Sports Anchor Rafer Weigel

I turned 39 this year. Here’s what happens when you turn 39. Your body and mind start going in two different directions.

Favre, like the rest of us, wonders what happened to youth's good graces.

I like to exercise. Actually I hate it, but it’s expected of me since I’m on TV.

Jogging is something I’ve always done. It’s cheap and doesn’t require a gym membership. But recently my body has started giving out on me in the middle of my routine.

Understand, I’ve been doing this jogging thing for about 20 years. But now, about halfway in, my knees and back are checking out. While my heart is still saying “come on guys! let's go!”... my joints are saying “not gonna do it."

That is what happened to Brett Favre this year.

The 39-year-old started the New York Jets off to an impressive 8-3 start with quality road wins over New England and Tennessee. And then, Brett’s body started giving out.

The "Brett’s" lost four of their last five games including their season finale against Miami, which ended the Jets' playoff hopes in a New York minute.

The question is, with the Jets' season over, will Brett call it a career this time? So far, he’s not saying, but the following statistic should give him a clue.

Brett Favre started his 269th consecutive regular-season game on Sunday. He’s been actively playing since 1992. According to Fox Sports, Favre has only thrown more than one interception in seven games in his entire career. Three of those seven were his last three games.

Apparently, 40 is NOT the new 30 in the NFL.

This was the kind of thing I was worried would happen to Favre when he said he was coming back—that he’d have the same fall-from-grace as Michael Jordan, whose career could have ended on a perfect Kodak Moment holding that pose after his game-winning shot over Utah in the 1998 finals.

But then Favre started winning. And suddenly, like half of the New York City fanbase, I bought into it.

With the Jets’ $140 million overhaul and a Hall–of-Famer behind center, it looked like it could happen. And, as much as I grew up hating the Packers, I wanted it to happen. It was just too good a story! Brett the Jet in the Superbowl! Broadway Brett leading the 4-12 Jets to a magnanimous turnaround! Like Roy Hobbs in “The Natural” or that Disney movie with Dennis Quaid as an aging pitcher.

But then the reality of being 39 set in.

The snapshot moment that ended Brett’s career? An illegal forward pass.

In the closing seconds of the Jets' loss to Miami, there was Favre, flat on his back, knocked down by Miami safety Yeremiah Bell after he dumped a pass to Leon Washington, took a lateral, and tried to shuffle the ball ahead to Jerricho Cotchery.

Somebody should have yelled “cut!”

Hopefully Brett’s body has given him the message that so many of us tried to convey: It’s time to hang it up.

I just popped an Advil for a pain in my neck from sleeping wrong. Yes, in your late 30’s, suddenly there’s a right way and a wrong way to sleep.

And there’s also a wrong way to end one’s career.

Here’s hoping Favre finally puts his career to rest.

And maybe takes up jogging.

Sports Anchor Rafer Weigel

Its safe to say 2008 is a year we’ll remember forever. Politics and the economy notwithstanding, this year will go down in history for it’s many memorable sports moments as well.

2007 was about athletes on the police blotter (Michael Vick, O.J., Marion Jones).

This year had a few scrapes with Adam “don’t call me Pacman” Jones and Plaxico “is that a gun in your pocket or are you just glad to see me” Burress. But that’s not how we’ll remember this year.

2008 was the year of fantastic finishes.

The Giants amazing comeback, Michael Phelps in Beijing, Tiger winning the U.S. Open, and Danica Patrick are just a few that come to mind.

So which, if we had to choose, would be the most memorable? Hard to say. It really depends on your sport of choice.

Football junkies, specifically Giant fans, will hail Super Bowl 42 as the most indelible. Some have called it the greatest Super Bowl ever. The heavily favored and undefeated Patriots taking on the underdog Giants. David Tyree’s on-the-helmet catch from a scrambling Eli Manning could be the greatest play in Super Bowl History. You know you’ll always remember that image.

I’ll forever remember it as the only football game my wife ever watched until the end.

Then there was Tiger giving golf’s grittiest moment. Playing on a torn ligament and a double stress fracture Woods walked five rounds of golf to win the U.S. Open at his home course of Torrey Pines. It was the world’s greatest golfer’s greatest win. He even said so himself. It was also arguably the gutsiest performance of an athlete playing through pain to win a championship.

And don’t forget Michael Phelps record of eight gold medals in the Beijing Olympics. Of course, you probably could given that the media really doesn’t give him much coverage (please!).

But while many of you might have Phelps fatigue, the truth is, Phelps breaking Mark Spitz’ record for the most gold in a single games actually would have to be considered the most memorable moment of the year.

While Phelps doesn’t have that snapshot moment like Tiger wincing or The Catch what he did will never happen again.

I don’t know if we’ll ever see another undefeated team reach the Super Bowl only to be upset by a scrappy underdog on a pair of amazing clutch plays. I don’t know if we’ll ever see another golfer as dominant as Tiger Woods push themselves that hard, even risking their entire career, just to win.

But I do know we’ll never see another athlete win eight gold medals in a single Olympics. How do I know this? The competition is just too strong for that to ever happen again.

Swimming is really the only sport where you can win that many medals. Spitz swam during an era when swimming didn’t have the global popularity it does now. The sport is huge internationally now. And with so much parity in the sport worldwide, it’s amazing he was able to do it all. It will be especially difficult for any swimmer to do it again as the sport continues to grow.

Was Phelps’ finish as dramatic as the other two? Not really. His record-tying seventh medal was the most climactic when he won the 100-meter butterfly by one one-hundredth of a second ahead of Serbian Milorad Cavich.

But it’s a mark that will always be there.

And you can say, you saw it happen.

What was your most memorable sports moment of 2008? Please post your thoughts in the comments field below.

By Writer Keith

Many of us have time-honored family traditions during the holiday season. Be it from the recipes, when to open gifts, someone having too much egg nog, and the ultimate realization of why we only spend a limited amount of hours with extended family on major holidays.

I know this year is tough for a lot of you with the economy being in the toilet. It sorta doesn’t feel like Christmas this year. That’s why I am here to help. I’ve scoured YouTube to find some of my favorite holiday moments from TV and the movies. Sure, “Captain Nostalgia” may be riding again, but this time it’s for a good cause and hopefully it will brighten up your day a little bit. So grab some nog, sit back, and enjoy. Away we go.

Nothing says Christmas and the 1980’s quite like the Andy Williams special. From the garish sweaters to the kinda creepy song where Andy talks about hanging out with underage kids, the 1985 version was a keeper. NBC emptied their bench of all their young sitcom stars to go and search for Santa. This clip is worth watching just for the Alfonso Ribero/Natalie from “The Facts of Life” segment.

Not to be outdone by Andy was the cheddar factor that was “A Very Brady Christmas.” Apparently, Greg grew a hideous mustache, Jan was an architect and Cindy was a whole different actress. That and we finally got the resolution that after 30 years, Sam and Alice weren’t married yet … and Sam still makes bad jokes about meat.

Some of my favorite traditions were the commercials that only ran at Christmastime. The Budweiser Clydesdales marching in the snow. And this McDonald’s relic from 1983. It taught us so many messages: good will, helping others. It also marked one of the final times that McDonalds showed a healthy activity (ice skating) and tied it to their food.

Of course there is the world’s all-time longest running commercial. Did Liz Taylor film this thing after she wrapped Cleopatra? It has been on for 50 straight Christmases and I don’t know anyone who buys it. Do they just sell it by the gallon and the commercial is a reminder to fill up? And why does she have a problem with this O’Brien fellow?

Or how about this classic? Nothing says “I forgot you were going to be at the party and this was the only thing I could find at the 24/7 drug store.” I mean, if you are stuck in this predicament, do what my family does … buy scratch tickets.

It’s not a holiday unless you get an ice cream cake from Carvel. I bring this up because of this St. Patrick’s Day commercial which had me and Bob Van Dillen in stitches earlier this year. If they wanted to go full Irish stereotype they should have given “Cookie O’Puss” a bottle of Bushmills and had him pick a fight with “Fudgie the Whale.” Read the rest of this entry »

Business Writer Kiernan P. Schmitt

A new study says 2 out of every 3 Americans shopped at Walmart last week. America's research group says that's more shoppers at Walmart than JCPenney, Sears, Target, and Toys R Us combined! Looks like it's going to be a merry Christmas for the world's largest retailer.

Walmart's domination has actually brightened the group's entire holiday outlook. It was predicting holiday retail sales would fall by 3.5%, but bumped that up to a less-gloomy loss of 2.8%.

Customers are cutting back - Almost 37% said in the survey they are spending less this year, the highest percentage in the seven years the group has been asking that question.

Some good news for the kiddies out there, though: toys are the most-bought gift this year (33.8%), followed by children's clothing (23.7%).

So even if you get that great new doll that walks and talks and eats and performs basic calculations, be wary of that next present: it's probably tube socks.

Sports Anchor Rafer Weigel

You gotta love Charles Barkley. The most outspoken man in basketball has called out nearly everyone—Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, even Conservatives. Now he’s tearing at his alma mater—Auburn University—for hiring new football coach Gene Chizik, saying race was “the number one factor”.

Did Turner Gill get a fair shake? Doubtful.

Chizik is white. But it’s his resume—not his race that Barkley, and a few others, has a problem with.

Chizik last coached Iowa State to a 5-19 record over two seasons, even losing 10 straight. To be fair, he did work as a coordinator under Tuberville so he does have ties to the program. But if he can’t win in the Big 12 what makes Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs think he can win in the SEC?

Who Barkley—and a few others—wanted instead of Chizik was Buffalo coach Turner Gill. Gill coached the Bulls to one of the most amazing turnarounds ever in college football. After winning only 12 games in 8 years, Gill guided the Bulls to their first ever Mid-American Conference Title.

But Gill is black. And Barkley says that’s the problem.

Barkley isn’t the only saying this. ESPN.com football writer Mark Schlabach told “Outside The Lines” that two other SEC coaches told him Gill would never get the Auburn job, because he’s married to a white woman.

It’s possible that Chizik DID give a better interview than Gill. Barkley claims that Gill told him he felt like he was nothing more than “token interview”. If he did truly believe that going in he may have gone in with a chip on his shoulder.

But Gill’s snubbing—fair or not—raises an even bigger issue: the small number of black coaches in college football. Of the 119 colleges participating in Division 1-A football there are only THREE black head coaches. Whether Gill deserved the job or not, that statistic is a bit startling.

And for those of you who don’t think race played a factor I have just one question: If Gill were white, do you really think Chizik would get the job over him given their qualifications?

Still, I really feel sorry for Chizik. His first press conference was spent DEFENDING his hiring saying he is the “right guy”.

Who wouldn’t take that job? He’s just trying to feed his family and further his career.

But now, he’s suddenly he’s at the center of an issue much bigger than himself.

What do you think? Leave your comments below.

From Writer Keith

One trimester down, two to go. It’s been an interesting time so far for the gestation period of my soon to be new baby Dustin Lester Jacoby.

When a 6’4”, 285 pound defensive lineman tells you your kid looks like a squirrel you just sorta just take his word for it.

My wife has her good days and her bad days and her days where she gives me that look that says “you did this to me!” We’ve also discovered what the baby likes to eat and what the baby hates. Our kid apparently loves boneless buffalo wings but really hates Mexican food.

Also, kids menus at restaurants have been a big help since my wife finds eating several small meals a day suits her better than three big ones. I’d rather pay $4 for a half-eaten kids meal than $20 for a half-eaten adults meal.

Like the good guy that I pretend to be, I have made every single doctor’s appointment. It is incredible. We got to show the first ultra-sound pics to everyone in our family.

My cousin Kyle thinks the kid looks like a squirrel. I’d argue with him, but he’s a college football player that can bench over 400 pounds. Sometimes you have to pick your battles.

Our doctors so far have been in full “CYA” mode (cover your a**) in most of our appointments. “There’s a 15% chance of this, a 20% chance of that ...”. This kind of talk freaks my wife out, but they are just protecting themselves from any lawsuit. Still, it’s not real good bedside manner.

Now the fun part: registering for baby gifts.

My wife has advised me that we can’t register for a 50-inch flat screen TV despite my insistence that I want my kid to watch “The Wiggles” in hi-def.

We started at one of those baby specialty stores. They sat down, consulted with us, and annoyed me something fierce.

While I applaud the advances in child safety, somehow my parents managed to raise me without all of these gadgets. Then seeing the prices on the “suggested registry items” I told my wife that “these people should be put in jail.”

We’re in a lousy economy and the store expects our family to dish out 100 bucks for some video baby monitor? I am pretty sure if the kid is screaming from its room, I’ll wake up. I don’t really need to see it on the TV.

When we finished registering, they gave us a list of stuff “we forgot.” I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

Wisely, we went to one of those mega-department stores after registering at the baby store and found most of our items at 20% or more cheaper. Guess where we were pointing the “registering gun” at next?

So now the exciting time begins. We are planning to find out if we are having a boy or the girl in the next couple of weeks. The room we have picked out is bright blue, not exactly gender neutral. I will continue to try and make as many doctor’s appointments as possible. From everything I’ve read, the second trimester is a lot easier. Thank goodness. I am exhausted.

Business Correspondent Jennifer Westhoven

Who doesn’t want to save money for the holidays?

Trying to decide which flat-screen TV to buy can be tough.

Despite the mess in the economy, millions of Americans are still spending, and the purchase that tops most of the lists is a flat-screen TV. If you’re going to fork over that much money, you want to get the most value for your dollar.

Consumer Reports just did a big ranking of plasmas and LCD screens. If you’re looking for one about 42 inches, their favorites were the Panasonic Plasma TH42 PX80U (retailing for between $700 to $1,000) and the LG 42PG20 (from $777 to $1200). Those are pretty wide price ranges so make sure you do some comparison-shopping to get the best deal!

You can also check www.ConsumerReports.org for more details, but you have to be a subscriber to get the full article.

Sports Anchor Rafer Weigel

It looks like taxpayers are getting hit again ... at least in New York anyway. Both the Yankees and the Mets have asked the city for hundreds of millions of dollars in tax-exempt public bonds to build their new stadiums while throwing out huge deals to new players.

The most lucrative contract ever awarded a pitcher ... in these times. Will it all blow up in the Yankees' face?

Now, I'm all for the free market and signing marquee players. But while they're handing out contracts with one hand, the other one is going "brother can you spare a dime?"

The Associated Press, citing New York City's Economic Development Corporation, said the Yankees filed a request for an additional $259 million in tax-exempt bonds and $111 million in taxable bonds to fund its new $1.3-billion stadium in the Bronx.

That's on top of the $965 million in bonds the team has already received.

The additional cost to the public for the use of tax-exempt bonds is estimated at about $16 million–about seven million dollars less than the team will pay new free agent acquisition C.C. Sabathia who was just awarded a 7-year, $161 million dollar contract.

That's right, while taxpayers will put up more money to build PRIVATE stadiums in the greater New York area, the Yanks broke the bank awarding the richest contract ever to a pitcher.

And they're not the only ones borrowing and spending like a certain lame-duck President. The Mets have their hand out too asking the city for $83 million to finish their new park in Queens. This after they just awarded $37 million to former Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez, and after already receiving $615 million for their $800 million dollar park.

And, as if this just doesn't make perfect symmetry, the company that paid millions for the naming rights to the park? Citigroup, which just got $45 billion in a tax-payer funded bailout.

Make sense? I think not.

Business Correspondent Jennifer Westhoven

Christmas has come early for some factory workers in Ashland, Ohio.

Nothing like a sweet holiday story.

You may remember news a few months ago that Archway cookies was filing for bankruptcy and would be closing down ... but "Lance" has come to the rescue. Lance, Inc. has bought up Archway Cookies and it’s planning to open up bakery again.

Last night, all former full-time workers got a $1500 Visa gift card, the head of Ashland's chamber of commerce told our Robin Meade. Some will be back on the job starting Monday, December 15th, and Lance hopes to ramp up production after that.

So they'll have money for Christmas, and their old jobs back for a Happy New Year's.

It’s great to have a happy business story to tell you about.

Morning Express Anchor Robin Meade

How in the world did I get to share a stage with Grammy Award winner Richard Marx? I mean the guy has sold 30 million records. He's written 13 number one songs. And ... he got roped into doing a duet with me on stage. Huh?

Robin harmonizes with Richard Marx, chanteur of such hits as "Right Here Waiting" and "Now and Forever."

Here's the deal - I used to anchor the news in Chicago before I arrived at Headline News. Richard Marx lives in the Chicago area. He had a big idea to do a concert benefiting cystic fibrosis research. The premise was this: He'd do a few numbers with his band, then his band would accompany Chicago news "celebs" performing a song of their choice.

Okay, easy enough. Someone muttered "This has Robin Meade's name written all over it."
So I got the call. Would I haul my karaoke queen butt back to Chicago to perform?

Of course I would - but I told Richard Marx, I'd only do so on the condition that I got also sing a duet with him. Gutsy!

So, did he say yes right away, or did I have to threaten to shave his head of that signature hair of his? (For the record - what hip guy DIDN'T have a mullet pre-1990? Richard's hair is in its 2008 groove now, although he did call my attention his iconic 'do pictured on an old album cover a fan was asking him to sign.)

Well ... for the rest of the story ... you gotta hear it from Richard's own mouth! (It's a mouth, from which a great voice still emerges, btw. Wow, his singing is spot on every time. You know how you hear people in concert and go "Eww, that voice must have been a studio creation"? Well, not Richard Marx. He delivers such emotion with a great instrument.)

So, see him describe what he was thinking when I asked him to duet. And then, see our duet too!
It's right there on our website, CNN.com/Robin

What do ya think - is there a potential for an RM & RM Christmas album or something?

btw, on his Web site - i see he's got newer albums out if you'd like to hear his latest stuff.