TERRIFIC TURNOUT TOLLS 2006 HOLIDAY TIDINGS
Chicago Beats St. Louis 42-27; West Hartford the Real Winner as Nine Shine

Berlin, CT (AP)--At a time of year when numbers play such a prevalent part in our lives--the Twelve Days of Christmas, the count-down until a well-deserved vacation, the amount of available credit on all of those high interest cards, the number of Dominicans on the Cannons' active roster--it is one number that burned like a beacon, a guiding star in the night sky this past Monday: nine. Nueve is the number of West Hartford Cannon 2007 roster invitees who attended Monday Night Football Mayhem at Sliders in Berlin earlier this week. From the obvious (Weber and Celio), to the expected (Barsa, Dionicio and the McGanns), to the truly unexpected (Giudice, Mancini and Maule) this impromptu gathering garnered warm words from all in attendance as the team watched the Bears and Devin Hester bounce the Rams from NFC Playoff contention.

"One of the greatest off-season get-togethers we've ever had," said elated Assistant Manager Mike Weber as the evening neared its end. "Family and friends are everything during the holidays and spending some quality time with the Cannons at Sliders is a perfect pairing, just like flying reindeer and a sleigh. I'm really impressed with the turnout and think this is a great sign for the upcoming season." This was just the beginning for the team's scheduled slate of sports-themed events at the local establishment, winner of five highly coveted awards in '06 (Hartford Advocate's "Best Wings" and "Best Sports Bar;" "Best Bar for Your Dollar" and "Best Neighborhood Bar" as voted by Reader's Choice; and the "Best Specialty Wings" at the Plainville Wing Ding): 1/20, 3:45 p.m. Indiana v. UCONN; 2/17, 3:30 p.m. UCONN at Syracuse; 3/3, 12:00 p.m. UCONN at Georgetown. "One per month until the season starts," stated Manager Matt Celio, "and if the weather holds out we might be practicing before too long. You know nine truly is the magic number."

Keep up with the many goings-on this off-season at whcannons.blogspot.com. Happy Holidays to all members of Cannon Nation!

Cannons News and Notes: The number theme continued throughout this alcohol-soaked evening: 69--what Mike McGann won't be doing with the Guidance Counselor Weber recently set him up with for a blind date (McGann claims this cold fish clenched her lips when he went in for a kiss after the first date, something that has never happened to him before...reporters were skeptical on this point to say the least); 29--age in years of Rams Quarterback Mark Bulger, who Chris Barsa repeatedly insisted was in his mid-thirties; 20--number of dollars left by Barsa, the same number he leaves each time the team visits Sliders regardless of what he orders; 12/24--M. McGann's birthday...he wanted the team to be aware; 10:30--time "Dominican Dreamboat" Leo Dionicio arrived for the 8:30 kick-off, a trend throughout the player's tenure with the team (it was also reported by members of the media that the "Gringo From Santo Domingo" shed tears while watching Happy Feet); 4 at 4--songs and time of day that M. McGann's favorite tunes will be played on the River 105.9 this Monday afternoon (teammates were able to figure out the four artists after many failed guesses--some that didn't make the final cut were Eddie Grant's "Electric Avenue", Gerardo's "Rico Suave" and Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy")...the younger McGann thinks the actual songs make for an excellent Cannons Jeopardy question and he may be right; 3:33--length in minutes and seconds of the message left by Tom Luby on Celio's cell phone leading to wild speculation that the shortstop would stop by Sliders for a Hot Toddy or two (Lubes sang along with Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation" but left no additional message); 2--famous people John Mancini felt John Giudice looked like (a cross between "Ray Liotta and Clark Kent"); 1--total number of shots Mancer bought for the players in attendance (he warned, "It's 100 Proof so I hope you're not driving" and then had people take a single sip of Rumpleminze...Jason Maule pounded the drink when it was delivered to him, not knowing that several teammates had not swallowed their slug; 0--number of Cannons' starting pitchers in attendance, though Ed Poland and Mike Calabrese both came close (Poland spent a relaxing night at home with his girlfriend after a grueling high school football season while Cal mistakenly went to Sliders in Plainville).