AUDIO: 2 is Greater Than 1

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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We are continuing our countdown to Stride Pro Wrestling Presents AAPW Resurrection. It's happening this Saturday night. The stars of Stride and All American Pro Wrestling are coming together for one common cause: helping former wrestler Curly.

You can listen as Heath Hatton and I discuss more details about the show and share more stories about Curly. Listen here. 

Seems like old times

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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If you've been following the My 1-2-3 Cents podcast or the Stride Pro Wrestling social media pages, you already know this. However, if you're new here here's the low down. Many years ago there was a great indy wrestling company here in southern Illinois called All American Pro Wrestling. However, in late 2012 the company folded and spawned a new company called Pro Wrestling Collision. Unfortunately, that brand wasn't long for this world either and within six months was defunct.

Then there was a long period of time when pro wrestling was not a part of the southern Illinois scene. By March 2016 that changed with Stride Pro Wrestling. Because many of the former performers from AAPW were still in the area, it seemed like a reunion of sorts at that first show in March 2016. Now fast forward nearly four years and those players who didn't come to Stride are headed back to the area. 

On Saturday night, Dec. 7, Stride Pro Wrestling Presents AAPW Resurrection. It's a fundraiser show for legendary indy wrestler Curly. He's currently going through some very serious heart problems and the show coming up this weekend is 100% benefitting Curly (Dan Summers) and his family. Confirmed to be a part of the show from the old AAPW days; Edmund 'Livewire' McGuire, Christian Rose, Gaylord Stephens, Carnage, 'The Serial Thriller' Shane Rich, 'Playboy' Paul Rose, The All-American and ring announcer Bob Fester. I'm sure more surprises will occur too.

I'm excited about this show. We're heading back to AAPW's 'home' of Black Diamond Harley Davidson. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids. Bell time is 6:30 p.m. We'll see you there!

AUDIO: AAPW Resurrection

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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About seven years ago, All American Pro Wrestling had its final show. It seemed the company had faded away forever. But that's not the case. On Saturday, Dec. 7, Stride Pro Wrestling presents AAPW Resurrection. It's all for a good cause, as our friend Dan 'Curly' Summers is battling medical issues right now. 

Several blasts from the AAPW past will be on hand. You can listen to the details in this week's My 1-2-3 Cents podcast right here. You can get tickets for the show here.

Farmer hurt, Curly makes a comeback

Me, Curly and Curly Jr. in the AAPW days

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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A shakeup of sorts is happening in the Stride Pro Wrestling locker room and it will affect tonight's show at the Illinois Star Centre Mall. Farmer Billy Hills has been injured in a match and it looks like he's going to be taking quite a bit of time to recovery. I know we've had our differences in recent months and Farmer has made it clear what he thinks of the fans, but I want to wish him a speedy recovery. He has the drive and the desire to succeed in this business and I have no doubt he'll be back and yelling at me in no time.

With Farmer's injury that's required a shift in some matches. He was scheduled to face JD Wilk. Now Wilk faces Arron Brooks. And General Manager Sam Hunter has worked out a last minute deal to bring in Curly.

Curly has been a popular wrestler on the southern Illinois scene for more than a decade. He did a few Stride shows in the beginning but a conflict in schedules forced him off the main roster. I'm excited that he's back again (for one night only.) No telling who he'll face, but the fans will be entertained, to say the least.

Heath Hatton meets Kevin Cheeseburger

Kevin "Cheeseburger" and Heath Hatton on News 3 This Morning

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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It's a Way Back Wednesday edition of the blog and back to 2010. I had a guest on the morning newscast I co-anchor. His name is Curly and he was on the show to promote a fundraiser wrestling event. If you're a fan of Stride Pro Wrestling, you likely know who Curly is and you definitely know who Heath Hatton is. That morning was the first time I'd met Hatton. Click below for more on what happened that morning.

As I mentioned, that was seven years ago. Hatton has changed quite a bit in that time. He was a cocky, up and coming bad guy wrestling around the region. Fast forward a year or so and this incident happened and I was no longer Kevin Cheeseburger.

Heath and I became friends through All American Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Collision. When both of those companies folded, we kept in touch and in 2016 I was honored when he asked me to be the ring announcer for Stride Pro Wrestling. He has made plenty more appearances on News 3 This Morning and has continued to grow as a wrestler. Heck, less than two years after that Cheeseburger incident he was in a WWE ring wrestling a WWE Superstar (Ryback) on a WWE pay per view (Extreme Rules 2012). Later that same year he battled Adam Pearce for the NWA World's Heavyweight Championship.

Wrestling BFFs
20

Back to present day, Hatton has had a few bad months with Stride Pro Wrestling. He lost the championship to Roger Matheus in an amazing TLC match. He was pinned by the champ in a fatal four-way the next month that included Jay Spade and Red Daniels. Heath and Spade later lost a tag team contest to Matheus and Daniels. And most recently he came up short against Spade in a number one contender's match.

Find out what's next for Heath Hatton this Saturday night. September Fallout begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Illinois Star Centre Mall in Marion. Tickets are just $10 each. We'll see you there.

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Curly is no stooge

Curly
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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All week I'll be writing blogs to countdown to the upcoming Stride Pro Wrestling show "Brave the Storm." It's a benefit to raise money for families in southern Illinois who recently lost their homes or suffered damage during the February 28 tornado.

When I attended one of my first AAPW shows it was in the spring of 2008. There was a guy covered in tattoos in the crowd that night and he was making some noise. Upon closer look, the tattoos were a tribute to the 3 Stooges and that guy was a pro wrestler named Curly.

Curly on News 3 This Morning
2010

A couple years later Curly was on News 3 This Morning with me to promote a benefit wrestling show he was doing. It was also the first time I'd met Heath Hatton, who ended up getting bodyslammed onto the studio floor that morning, but that's a story for another day.

Me, Curly & Curly, Jr. at an AAPW taping
July 2011

Curly as I mentioned has lots of tattoos. Ninety-nine to be exact and each is in honor of the comedy trio. Curly and I would work together in AAPW when the first TV deal was signed in 2011. He and Hatton were the company's tag team champions and he never failed to entertain the crowd. Curly, Jr. was often ringside and provide an extra level of enjoyment for fans. 

Curly vs. Dalton Diamond
Courtesy: Steve Belcher

But eventually Curly had to walk away from wrestling, but he continues to do special events from time to time. We last saw him in the ring at the Redbird Rumble for Stride Pro Wrestling in November. He is scheduled to step through the ropes again this Saturday night at Brave the Storm. Who will his opponent be? You'll have to join us in Pinckneyville to find out.

Boo: Bring on the Carnage

Carnage chokes out Curly
AAPW Collision
Photo courtesy: Adam Testa

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

The very first independent wrestling show I ever attended in southern Illinois was an IWA:Midsouth show called "April Blood Showers."  I was actually the ring announcer for the night, so I got to hang out backstage and meet all the wrestlers.  Among the talent on the card that night, a masked man by the name of Carnage.

He was a massive individual, very menacing and certainly living up to the name that his moniker implied.  He battled CJ Otis that night and even though Carnage didn't get his hand raised, Carnage displayed brutality and raw strength that I would come to see again and again on the southern Illinois indie scene.

Shortly after All American Pro Wrestling had its debut show, I attended an event a few weeks later (I was in Europe for the inaugural show).  Carnage was on the show and defeated Ax Stevens.  Again, Carnage impressed me, going toe to toe with Stevens (who is now Ax Allwardt).  This time the hooded menace won.

Inflicting pain on Jay Spade
AAPW Fan Fest 2011
Photo courtesy: Adam Testa

Little did I know that many years later I would be a part of the AAPW family and calling matches involving Carnage.  He ended up being one of the final participants in the first ever Saluki Maroon Melee during the second episode of AAPW Collision.  The much larger Mississippi Madman tossed Carnage to the floor before eliminating Allwardt for the win.  Carnage also showed up at last year's Fan Fest, defeating Jay Spade in a body slam challenge.  The much smaller Spade actually slammed Carnage from the top rope after a failed attempt to fly.  However, the referee was knocked down before the move, and didn't see the slam.  Being the diabolical player that he is, Carnage took advantage of that fact and easily slammed Spade and won the contest.

We haven't seen Carnage lately in AAPW, but through the years he's proven to me and the fans that he is a force to be reckon with.  He's likely lingering in parts unknown, perhaps plotting to destroy all that is good in the world.  He's one dude I would not like to run into in a dark alley.

Funny Equals Money? Not This Time

The 3 Stooges on Raw (WWE)

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

It's been said before that funny doesn't equal money in wrestling.  It's a slam against so called comedic wrestlers.  Santino Marella and Zack Ryder come to mind immediately.  While they're likely never going to be world heavyweight champions in their current gimmicks, I do find both men to be entertaining for the most part.  I'll go ahead and throw Brodus Clay into that pot too.

However, the WWE's integration of the Three Stooges on the April 9 episode of Raw was lame.  Sometimes the guest hosts work, the Muppets and Bob Barker were enjoyable in my opinion.  But the Three Stooges may go down as one of the lamest in the history of the show.  The first segment with Santino made me wish I wasn't watching the show live.

Chokeslam! (WWE)

I will admit though that the Kane segment brought a smile to my face.  I know Kane is the heel and the Stooges (specially Curly or Will Sasso) are the faces and there to entertain.  Sasso's mannerisms as Hulk Hogan were down to a tee, but it was enjoyable for me to see him get chokeslammed.  I think the fans in attendance agreed.  I only hope this doesn't lead to Sasso's induction into the WWE Hall of Fame Celebrity wing (after all he did wrestle Bret Hart on Nitro back in 1999)  Luckily this segment lasted only a few minutes.

I'm not going to rant too much on this, as it appears it was just a one night only situation.  Sure it took time away from more important wrestlers.  It would have been nice to see the tag team titles defended.  Remember those guys?  I wonder if the creative team does.

AAPW Main Event: Good as Gold

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

As All American Pro Wrestling prepares for its biggest night ever (Main Event, January 14), I'm going to take a closer look at the matches set for the evening.  I recently blogged about Colt Cabana and his match with AAPW star "3G" Eric Wayne.  The two will put on one heck of a match.

Another great match booked for the 14th features one of AAPW's most ruthless competitors (and I say that in a good way) "Golden Boy" Greg Anthony and the fast rising, ever popular Heath Hatton.  To say this is a grudge match is an understatement.  Quick back story here, Heath and Curly were the AAPW tag team champions and feuding with Golden Boy and his partner "Serial Thriller" Shane Rich.  Just as Rich and Anthony were on a roll, Rich was hurt in a serious motorcycle accident.  That left Golden Boy without a partner, and a huge chip on his shoulder.

Heath vs. the Convoy (from Adam Testa)

Somewhere along the way Heath also found himself without a partner, and even though he was approached by others in the AAPW locker  room, he decided to go it alone and defend the tag team titles without Curly.  I think Heath hoped Curly would make his way back to the company, but it wasn't meant to be.  However, Heath did defend the titles in a handicap match against the much larger team of the Convoy.  It was an impressive outing by Heath, proving to AAPW fans that he is indeed the real deal.

Sweet revenge Golden Boy gets pied

On that same card, the Golden Boy came up on the losing end of a match in which he got pied.  And not just once, but dozens of times by AAPW fans who got the sweet taste of revenge against the villainous competitor.  But that outing may have sparked a fire deep within Golden Boy, as he would have another trick up his sleeve.

Spoiler alert:  On an upcoming episode of Collision, Heath defends the tag team titles against Matt Cage and Christian Rose.  Again, Heath held his own and it appeared he was going to have another successful defense of the tag team titles.  But that's when the underhanded tactics of the Golden Boy came into play.  Long story short, he cost Heath and Curly the titles.

Because of the underhanded tactics, AAPW Executive Producer Chris Hagstorm has now decided these two need to work out their differences in the squared circle.  The two of them come into Main Event with a lot to prove.  A victory for Heath put him on the path to singles stardom.  But if Golden Boy gets the win, it'll give him unlimited bragging rights that he beat AAPW's fast rising star (and OVW newcomer).

Join us at AAPW Main Event.  Special bell time of 6:45 at the Black Diamond Harley Davidson Warehouse.  Go to AAPW's website for ticket information.  More match previews to come!

Decide My Fate

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

Since Chad has been doing a Chikara preview of High Noon (coming to Internet pay per view on November 13), I decided it was prudent for me to plug the wrestling show I'll be a part of that day.  This will affect fans in southern Illinois, southeast Missouri, western Kentucky, and northwestern Tennessee mostly, but anyone can watch All American Pro Wrestling "Collision" online anytime.  Just click this link for past episodes.

Championship match!

Coming up on Sunday, November 13, we are putting together a Fan Fest.  It's a truly interactive event and the fans will decide the matches we do that afternoon (2 p.m. at Black Diamond Harley Davidson in Marion, IL)  AAPW Champion Edmund "Livewire" McGuire will defend his title against one of five opponents.  Fans can choose from "Old School Warrior" Ax Alwardt,  "3G" Eric Wayne, KC Jackson, the Mississippi Madman, and the undefeated Pokerface.  No matter who the fans pick, this will be a great contest.

Tag team titles

The AAPW tag team champions Curly and Heath Hatton will defend the belts and fans will decide against which team.  The Convoy, Team XXX, "Playboy" Paul Rose & Christian Rose (no relation), Memphis Heat, and Rage/The Furries.   There's also a match between the masked villan Carnage and the popular underdog Jay Spade.  Fans will decide if these two face off in an arm wrestling contest, an over the top rope challenge, a submission match, a bodyslam contest, or a one arm match.

Someone's going to get a pie in the face as "The Golden Boy" Greg Anthony takes on the opponent of the fans choosing.  They include: Chris O'Neal, "Dynamite" Seth Knight, Mike Masters, Christian Rose, and the All American.  Again, whoever loses this contest will take a pie to the face.

Vote for pie!

And finally, the "match" my broadcast colleague Chris Hagstrom (who's also the new promoter and Executive producer of the show).  Fans will decide if Chris and I will have a dance off, a pose down, a pie eating contest, a hotdog eating contest, or best imitation.  I'm looking forward to this, as it's meant to be a fun part of the Fan Fest experience.

Here's the catch though, you only have until Sunday night, November 6 to make a decision.  Voting ends at 6 p.m. CST, so again, head to AAPW's website and vote.  If you live in the area, head out on November 13, doors open at 1 p.m., belltime is 2 p.m. at Black Diamond Harley Davidson in Marion.  Also, check out other upcoming events.  The first season on WSIL TV 3 is going well, and we hope that you will continue to support All American Pro Wrestling!

With This Ring...

Before it's a ring, it looks like this...

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

Earlier in the week I wrote about the importance of supporting local wrestling as All American Pro Wrestling in southern Illinois prepares for another television taping Sunday afternoon.  And to gear up for the event, I headed over to the site of the taping to help set up.  Little did I know I was going to get to help put the ring together.  It's something I've always been curious about, but had never really seen done.

The one time I did get to see a ring under construction was back in 1998.  I was covering a Thursday Night Thunder taping in Huntsville, Alabama.  While the crew was setting up the ring, I went over with my camera and started rolling.  Head of security Doug Dillinger yelled at me and took my tape and erased it.  This was the same night that the Giant destroyed the ring with his bare hands, so my guess is Dillinger thought I was getting footage of them rigging the ring.

Curly and Heath

Anyway, back to my original story, the ring we use for AAPW once belonged to wrestler Curly.  So he brought it down to Marion on the back of a trailer.  There's lots of boards (23 to be exact) and several steel beams that need to be put in place. While one group set up the sound system, I found myself working on the ring with Curly and his tag team partner Heath Hatton on setting up the ring.  Once we got the frame up, we added the boards, and then of course the padding.  But even with the padding in place, it's not exactly a soft place to land.  (I'll get to more on that in a moment.)

Feeling patriotic 

We covered it all up with the canvas, and then added the ropes.  The ropes for the ring are black, but since it's All AMERICAN Pro Wrestling, we had to cover the ropes in red, white, and blue tape.  Even with five of us working on it, this seemed to be the most time consuming part of it.  Final touches included adding the skits around the apron and putting on the turnbuckles.  Luckily we don't have to worry about George "the Animal" Steele coming in and gnawing on them.

Before Curly and Heath left they wanted to show me how to take a bump.  I'd never done it before, so I figured what the heck.  I always knew it's not easy being a wrestler, but just doing a couple of these bumps gave me a whole new appreciation for what professional wrestlers put themselves through.

Ouch!

Although everyone reading this is presumably a fan, I'd like for those who call wrestling "fake" to spend 10 or 15 minutes in the ring learning to take a bump.  It's not that easy, and honestly I'm still a little sore from it and I only did it a couple of times.

So in addition to being a manager, ring announcer, commentator, videographer, and referee; I can add ring assembler to my wrestling resume.  It was fun, and I hope to see everyone out at Black Diamond Harley Davidson Sunday afternoon.  Bell time is 2 p.m.

Support Your Local Wrestlers

From allamericanprowrestling.com

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

This blog has a duel purpose.  Regular readers know that I recently became the play by play guy for All American Pro Wrestling, a group based in southern Illinois.  Even if you don't live in this area, I encourage you to keep reading, this post isn't just about AAPW.

The folks there have been working hard for the last 5 years.  That hard work has paid off, and now AAPW has landed a television show.  Collision debuts September 3 on WSIL TV at noon.

Working on the shows has made me realize just how hard it is to put together a wrestling program.  I have a very minor role in all this, the show's executive producer, (and my cohort at the announce table) Chris Hagstrom has done a tremendous job putting all this together.

There are countless hours of set up and tear down before and after each taping.  Then there's the editing and revoicing if necessary.  He adds in the commercial spots and gets everything sent off to the TV station to make sure it's ready for the big debut.  I have seen the show in raw form 2 or 3 times now.  I can't wait to see the finished product.

One more plug, and then I'll get to my original point.  On Sunday, August 28 we're taping two more episodes of Collision at Black Diamond Harley Davidson in Marion, Illinois.  Belltime is 2 p.m.  Besides the usual suspects like Shane Rich, "Golden Boy" Greg Anthony, and Curly; the reigning Ring of Honor champion Davey Richards will also be on hand.  I'm looking forward to meeting him and hope to talk with him for the My 1-2-3 Cents YouTube channel.

I think it's great that local wrestling is finally getting some time on television.  If you live in a community that has an independent wrestling organization, I would encourage you to check it out.  The men and women who are in the ring and behind the scenes bust their asses to keep the fans entertained.

Admittedly these wrestlers aren't on the same level as the stars you'll see on Mondays, Thursdays, or Fridays.  But you never know who you'll end up seeing on Raw, SmackDown!, or Impact one day.

Matt Sydal (aka Evan Bourne)

The rigors they put themselves through for very little pay and maybe even less glory should be commended.  I'm not just talking about AAPW talent.  I'm talking all the indy stars out there.  Here's a fun fact, I worked a couple of IWA: Midsouth shows several years back that featured Matt Sydal.  If the name isn't familiar, he's the current coholder of the WWE tag team titles, Evan Bourne.  I wish back then I would have paid more attention to his work.  You just never know where some of these guys are going to end up.

Supporting local wrestling also supports your community.  You're putting money in these wrestlers' pockets.  Many of them probably live and work in your town, or nearby.  They spend that money they make at stores, restaurants, and other businesses where you live.  So going to a wrestling show keeps you entertained and helps the local economy.

Southern Illinois readers, hope to see you Sunday.  And don't forget to tune in to WSIL TV in September.  It's going to be awesome. (sorry Miz)

Wrestling is on a Collision Course...

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

Readers in southern Illinois, southeast Missouri, and western Kentucky will find this news more interesting than other fans who look at this.  But I think this is good news for ALL wrestling fans.  WSIL TV has picked up a bi weekly wrestling show called AAPW Collision.

All American Pro Wrestling has been around for quite some time in southern Illinois.  I've been to a couple of their shows, and enjoyed it.  They've got a lot of local talent, who works hard to put on a memorable show.  Guys like Livewire McGwire (who is the current champion), Heath Hatton & Curly (the tag team champs), Shane Rich, and the Mississippi Madman always make for an entertaining evening.  Manager Gaylord Stephens and his man Ax Allwardt add a taste of "old school" to the show.

This is the company's first venture into the world of television.  Collision will make its debut on WSIL on Saturday, September 3 at noon.  I'm particularly excited about this news, because AAPW's executive producer and announcer Chris Hagstrom has invited me to join him as a color commentator for Collision.

Chris and I recently worked together and voiced the first episode that he used to sell the station on the show.  It was my first time ever doing any kind of color commentary.  Well, I take that back.  In 1996, I recorded myself with a camera corder calling Wrestlemania XII.  I'm pretty sure that tape has been destroyed.  At least I hope it has.

Doing any kind of work in the world of wrestling has always been a dream of mine.  I've got to be a ring announcer for a couple of shows from IWA: Midsouth.  I refereed a couple of matches for another local group.  And most recently I was a guest "manager" for Impact Wrestling Knockout Velvet Sky.  I'm very excited about this opportunity because it's a regular gig.  There will be at least 13 episodes.  We'll be recording on July 30 at Sports Blast in Carbondale, so if you're in the region, come by.  Doors open at 6, belltime that night is 7.

AAPW manager Gaylord Stephens

Another reason I'm excited about this is because it's been a VERY long time since any kind of local wrestling has been broadcast on TV in this region.  While this won't be like a Monday Night Raw or an Impact Wrestling show, it will give fans who love wrestling another outlet.  Because it's going to be on TV, Collision will be seen by a wider audience, who up until now may not have known AAPW even existed.  This will also give the hard workers involved with this company some recognition beyond the loyal fan base who shows up at the house shows.  It's a win-win for everyone involved.

I'm grateful and thankful to be in a position where I can help out, and hope Collision takes off and is well received by fans in the tri-state area.  Who knows, maybe some of our stars will be seen and breakout to the next level.  Thanks for reading and thanks for your support.  Click here for more on AAPW.

Nuk, Nuk, Nuk

Curly, Curly, Jr., and I on the morning news

The last couple of days have been more fun than usually for me at work.  On Tuesday, I got to do an interview and demonstration with a local MMA fighter.  Wednesday morning, I welcomed a couple of local wrestlers on the show.

Dan "Curly" Summers as you can tell from the picture above is a big fan of the 3 Stooges.  He has 99 tattoos honoring the comedy trio.  Not only is he a fan of the Stooges, but Curly also loves wrestling.  His new group Southern Illinois Wrestling Entertainment will be holding a show this weekend.  They're raising money for the Shop with a Cop program.   It's a community outreach that provides kids in the area (West Frankfort for this fundraiser) with toys and clothes for Christmas.  And that's why Curly was on the show.  To promote the matches coming up Saturday night.

You may notice the little guy in the pic too.  That's Curly, Jr. and he plays a role in the matches too at the tender age of 3.  He helped dad perfect his patented eye gouge.

Our interview was going well until we were "interrupted" by the devious Tyler Hatton.  He played the role of the heel to the hilt, insulting Curly, his young son, and even me.  Then things got interesting, take a look...SIWE on News 3 This Morning

The guys told me about 30 seconds before we went on air what was going to happen, so I just followed their lead.  It was a lot of fun.  I may be no Josh Matthews or Todd Pettingill, but who cares.  It's segments like these that make my job even more fun.  I get to be more of myself and have a little fun talking about something I love.