MIKE HOFFMAN:

How about them Pats? I think everyone here got a bit nervous at one point Sunday, but of course Brady pulled it off in no dramatic fashion. I wonder how Peyton feels about his little bro in the Super Bowl? He’s gotta be a bit bitter – it’s a natural thing that comes along with the older brother syndrome. I know I got a few good wedgies in my day from my older bro. I’ll be sporting my Brady jersey for the big game.

So in the past week or so I’ve done two new TV gigs. The first one was a Pirates TV game doing color with Greg Glynn vs. Providence (what a win that was). It definitely went a lot smoother than the Costa Vida commercial, but I was definitely a lot more nervous at the beginning than I usually am just doing radio. And the second was another video big screen bite for kids day at the game on Monday. I must say I still don’t think I have a Hollywood career but I definitely did a better job than Segals Sudsie’s commercial. There was no chicken mango salad in the script so I was OK, but I will be honest and admit I had one today for lunch and it was fantastic.

So finally after six weeks got the OK to skate. I felt pretty good for not skating that long. Although I can stick-handle and reverse toe drag, I can’t shoot yet. I figure McKenna and Colsey need another week or so to get over my blazing shot (sarcasm). I do know, no matter how hard you work off ice you’ll still be out of hockey shape when you step on the ice after a good break. I was also given the worst locker stall in the room. I guess that’s what ya get when you don’t skate for six weeks. I can squeeze my rear in there with clothes no but once the hockey pants come on … not a chance. Definitely nice getting back into things and feeling part of the team again.

So I stopped home last week and my dad says, “I know the answer to your riddle” and I say, “OK what is it?” He says it’s the father’s father. ... Wrong! ... I must say that’s probably the closest answer, but most say it’s the stepdad or it’s his adopted father or something of that sort. But the answer is it’s the kids Mother. No one ever thinks of a doctor as a girl ... it’s the best when I ask nurses or any girl for that matter and get it wrong, they get so mad they weren’t thinking that way too. I don’t’ really have any more brain busters like that for ya. I guess the old classic would be: A man rides into town on Friday and stays three days and leaves on a Friday. How is that possible? If I come across another I’ll be sure to post it.

Got to spend some time back home while the team was on the road, working out with my summer trainer and seeing the family. I always forget that my town (Scituate,Mass.) goes from about 50,000 in the summer to about 18,000 in the winter – very similar to a lot of towns around here. It’s got its ups – such as you don’t have to wait for tables at restaurants, no Cape traffic and just about every other car you see driving you recognize the person. Had the unfortunate time of having my cell phone go dead Saturday morning. It was covered by insurance but they couldn’t’ send a new one till today so I went 3 full days without a phone. I must say it was one of the more painful experiences … I think I’d rather lose my wallet. It amazes me that when I graduated high school my senior year maybe two of my friends had cell phones. No one had e-mail and I was still doing papers out of the encyclopedia for the most part ... I guess it was a bit better than growing up in Weino’s era though.

– hoff

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