say bag the whole thing next year and let the cheerleaders do a kickline or a pyramid or whatever cheerleaders normally do and call it a day.

• Before I devolve into yet another treatise on the weather, I’m going to call it quits for today. Tune in tomorrow for my 217th blog on evesun.com, surpassing, I must note, our all-time blogging champion, Melissa Stagnaro, who ended up with 216. I win!

I guess it wouldn’t be an appropriate blog without mentioning the Patriots / Giants game on Super Bowl Sunday. Since I’m not a big football fan myself, that’s enough said for me.

Anyone without day-long Super Bowl plans should consider checking out the Northeast Classic Car Museum this Sunday when they have a two-for-one special. They have some amazing things in that building and as a heads up, it’s much, much bigger than it looks on the outside. It’s a fun attraction and a good chance to get out of the house.

After taking a tour of Unison Industries yesterday, I’m still trying to wrap my head around some of the things they do. I watched employees assemble components no bigger than my finger nail but still a crucial piece of a larger temperature sensor that’s essential to keeping a plane in the air… that’s something to consider next time a see a plane flying overhead.

Temperatures are supposed to be back into the mid 30s this weekend, bidding this week’s 50 degree days a fond memory and we all have the groundhog to blame for it (but thank you weather, for once again being the topic of choice when I have nothing good in mind to write about). And speaking Groundhog Day, I didn’t get a chance yesterday to watch the Bill Murray movie and I’ll have to watch it tonight. You know the one I’m talking about – I just don’t know if I’m going to watch Ghostbusters one or two…

Jeff Genung

• Friday seems to have worked out to be a good news/bad news kind of day, depending on your perspective. The county’s natural gas advisory committee all but gave up the ghost at a meeting earlier this week, deciding to meet half as much due to the lack of progress in the Marcellus Shale prospects in New York. On the good news front, Unison’s proudly declaring a sound, stable future in Chenango County for years to come, thanks to higher demand for its aerospace products and the success of its corporate owner, GE. That’s always good to hear.

• A shout out, again, to my unnamed friends at Chobani, who apparently read my blog a few installments back and sent me a case of their new flavors I’d lamented not having tried yet. I’ll be sure to do a taste test this weekend and report back

• On a similar note, I have never owned a Cadillac. Worth a shot.

• Headed over to the Arts Council tomorrow night for “Kaleidescopika” performance (hopefully that’s the last time I’ll have to try to spell that). Should be a good show … and a Members-only reception at the Bohemian Moon, to boot. Pays to be an arts supporter in this town, let me tell you!

• Got any plans for Super Bowl Sunday? … I don’t even know where I’m going with that. It’s Friday afternoon, and way too late to pretend to care about football.

• On a somber note, Brian, Julian and I just went down to Behe Funeral Home in Oxford for Fred Stagnaro’s calling hours. He was, of course, the father of our former colleague and dear friend, Melissa Stagnaro. Our hearts go out to you and your family, Melissa, and our deepest condolences on your loss.

Patrick Newell

Again, I must thank the late Tom Schwan for his diligence in keeping historical records of area basketball teams. Last weekend, Bainbridge-Guilford beat Sidney 41-35 in a Midstate Athletic Conference boys’ basketball game. B-G head coach, Greg Warren, said it’s been a long, long time since the Bobcats defeated the Warriors. He wasn’t sure when that last B-G win came, but posited it may have been in the 1970s. I keep the majority of my historical records (dating to the 1995-1996) in-house, and I looked back over my records. Nope, the Bobcats had not beaten Sidney in my tenure. I e-mailed Greg with my research results, and resolved to dig deeper. Thursday morning, it occurred to me that Schwan’s basketball records – from 1970 to 1995 – were kept in a spiral notebook in a box at the base of my computer station. How could I forget? I rifled through each meticulously-kept season. Tom kept standings and game results for just about every conference in Section IV – STAC, Susquenango Association, Tri-Valley League – and even Section III’s Center State Conference and Central Counties League. If those details were not enough, he also kept up-to-date junior varsity results for the STAC and the Sus leagues. Each season was divided and stapled, It took a little bit of digging, but I found that elusive B-G win over Sidney. The opening game of the 1990-1991 season, B-G edged Sidney, 53-50. I let Warren know, and again, my heartfelt thanks to the late, great Mr. Schwan.

Sherburne-Earlville’s boys’ basketball team became the first area team to earn league honors when it clinched the Center State Conference Division I title last weekend. This week, S-E won its ninth and 10th league games to complete an unbeaten run in the CSC. I have seen the Marauders play three times this season, and I like to compare them to Norwich. Each team is extremely deep – nine or 10 players see plenty of action – and each club banks on its defense and contributions from many different players. The Marauders do not score as much as Norwich – about 55 points per game – but give up just 47 points per game. S-E has held its last eight opponents under 50 points, and it has the unique distinction of bringing its leading scorer off the bench. Eighteen area players average double figures scoring, and S-E sophomore, Austin Jasper, at 11.75 points tops his club and is 12th in overall scoring. In my recollection, I cannot recall a team with a record similar to S-E’s (13-3) that had its top scorer coming off the bench.

The most meaningful wrestling matches of the season begin this weekend with the Class B, C, and D tournaments. Top-four finishers in each weight class earn automatic bids to the Section IV Division II tournament next weekend at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena. In case you’re interested in attending any of this weekend’s tournaments, be prepared to fill your gas tank. The Class B tourney, featuring local clubs B-G/A and Norwich, is at Waverly; the Class C tournament is at Lansing; and the Class D tournament is at Odessa-Montour. If you’re a Section III fan, particularly Sherburne-Earlville, the Marauders host the Class C tournament Saturday.

Follow me on Twitter @evesunpat

Patrick Newell

The past week, I have been asked countless times, “who do you like in the Super Bowl?” I like – and prefer – the Giants, but my head tells me New England settles the score from its 2008 loss to the G-Men. The talking heads have analyzed the matchup to death. Will the Giants’ defensive line pressure Tom Brady? Will Rob Gronkowski’s gimpy ankle hold up? Is Bill Belichick masterminding another fool-proof game plan? I have nothing much new to add. Both teams will throw – and complete – a lot of passes. My feeling is that the team that better establishes its running game will have the advantage. New England has had a sneaky running game. Brady will hit a bunch of passes, and then running backs Benjarvus Green-Ellis, Stevan Ridley or Danny Woodhead pop a couple of nice gains. I have seen it dozens of times, especially with my Buffalo Bills taking beating after beating from the Patriots over the past decade. With a strong offensive line and complementary backs – Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw – one would think the Giants have the ability to run effectively. Not so at all. The Giants ran for just under 90 yards per game this season, and averaged only 3.5 yards per carry. Meanwhile, the seemingly pass-centric Patriots averaged more than 20 yards rushing per game than New York, and a respectable 4.0 yards per carry. Statistics aside, I have my own statistical theory on who will win, and why. The Patriots won all three of their Super Bowls under Belichick by three points. They also lost their only Super Bowl (with Belichick) by three points to the Giants. In 2008, the year the Giants won the big one, 17-14, New England defeated the Giants in the regular season, 38-35 – three points again. Fast forward four years, and the AFC East is again playing the NFC East in its interconference games. Earlier this year, the Patriots and Giants met with New York emerging with a four-point win, 24-20. That was New England’s last loss, and the Patriots are in the midst of a 10-game winning streak. Some interesting parallels between the last Super Bowl meeting between these two clubs: In 2007, the Giants lost their 14th game of the season to the Redskins, 22-10, and in the process looked anything but Super Bowl ready. In 2011, the Giants looked listless in game 14, again losing to the Redskins by a near identical score, 23-10. Too, in 2007, the Giants had to win three NFC playoff games to reach the Super Bowl, the last of which – each time – an overtime victory (Green Bay in 2007-2008 and San Francisco two weeks ago). New England’s game results are not as similar other than the fact that it has had a double-digit winning streak entering the Super Bowl. Remember those 1972-1973 Dolphins, they of the only perfect season, wishing for New England’s unbeaten season to come to an end? New England had an unblemished season incur a large pimple in the form of a Giants upset victory. I say New England finds the Clearasil to erase that pimple, and wins Sunday’s game by…three points.

* One quick edition, during the Giants’ current five-game winning streak, they have picked up their rushing attack averaging 114.6 yards per game, up about 25 yards from their regular season average. The Patriots, too, have elevated their running game picking up 128 yards per game over their last five. Of course, big days against the Denver defense helped the Pats.

Jeff Genung

• Insert obligatory remark about uselessness of Punxsutawney Phil’s “prediction” here.

• And yes, @ScottBSheldon, “Gobbler’s Knob” does sound incredibly dirty.

• Check out George Franke’s debut “Outdoors” column on today’s Sports page. Welcome to The Evening Sun crew, George!

• Yup, that’s former Evening Sun crime reporter Sean Brigham (now of Norwich Dodge) in “jail” on today’s front page for the MDA Lockup. Always knew you’d end up behind bars, Sean!

• Cleaning out my in box, I found this neat little link to a blog about Norwich’s Caboose Diner (forever in my heart as Millie’s) … Unchained Restaurants.

• Speaking of Groundhog Day (and aren’t we all?), here’s a little poem sent in to me by Norwich’s Perry Owen. I didn’t have anywhere to work it into the print edition, so I thought I’d share it here.

MARMOTA MONAX

When GOD in six days made the world,

He had some stuff to spare,

He scarce knew what to do with,

Just teeth and bones, some fur and hair.

He’d already made all creatures, on land and sea and air.

So he stuck these bits together, and said because I’m GOD,

From now and in the future,

I’ll call this stupid creature, a woodchuck or groundhog.

This rat-like parody of creatures,

Short in limb and small in brain,

Got all the food he needed,

From leaves and grass and grain.

He’d dig a hole to sleep in,

All the winter long,

Until the spring awakes him hungry,

Like a breakfast gong.

No match against those snarling gangs,

Well armed with predatory fangs.

Full of fright, he could not fight,

Just sit up on his hind legs, and then run with all his might.

So derided was this animal,

That some folks used his name,

To insult their fellow humans,

And pour upon them shame.

You can tell these poor woodchucks,

Their down upon their luck.

With tatty jeans and shaggy beards,

Driving rusty beat-up trucks.

Now GOD regretted what he’d done,

To see groundhog the butt callous fun.

He determined that he’d make amends,

So, in old Woody’s eyes he gifted weather trends.

And now the groundhog’s famous,

For each February, he will bring.

The foretelling of more wintry snows,

Or the Harbinger of spring.

Perry Owen, Norwich

Julian Kappel

Today was an absolutely beautiful day.

I know that has been the theme of just about every tweet, blog, Facebook status etc. today, but it’s the truth.

The best part of it was my two trips to New Berlin. Lately, every trip, including a three block drive to the store, has been pretty miserable even when it wasn’t snowing. Cold, rain, snow, something has made it just miserable to get behind the wheel. (Not to mention the other drivers on the road.)

I’ve always enjoyed being on the road. When I lived in Missouri I had the opportunity to drive back and forth to New York a few times and I always enjoyed the time to myself. Just me and the open road, as they say.

Truly, not much compares to a sunny day, some excellent tunes and a reliable set of wheels underneath your feet.

When I was making the 14 hour trip, I usually relied on some Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, Avenged Sevenfold or Lamb of God to get me through to the wee hours of the morning. But today, it was Gorillaz and Tenacious D that had me bouncing in my seat, playing my dashboard like a pristine Pearl seven piece.

It’s hard not to look on the bright side with the window open and the greatest song in the world (Tribute) cranked up to 11.

Personally, that’s about as good as it gets on a day like today. What about you? What are your perfect moments? Comment if you think you’ve got me beat. (Although, honestly, there’s no wrong answer … especially on a day like today.)

Follow me on twitter …@evesunjulian

Jeff Genung

• So if March comes in like a lamb, it goes out like a lion … what happens when January goes out like a … flamingo?

• Chenango County Habitat for Humanity has picked its next project family – Lorraine Cornish and her two sons of Bainbridge. Here’s an organization which has helped several families over the years – with a hand up, not a hand out – in providing affordable housing built from the ground up. This is a non-profit with international fame, of course, but they operate with relatively little fanfare in Chenango County, save for a cadre of dedicated volunteers and a handful of very happy families. I still think it’s pretty amazing that we have an effort of that caliber right here in our own community.

• The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta tried faxing The Evening Sun this morning – only they had my desk phone number. One of those annoying robo-calls that keeps trying until it gives up. They never did get a fax through. Or an e-mail. Or a phone call. I hope we didn’t miss something important, or something to do with Gwyneth Paltrow. Wearing a mask to go grocery shopping tonight just in case.

• Heard of a few people scrambling for those now sold-out Fur Ball tickets. Would it be wrong to scalp tickets for an SPCA fundraiser?

• In case you’ve missed our in-house advertising, or the Facebook post, we’ve got a new columnist starting on our sports page on Thursday. George Franke has taken on the mantle of outdoors columnist from the late, great and sorely missed Bob McNitt. George and I have both acknowledged that no one can ever replace Bob, but there’s an avid group of outdoor sports enthusiasts among our readership here in the Land of the Bullthistle, and it’s an audience that deserves to be addressed. I’m looking forward to seeing what George will do with it. Look for his new column every Thursday in section 2.

Every now and then, I like to skim the 30 seconds page on the Evening Sun website to find a good blogging topic. To my dismay, not many people have commented on the President’s proposal to make it a federal law that students stay in school until the age of 18 or until they graduate. People resort to 30 seconds to vent about everything from politics to the weather to the pedestrian in the crosswalk that didn’t give the courtesy wave after a car stopped to let them by. I was sure that this new step toward education reform would draw more attention.

Which brings me to my rant. I was a little disappointed when I heard the President’s proposal. And for those who think it’s a plus that at least he recognizes education as an issue, of course he does; he’s a politician. Every politician is pro education (I hear it’s good for their careers to not want dumb kids). Realistically, such a law isn’t doing any favors for students or for education in general. It’s great to suggest, encourage, inspire, motivate students to stay in school, but forcing them to attend isn’t going to have a positive impact for a number of reasons and I hope that’s something legislators will see.

Instead, wouldn’t it be great for educators to embellish learning according to students’ interests to hamper the drop-out rate? Good teachers already make this a priority but federal and state mandates – along with budget cuts and increasing class sizes – are making it increasingly difficult to follow through. If government wants to keep dabbling with new mandates in education, why not give educators a little more free reign instead of backing them into a corner so they have to (as I’ve heard so many teachers say) teach to the test? Rather than making it illegal for students to drop out of school, maybe more attention should be directed toward restoring some of the resources and flexibility for doing what most teachers want to do: Educate and inspire.

That being said, how about the weather? It’s a gorgeous day and I’m sure it’s putting all the 2012 apocalypse and Mayan-calendar-end-of-days believers in a spin. Hang in there for another 11 months.

Jeff Genung

• Winter seems to be teasing us a bit here in the Land of the Bullthistle, with an inch or two of snow here, a bitter cold snap there. Just yesterday I was playing with my dog up at Rotary Park in gorgeous afternoon sunshine, and this morning I had to shovel my sidewalk. Gotta love Central New York.

• Speaking of which, although it’s plenty cold today, it really hasn’t been for long – prompting the Oxford Lions Club to move the annual Chenango Lake Perch Derby from this Saturday to Feb. 18.

• Shawn had a story today about the SPCA’s annual Fur Ball fundraiser coming up on the 11th, but I heard after we’d gone to press that they are indeed sold out. It’s the social event of the season, it seems – a good time for a good cause at the perfect time of year when we need to get out of the house the most. While you can no longer get tickets to the event, you can, of course, make a donation to the SPCA and help Chenango’s four-footed friends get through another year.

• Julian’s story today was about the Oxford Library planning a tea featuring young ladies and their ‘American Girl’ dolls. All well and good for them, certainly, but frankly I find these diminutive girl dolls utterly creepy. Perhaps in the more Cabbage Patch than Chuckie way, but still.